Materials & Technical Compliance Engineer

How Sattva Group is building a Zero Waste future for India's west coast. rePurpose Team Published on June 9, 2026 Along India's west coast, the state of Karnataka is home to one of the country's most ecologically significant coastlines - supporting fishing communities, coastal ecosystems, and hundreds of thousands of livelihoods. It is also facing a growing plastic waste crisis that no single intervention can solve. On Earth Day 2026, Sattva Group and Knowledge Realty Trust, in partnership with rePurpose Global, launched the Karnataka Zero Waste Initiative - a long-term programme designed to strengthen community-led waste management systems that can be sustained over time. The problem worth taking seriously. Plastic waste doesn't just wash up on beaches. It moves through communities, disrupts livelihoods, and accumulates in ecosystems long before it reaches the sea. For coastal Karnataka, the challenge is compounded by gaps in formal waste infrastructure - inadequate segregation, inconsistent collection, and limited processing capacity at source. The result is a coastline under pressure. And a problem that requires more than awareness campaigns to fix. The initiative: community-led, systems-first. The Karnataka Zero Waste Initiative is rooted in a straightforward conviction: lasting change doesn't come from the outside in. It comes from building systems that communities can own, operate, and sustain. Over the next few years, the programme will: * Connect 80,000+ households to formal waste management systems * Integrate 50 coastal villages into structured collection and processing networks * Support safer, more dignified livelihoods for waste workers along the coast * Enable the responsible processing of 3.5-4.5 million kg of waste before it reaches the sea The focus isn't just on collection. It's on behaviour change, awareness, and strengthening the infrastructure for better segregation and processing at source - the points where intervention matters most. Commenting on the initiative, Shivam Agarwal, Vice President, Strategy, Sattva Group, said: "Protecting Karnataka's 320 Km coastline and addressing the growing challenge of waste is essential to sustaining the environment and improving the overall quality of life. Through the Karnataka Zero Waste Initiative, Sattva and Knowledge Realty Trust along with rePurpose, are enabling structured, community-led waste management systems that strengthen local practices while creating more secure and dignified livelihoods. With a strong focus on awareness and participation, the three-year initiative is designed to impact 80,000 households across 50 coastal villages, empower 200+ waste workers and deliver measurable improvements to build a cleaner, more resilient coastline for the state." Why this model is different. Many sustainability programmes struggle to translate ambition into local, measurable systems. The Karnataka Zero Waste Initiative is designed to bridge that gap. It is rooted in Sattva's focus on responsible, community-centric ecosystems and aligned with Knowledge Realty Trust's sustainability vision. This programme places communities at the centre, not as beneficiaries, but as participants in building the systems they depend on. What rePurpose Global brings to this. As the impact partner, rePurpose Global brings programme design, implementation expertise, and accountability frameworks to help translate commitments into measurable, traceable outcomes. For Sattva and Knowledge Realty Trust, that partnership means their sustainability vision is backed by systems designed to hold up over time. "Solving plastic pollution requires more than short-term action - it requires strong systems, collaboration, and long-term leadership. It's incredibly meaningful to see businesses like Sattva stepping forward with the ambition to invest in systems-led environmental solutions. Through this partnership, we have an opportunity not only to reduce plastic leakage and strengthen waste management systems locally, but also to help build a scalable model for circularity and environmental leadership that can extend far beyond Karnataka." - Aditya Siroya, Co-Founder & Advisor, rePurpose Global A commitment worth watching. The Karnataka Zero Waste Initiative has just launched. The results - households connected, waste recovered, and livelihoods supported - will build over the years ahead. But the foundation is already significant: 80,000+ households, 50 villages, and 3.5-4.5 million kg of waste targeted for recovery and responsible processing before it reaches the sea. It is a programme designed to protect a coastline that communities, businesses, and ecosystems depend on for the long term. This is what corporate sustainability looks like when it's built to last.

