Speaker 1: This is a C. N. A podcast.
Speaker 1: Hi, welcome back to the climate conversations with me julie.
Speaker 1: You you may have heard how plastic waste is being
Speaker 1: recycled into works of art or perhaps made into usable
Speaker 1: homeware using waste to create consumer products is not new
Speaker 1: and in fact, companies have been getting in on the
Speaker 1: action for some time now. Nike for instance, as a
Speaker 1: range of shoes made completely out of scrap material, but
Speaker 1: California based green toys makes all of its toys out
Speaker 1: of recycled plastic
Speaker 1: as more people become aware of and begin to use
Speaker 1: more sustainable products. The business of turning trash into treasure
Speaker 1: is only set to grow. Today. I'm speaking to two
Speaker 1: women who run a startup that turns cashew waste. Yes,
Speaker 1: Cashew actually produce waste into nontoxic disinfectants.
Speaker 1: Any innovations is where did Egan Debbie Krishna work on
Speaker 1: cracking challenges that bother them? Like how to reduce toxic
Speaker 1: chemicals used in consumer products.
Speaker 1: Congratulations!
Speaker 1: Because we had some tough competition.
Speaker 1: This all women group was also the winner of CNN's
Speaker 1: Green Plant Hackathon, which took place in April this year.
Speaker 1: That was how excited they were at their win. Netting
Speaker 1: them the top prize of $10,000. So who are these
Speaker 1: young entrepreneurs that started this business in the middle of
Speaker 1: a pandemic? What motivates them
Speaker 1: and can a sustainable nontoxic product make money in the
Speaker 1: marketplace so much to talk about De de Debbie, Welcome
Speaker 1: to Climate conversations and congratulations on winning the contest. Great
Speaker 1: to have you your boat. Hi, Hello,
Speaker 1: didi, I want to start with you first for listeners
Speaker 1: who may not have caught the Hackathon, could you start
Speaker 1: off by sharing with us a bit about your winning
Speaker 1: sustainability solution? Why focus on addressing food waste? So for
Speaker 1: this green plant hackathon, we were trying to tackle pest
Speaker 1: control problems in Singapore. Using the all natural approach
Speaker 1: as we know that chemical passage sites tends to leave
Speaker 1: residues and they are not food safe or child friendly.
Speaker 1: So with these presence of harmful pesticides, residues in food
Speaker 1: that has caused a huge concerns in the consumers. So
Speaker 1: we're trying to use food waste and design an all
Speaker 1: natural bug repellent that could actually be safe on baby
Speaker 1: skin
Speaker 1: As well and also used in food processing areas. So
Speaker 1: the whole idea was trying to turn food waste and
Speaker 1: this time we decided to choose to be in, wow.
Speaker 1: But let's start with cashew nuts here. That you had
Speaker 1: a moment of inspiration while having drinks and nibbling on
Speaker 1: some nuts one day, could you tell us about that
Speaker 1: started in 2000 and
Speaker 1: 20 during the pandemic? We're just locked down in the
Speaker 1: home with my aunt and we were like, hey, everyone's
Speaker 1: using alcohol disinfectant and it's so toxic for the skin
Speaker 1: and I have two kids that I actually have really
Speaker 1: bad Exuma, especially my baby girl. So I think once
Speaker 1: they're in the market that really can replace chemical disinfectant
Speaker 1: or chemical hand sanitizer
Speaker 1: And we were eating nuts. And then one of my
Speaker 1: good friends was like hey and maybe we can use
Speaker 1: these nuts and turn them into something. So we kind
Speaker 1: of just tested a whole range of things. We tried
Speaker 1: managing pills to grape seeds, a whole range of whatever
Speaker 1: ways that we could find. And
Speaker 1: We not only use casual waste but also soybean waste
Speaker 1: and also crab shell extracts to make into all natural
Speaker 1: antimicrobial compound that's called VK nine. So let's go back
Speaker 1: to jury. And I must admit I mean I'm not
Speaker 1: a huge fan but Debbie, how does it work? I
Speaker 1: mean who came up with that idea of?
Speaker 1: We were just thinking about coming up with some sustainable
Speaker 1: ideas and then durian is a fruit that singaporeans love
Speaker 1: very much and then lots of waste also gets piled up.
