Category: USA

• TASTEE TAPE

  

  This company creates edible (=compostable) tape and wraps for serving and storing food items like wraps, burritos, gyros, etc.

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  September 17, 2025

  Compostable, compostable packaging, edible, food industry, food product, New Jersey, packaging, USA

  Compostable, edible, ediblepackaging, edibletape

• COCOPLUM

  

  This company upcycles used prescription bottles into frames for sunglasses

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  August 26, 2025

  beauty, california, consumer product, fashion, plastic diversion, plastic waste, prescription bottles, recycle, upcycling, USA

  beauty, fashion, plasticrecycling, upcycledplastic, upcycling

• KEEL LABS

  

  This company has developed seaweed-based fiber materials to be used in the fashion industry.

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  August 6, 2025

  Compostable, fashion, seaweed, textiles, USA

  natural fiber, seaweed, seaweed textiles, sustainable fashion, textiles

• NUDE FOODS MARKET

  

  This company is a zero-waste grocery store, that provides staple grocery store items in reusable containers (not to be confused with a bulk store!) . 

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  May 23, 2025

  cleaning for reuse, colorado, glass, groceries, package-free, packaging, Re-use, refill, reusable containers for food services, reusable packaging, USA

  closed loop reuse, eco-friendly, reduce, reuse, reuse infrastructure, sustainable grocery store, sustainable-living, zero waste, zerowaste, zerowaste grocery store

• REVINO

  

  This company is creating a closed-loop system for reusable glass wine bottles, by providing and end-to-end refillable bottle solution

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  May 8, 2025

  cleaning for reuse, glass, oregon, Re-use, refill, reusable containers for food services, USA, wine

  closed loop reuse, oregon, refillable wine bottles, reuse, reuse infrastructure, revino

• MATTER OF TRUST

  

  This nonprofit repurposes human hair, pet hair, fleece and other materials to clean up oil spills in the oceans

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  May 2, 2025

  california, coastal restoration, conservation, habitat restoration, hair, nonprofit, oil spills, upcycling, USA, waste solutions

  conservation, donate hair, habitat restoration, hair, human hair, human hair mats, oil spills

• RIDWELL

  

  This company upcycles natural by-products into vegan beauty products, thereby keeping useful ingredients from landfills.

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  April 15, 2025

  B corp, batteries, oregon, plastic diversion, plastic waste, Re-use, recycle, reuse backend infrastructure, subscription service, USA, waste infrastructure, waste pickup, waste recovery, waste solutions, waste sorting

  batteries, hard to recycle, styrofoam, subscription service, trash pick up service, waste infratructure, waste management

• CLEMENT PACKAGING

  

  This company creates compostable packaging for consumer products.

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  April 11, 2025

  bamboo, california, Compostable, compostable packaging, new material, packaging, plastic-free, USA

  bamboo, new material, plastic alternative

• FULL HARVEST

  

  This company is creating a marketplace for produce that connects commercial produce buyers to farms, thereby reducing inefficiencies associated with surplus and imperfect produce.

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  January 22, 2025

  california, digital, digital platform, food industry, food rescue, food waste, logistics, online marketplace, USA

  b2b, digital platform, digital-marketing, food rescue, food waste, marketing, online marketplace, sustainability

• MYCOWORKS

  

  This company is creating biodegradable leather and other textile alternatives using mycellium mushrooms.

  Vandana Balakrishnan

  January 16, 2025

  california, leather alternative, mushrooms, mycellium, new material, textiles, USA

  Biodegradable, leather alternative, mushrooms, mycellium, new material