Migrating microplastics from packaging, new study released. Wednesday, 29 April, 2026 A study, published by Earth Action in collaboration with rePurpose Global, has mapped the scale of microplastics moving from packaging into food and drinks. The study, 'Pack to Plate', quantifies the release of micro- and nanoplastics (MNP) from food packaging directly into food. It estimates that 1000 tonnes of MNP move from plastic packaging into food and drinks every year. A central finding of the report is that microplastic exposure from packaging is not random but driven by three predictable factors: material choice, packaging design, and real-world use conditions. "For years the debate around microplastics focused on pollution in the environment. Now we know of the direct pathway to human exposure through the food we eat every day," said Julien Boucher, PhD, Head of Research and Co-CEO of Earth Action. "This report identifies the scale of the problem but also points to the solutions. If policymakers and industry start treating particle release as a real safety consideration, alongside chemical migration, we have clear opportunities to reduce exposure." The findings summarised. Design elements such as caps, closures and multi-component structures introduce points of friction that increase particle release, particularly during repeated opening and handling. Use-phase conditions introduce further variability. Sunlight and UV exposure alone can increase particle release by up to two orders of magnitude. Thermal stress from hot filling or microwaving acts as a secondary amplifier, weakening the material and significantly increasing particle detachment. Packaging is not the largest source of microplastics in the environment by mass but as it is in direct, continuous contact with food and beverages, it creates a more concentrated human ingestion pathway than environmental routes such as water or air. Other environmental sources include car tyre wear, synthetic textiles, paints and mismanaged plastic waste. Due to the predictability of migration, the report provides a framework for identifying high-risk packaging formats and outlines practical measures for industry that could reduce particle release. These include: * limiting UV exposure during transport and retail display; * redesigning high-stress components such as caps and closures; * testing packaging under realistic use conditions including heating and repeated handling. The full report is available here. Image credit: iStock.com/Svetlozar Hristov The SAVE FOOD Expert Talks will allow participants to gain a better understanding about how... Datalogic, Honeywell, Newland AIDC and Zebra Technologies join forces with GS1 to help accelerate... United Fresh New Zealand has released updated guidance about nutrition claims on fresh produce...

Raw Rev: vegan power snacks. As well as being 100% vegan, non-GMO and free from palm oil, Raw Rev ingredients are minimally processed, keeping their production less energy-intensive than highly refined alternatives. In a time when even "plant-based" can often come with a side of processed fillers and excessive sugar, the quest to find a suitable protein bar can sometimes feel confounding. Enter Raw Rev, a brand that has been, for years, quietly pursuing the art of the affordable, high-protein vegan snack bar. From their FAQ: What does Raw Rev mean? (Raw Rev's founder) Alice lived in NYC in the early 1990's during a RAW food revolution! People were soaking raw organic cashews in bathtubs and hosting basement plant-based potlucks in secret Gotham locations! During this time her entrepreneurial mind started dreaming up the beginnings of her first product line appropriately named: Raw Revolution. While the Raw Rev website makes it clear the bars are a not a "raw food" product per se, the company has remained true to Alice's original vision of a bar based on the wholesome nutrition of nuts and seeds. The flagship Raw Rev Glo line was designed with a specific philosophy in mind: radiant health starts from within. Here's why they stand out in a crowded market: * High Fiber, Low Sugar: Most bars rely on sugar alcohols or syrups to stay tasty. Raw Rev uses prebiotic fiber to keep net carbs low while supporting gut health. * Clean Protein Sources: You won't find mystery "isolates" here. They utilize a blend of pea protein, brown rice protein, and hemp protein to provide a complete amino acid profile. * Healthy Fats: With a base of nuts and seeds (like cashews, sunflower seeds, and flax), these bars provide sustained energy and satiety without a sugar crash. Rooted in values: woman-owned, family-operated, and plastic neutral. Unlike many of the companies behind your go-to snacks, Raw Rev isn't a faceless corporation. It is a woman-owned business and remains family-operated, ensuring that every bar produced meets the standards set by its founders. Furthermore, when you choose Raw Rev, every bar is proudly made in the USA. As well as being 100% vegan, non-GMO and free from palm oil, Raw Rev ingredients are minimally processed, keeping their production less energy-intensive than highly refined alternatives. Raw Rev's plastic neutral commitment. Sadly, protein bars tend to come wrapped in multi-layered plastic films that are notoriously difficult to recycle. While Raw Rev continues to search for better packaging solutions, they've taken measures to offset their footprint by partnering with rePurpose Global. For every pound of plastic Raw Rev uses in its wrappers and shipping materials, they fund the removal of an equivalent amount of plastic waste from the environment. This funding specifically targets "nature-bound" plastic - waste that is at high risk of ending up in oceans or landfills, often in regions that currently lack formal waste management infrastructure. Through this partnership, Raw Rev's contribution helps to remove over 2,500 pounds of plastic waste every single year, as well as providing: * Stable Income: Professionalizing the work of informal waste pickers. * Fair Wages & Safety: Ensuring workers have protective gear and a dignified, living wage. * Women's Empowerment: Many of these local waste-management initiatives (particularly in places like India and Indonesia) are led by or predominantly employ women, aligning perfectly with Raw Rev's status as a woman-owned business. Alongside these offsetting efforts, they also: * Use SFI and FSC(R) Certified Cartons (sourced from responsibly managed forests). * Work with packaging vendors that utilize wind energy to power their production. * Actively pressure suppliers to develop high-barrier, fully compostable or recyclable films that don't compromise the freshness of the bars. Flavor profile: which is your match? The Raw Rev lineup offers something for every palate: The verdict. Whether you're fueling up for a hike, surviving a long afternoon at the office, or looking for a post-exercise recovery snack, Raw Rev delivers. They prove that a bar can be vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, kosher, and socially responsible, without losing the pleasure factor. "Eating well shouldn't be a chore. It should be a revolution." - The Raw Rev Spirit Share to.