Speaker 1: So when we were researching we found that it has
Speaker 1: lots of politics,
Speaker 1: kennels and flavonoids inside which we could like use for
Speaker 1: best repellent properties. So we tried a plan to extract
Speaker 1: it out and try it out at the hackathon. Right
Speaker 1: so didi you said they're natural they're safe
Speaker 1: and even edible. That's what I hear. I mean can
Speaker 1: it still kill viruses as well as normal disinfectants. We
Speaker 1: have actually been certified by Sgs that it's actually food
Speaker 1: context safe and 100% edible. Our VK 99 technology has
Speaker 1: been proved
Speaker 1: to inactivate a whole range of bacteria including the SARS
Speaker 1: cov two virus not only instantly but continuously for 100
Speaker 1: and 80 days. So it has a self sanitizing property
Speaker 1: meaning that you know when you use a normal disinfectant
Speaker 1: in the market,
Speaker 1: when you spray within 30 seconds there is no more effect.
Speaker 1: We were trying to create something that's more sustainable because
Speaker 1: we don't want to be cleaning every day with the
Speaker 1: carbon footprint. Right? So we decided to try to create
Speaker 1: a compound that has self sanitizing property so it will
Speaker 1: self clean itself continuously even with just
Speaker 1: One spray. Oh that's fascinating. So any idea how much
Speaker 1: not waste you've up cycled in the past two years
Speaker 1: since you develop these products we have up cycled up
Speaker 1: to two tons of Nut ways and we are looking
Speaker 1: to vala rise up to 15 tons of food waste
Speaker 1: in general this year that's our mission of our company.
Speaker 1: And I noticed that both of you have science background.
Speaker 1: I mean you're both science heavyweights. D d you studied
Speaker 1: biomedical science and Debbie, you are the post graduate student
Speaker 1: in bio technology which means you could have gone into
Speaker 1: any established field. You know made some good money while
Speaker 1: at it. And in fact dede You left your job
Speaker 1: as a managing director of the textile mill in Malaysia.
Speaker 1: What galvanized you to venture off and found any innovations
Speaker 1: I think in my past experience in the dying meals
Speaker 1: there are so much waste that goes into the rivers.
Speaker 1: And I was thinking what can we do play a
Speaker 1: little part to make the planet a little bit more
Speaker 1: sustainable and I decided to try to turn food waste
Speaker 1: into something that's useful.
Speaker 1: And Debbie, what about you? Why sustainability? Was there a
Speaker 1: moment or event that really influenced you?
Speaker 1: My master's degree? I did a project where utilized the
Speaker 1: phytochemicals in the plant to create some bacteria inhibiting compounds.
Speaker 1: So it has always been vaccinating to exploit the natural
Speaker 1: agents in the plants and in the nature that we
Speaker 1: can always exploit and then utilize to our advantage. So
Speaker 1: I've always
Speaker 1: found a sense of fulfillment in doing that. And then
Speaker 1: while at enemy we utilize cashier waste and durian waste
Speaker 1: and extract all the phytochemicals in them and utilize it
Speaker 1: for a good purpose. So it's very interesting to me
Speaker 1: to research about that and then make it into a
Speaker 1: valuable product like a match made in heaven.
Speaker 2: Hi, my name is Sarah Khaldi and I'm the host
Speaker 2: of a new podcast called Money talks Yes, we will
Speaker 2: be talking about money, but more than that, we'll also
Speaker 2: be talking about life, personal choices, lucky breaks and how
Speaker 2: money is the thread running through it all. So look
Speaker 2: out for our episodes wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1: Dee Dee. What's quite remarkable is that your company began
Speaker 1: life in March 2020. This is when COVID-19 was already
Speaker 1: in Singapore would be heading towards a circuit breaker. I
Speaker 1: mean why did you and your partners choose to start
Speaker 1: a new business when the world was in a bit
Speaker 1: of a tailspin, we, we thought it's, I don't know
Speaker 1: or never and it's a lockdown. I won't be able
Speaker 1: to travel to Malaysia anymore. So I decided why not
Speaker 1: try a new journey? And I've always been passionate about R&D.
Speaker 1: In my past experience. Also, I've been always innovation and
Speaker 1: trying to make new things. So I thought, why not
Speaker 1: just embark a new journey since there was a Covid
Speaker 1: and with the products that we are envisioned at that
Speaker 1: point of time, I would say envision
Speaker 1: we want to make something happen and why not just
Speaker 1: try during the Covid? I guess in a way, pandemic
Speaker 1: has created some inspiration and for your products and Debbie,
Speaker 1: you've been with the company since its inception. I'm sure
Speaker 1: building a startup in the midst of the pandemic must
Speaker 1: have been quite hard.
