Sustainable environment is my priority

Green Business

Anousha Junggee, who represents the true definition of an eco-entrepreneur: her career started in a different field, but she then successfully made a transition to entrepreneurship. Today, she is a leader in creating eco-friendly businesses: she is the co-founder and director at 1950 Design & Print and founder of Eco Hustle Co Ltd , a company that has two eco-friendly brands: Sakili (up-cycled bags made from used billboard) and Recycle Moi (100% biodegradable sanitary napkins). All her companies are innovative, they have strong SDGs foundations and she follows the principles of the SDGs both while working at work and during her daily life tasks.

Q: What motivated you towards eco-business?

I was rich and famous but it was still not enough for me. I wanted more; I knew I could do better. Nineteen Fifty Design & Print Co Ltd. (1950) focuses on high-quality cost-effective printing and advertising goods & materials for a diverse customer base. The company offer services like vehicle branding, exhibition booth design, supermarket POS display, and billboard printing. 1950 takes pride in its high-quality printing output and fast delivery. Currently the company is expanding to include new environmental initiatives that upcycle non-renewable PVC materials in order reduce advertising waste that goes to landfills. This is the core of Sakili – Once A Billboard, Now A Bag project. Sakili, is my up-cycling brand – bags made from advertising and textile waste. It was launched officially in April 2017. Through this venture, we encourage other businesses to consider the environmental impacts of their operations and that we normalize sustainability as a business norm. Typically, after an advertising campaign, billboard materials are not re-used and because of their thick PVC material, they do not biodegrade, causing waste problems. To combat this, up-cycled bags and products allow the material to have a second life and to continue being useful to the consumer in a new way. We are focused on ensuring that our operations have minimal negative impact on the environment as we believe that protecting our environment is an investment in the future development of our country.  We partner with local companies and organizations that understand and care about environmental sustainability and impact. Instead of dumping their old and used billboards & banners to landfills we ask them to donate them for up-cycling. Once the company makes the pledge, we collect the banners on their requests. The partner pledge not only helps their own business to be more sustainable, but to create the conditions for job growth and opportunity by donating all used billboard materials and advertising waste to 1950 Design & Company for the foreseeable future.

Q: What do you think needs to be done to empower women and have more initiatives like yours?

Women should come forward themselves and strive to make their idea becomes reality. If you want to move forward and be successful, surround yourself with more powerful persons and definitely those who have something to teach you, lift you up and who are positive.

Q: What are your thoughts about the SDGs ?

The 17 SDGs make absolute sense to me. I serve as Envoy of Youth to Africa for the International Youth Committee (IYC), a youth organisation which is based in Delhi whereby our mission is to supports youth-led projects that follow the SDGs of the United Nations and facilitates dialogues among the African countries and outside. My company and activities fall under the SDG 12 and 13 but I think as a responsible citizen, I try to follow and apply the maximum SDGs possible in my daily activities, both personally or professionally.