Speaker 1: Looking back over the last two years, what would you
Speaker 1: find most challenging? Initially we started off in a very
Speaker 1: small lab, we had to like start off from scratch
Speaker 1: and then right now we are about to start off
Speaker 1: a new R and D lab and we have a
Speaker 1: lot of equipments. So looking back now, I feel very proud,
Speaker 1: like
Speaker 1: we've come a long way. How about you any challenges?
Speaker 1: I think there are many, many challenges. One of the
Speaker 1: biggest challenge I think we face as a team was,
Speaker 1: you know, food waste is not a nice color, right?
Speaker 1: So with cashew and soybean the color that when we
Speaker 1: synergistically make into a compound, it's a really dark brown.
Speaker 1: Would you lose a black, almost black hand sanitizer? Um
Speaker 1: If you made it
Speaker 1: so hard work has actually paid off. So when we
Speaker 1: look at the state of sustainability in Singapore and globally
Speaker 1: up cycling, let's talk about that is a relatively recent term, right?
Speaker 1: And it's been fascinating to see a number of economically
Speaker 1: viable up cycle and sustainable products currently on the market.
Speaker 1: I know your products, the masks and C. Two plus
Speaker 1: disinfectant are currently sold online and offline.
Speaker 1: So d are you making money? Does it make business sense?
Speaker 1: Um Yeah, I think so, because we have to price
Speaker 1: it right. I think with sustainability products you have to
Speaker 1: make sure that it's not overly priced for consumers to
Speaker 1: make that switch. So for dimas it's a medical grade
Speaker 1: and 95 mask that's reusable 30 times. So marketing it
Speaker 1: in 1990
Speaker 1: so the price is affordable for people and the comfort,
Speaker 1: I think the comfort and the extent of the protection
Speaker 1: that you will give because in 2020 everyone was only
Speaker 1: wearing surgical masks and n 95 months were actually overly
Speaker 1: priced one and 95 months was going like $6 and
Speaker 1: you're only about to use it once. So we price
Speaker 1: something that is sustainable and there's a long term of
Speaker 1: use
Speaker 1: and there's extra protection. So when you wear n 95
Speaker 1: months there's only the filtration protection, right? But we? Ve
Speaker 1: must we have the additional antiviral layer that will inactivate
Speaker 1: the bacteria and virus on top of filtering the virus.
Speaker 1: So it gives extra protection. I wonder are there enough
Speaker 1: consumers demands out there to make up for the cost
Speaker 1: and efforts
Speaker 1: you've put in in developing these products? Um I think
Speaker 1: in the first year we paid a lot for R.
Speaker 1: And D. And that's something that it will have to
Speaker 1: recuperate over time. But with our new products I think
Speaker 1: it makes business sense. And Debbie, what do you think
Speaker 1: is the incentive for consumers to turn to sustainable options
Speaker 1: like this?
Speaker 1: In the post pandemic era, people would definitely look for
Speaker 1: solutions that are sustainable because even the United Nations is
Speaker 1: like enlightening people to go for sustainable products. Even Singapore
Speaker 1: is like pushing all the companies to trace the carbon
Speaker 1: food brains. So I think as a whole, the world
Speaker 1: is moving towards purchasing more sustainable products and
Speaker 1: going for sustainable options variable possible and any is a
Speaker 1: med tech company, understand how much do you think science
Speaker 1: and technology will play coming up with solutions for the future,
Speaker 1: not just to make these eco friendly and sustainable products
Speaker 1: but also in a larger climate change challenges. I think
Speaker 1: science in the R. And D. Is a key
Speaker 1: component to play in making our planet more sustainable. There
Speaker 1: are so many alternative fuels that are in the making
Speaker 1: now than just cold. So I think it definitely will
Speaker 1: play a big part. So all of you should just
Speaker 1: go and study more science and we can make a
Speaker 1: planet more sustainable place.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean bio plastics, bio fuels, all of them
Speaker 1: are like coming up and everyone is looking forward to
Speaker 1: using them. R and D. It's like the key component
Speaker 1: of taking the world to the next level. You two
Speaker 1: are still very, very young um unlike me, but you know,
Speaker 1: you have kids, do you think younger people, the next generation,
Speaker 1: would they be interested in this space?
Speaker 1: What young generation people are looking for now is also
Speaker 1: work life balance and more flexibility at work. And if
Speaker 1: the sector can grow and give what this generation of
Speaker 1: people needs and feel their passion into having their ideas hurt.
Speaker 1: That will really help them to be interested in science
Speaker 1: as well. I think the company culture is also important.
Speaker 1: So what kind of company culture do you have?
Speaker 1: Maybe you can share with us? We are very flexible
Speaker 1: in our company. We don't have like a 9 to
Speaker 1: 6 kind of working arrangement. Everyone can work from home
Speaker 1: from the office. I think the key is we have
Speaker 1: a lot of interns, it's a small startup. We don't
Speaker 1: have many food timers but we have a huge range
Speaker 1: of interns from Polly's to universities and I think they
Speaker 1: have amazing ideas if you're ready to hear them out
Speaker 1: and give them tasks and let their imagination go well.
Speaker 1: I think they can give you
Speaker 1: a lot more than what you expect looking ahead. Are
Speaker 1: you taking aim at any other forms of organic waste
Speaker 1: that we might be familiar with when we up cycle something,
Speaker 1: it's not about just taking a certain part of it,
Speaker 1: but we want to upset the entire durian husk. So
Speaker 1: Uh I will say up to almost 90% of it.
Speaker 1: So we will not just be using part of it
Speaker 1: for the insect repellent. We will extract sellers from the
Speaker 1: jury in hearts and make them into sustainable wipes in
Speaker 1: the market at the moment, most of the sustainable whites
Speaker 1: are made from bamboo. So we are trying to come
Speaker 1: up with a durian based wipes. So it's 100% biodegradable. No, no, no,
Speaker 1: definitely not.
Speaker 1: It'll be processed because I see so much food waste
Speaker 1: around us all the time. I wonder if this could
Speaker 1: be the new frontier when it comes to developing new
Speaker 1: and innovative solution for a greener world. What do you think? Davey.
Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely. Yes, because even for the durian project we
Speaker 1: have a plan to install durian collection stations around Singapore.
Speaker 1: So that will be like a practical solution so people
Speaker 1: can just throw away the durian waste and then we'll
Speaker 1: utilize that to
Speaker 1: make the whites. So I think such practical solutions should
Speaker 1: come into existence more and I'm sure there are listeners
Speaker 1: out there and maybe in the future entrepreneurs in this space,
Speaker 1: any advice, I know you guys are just started out,
Speaker 1: but any tips.
Speaker 1: I think the key is to really focus on what
Speaker 1: is the mission and vision that you built the company
Speaker 1: and do not deviate it because of any other reasons.
Speaker 1: The journey will be tough, but you always have to
Speaker 1: stay motivated and remember what was the mission that you wanted?
Speaker 1: What kept your motive?
Speaker 1: I'm sure there are days, you just want to forget it.
Speaker 1: Going back to Malaysia. I think what keeps me motivated
Speaker 1: is my kids, I have two kids actually the company's
Speaker 1: name after the kids. So Netanyahu and Emma and is
Speaker 1: turning 10 and Emma is 25, so I think my
Speaker 1: kids are my motivation to make
Speaker 1: so we're a little bit more sustainable so that they
Speaker 1: get a better life when I'm not here. And yeah,
Speaker 1: I think it's the fulfillment at the end of the
Speaker 1: day that you're doing something useful for people around as
Speaker 1: well as for the world. Yeah, that sense of fulfillment.
Speaker 1: So if you could change one thing about the state
Speaker 1: of the world today and then especially when it comes
Speaker 1: to sustainable solutions, what would it be and why
Speaker 1: I think it's the amount of plastics that we really
Speaker 1: use and really learn how to eat less and not
Speaker 1: over order. We actually have 744 million of food waste
Speaker 1: thrown away each year in Singapore. And I think that's
Speaker 1: a huge amount. If everyone can play a small little
Speaker 1: part to just order a little bit less, bring your
Speaker 1: own takeaway box to the Hawkins Center. I think that
Speaker 1: will really help
Speaker 1: people should now focus more on minimalism, like not by
Speaker 1: all the things and then pile them up, even clothes.
Speaker 1: It's the need of the art that we all focus
Speaker 1: on buying what's necessary and not like wasting things. Great
Speaker 1: message to end on. And one thing I learned today
Speaker 1: is never judge a food by its cover.
Speaker 1: Thank you very much, ladies for coming in today and
Speaker 1: best of luck and a great work you do. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Thank you. Thanks to my guests d d gone and
Speaker 1: Debbie Krishna of any any innovations and thanks to all
Speaker 1: of you for tuning in. We hope you enjoyed this
Speaker 1: episode and do remember to subscribe and like this podcast. So,
Speaker 1: you know, when a new episode drops,
Speaker 1: you can find CNN's climate and sustainability coverage online at
Speaker 1: CNN dot asia. The team behind this podcast is opening
Speaker 1: Danieli and Christina robert and I'm julie you signing off