Bare Necessities’ Sahar Mansoor Draws a Blueprint for Combating Plastic Pollution as a Business

From the sabziwala handing over veggies in a bag to our phone covers, everything is plastic! Now micro-plastics have managed to enter and become a part of the human body, being passed onto newborns. But we’re all aware of the harmful accumulation of synthetic plastic products in the environment. And are doing our best to combat it. Just like it is our individual responsibility to tackle plastic pollution, several brands, businesses and ventures agree that they need to do their part. So, for World Environment Day, Local Samosa asked Sahar Mansoor, Founder of Bare Necessities to share a guide for entrepreneurs on combating plastic pollution as a business.

Creating a Zero-Waste Lifestyle with Bare Necessities

As a founder, I've learned that building a business in today’s world means being honest about the systems we’re part of and intentional about the systems we want to build. When I started Bare Necessities, I wasn't just trying to create a product line—I wanted to reimagine what a zero-waste lifestyle could look like in India. And I wanted it to be practical, scalable, and deeply human.

The Need for Sustainability as an Enterprise

Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have. As entrepreneurs, we have the responsibility—and the opportunity—to create business models that actively contribute to a healthier planet. At Bare Necessities, we made a conscious choice to embed sustainability in everything we do: from how we source ingredients, to how we design our products, to how we treat our team.

Since we started, we've sold over 348,000 products and diverted more than 71 million units of single-use plastic from landfills and water bodies. From July 2016 to March 2025, that added up to over 313,000 kg of waste kept out of landfills.

Our circular economy initiatives are rooted in simple ideas:

Return Your Jars and Tins and Refill Your Jars in a few Easy Steps: In return, they get gift cards for future purchases. Trying attentive sustainable habits until it becomes second nature.

Tracking Plastic Usage as a Business

To fix a problem, you have to measure it first. We take waste tracking seriously. Every year, we measure:

• Number of zero-waste products sold

• Number of plastic packaging units avoided

• Kgs of waste diverted from landfills

• Number of partners & livelihoods created 

This forms the backbone of our annual Impact Report. But it’s more than numbers—it’s a mirror that shows us where we’re walking the talk, and where we need to step up.

The Pros (and Realities) of Going Plastic-Free

Going plastic-free is hard. Let’s not sugarcoat it. It takes time, research, sourcing, and patience. But it’s worth it. The pros are clear to me. You build products that are kinder to people and the planet. The challenge? It takes more effort, it’s more expensive (right now)—but as consumers get savvier and systems improve, it’s getting easier.

Plastic Offset Schemes and Swaps

Offsetting isn’t just about carbon. We need to think about plastic footprints too. Here are a few things we've implemented:

• Maruvan Forest Partnership: Through customer donations, we support native forest regeneration in Rajasthan.  They do so by developing a native tree species seed bank, a functional nursery and making patches of forest using the Miyawaki method. Bare Necessities has a dedicated grove at Maruvan, which is funded by customer donations. These contributions help maintain and expand the biodiverse green haven, fostering a thriving mini forest ecosystem. At this point the trees are 5 feet tall and self-sustaining which means they don't need external watering!
• Hasiru Dala Partnership: We support local waste workers and encourage customers to donate at checkout.

Make simple eco-friendly swaps like using a compostable bamboo toothbrush with accessible design, solid shampoo bars, and solid deodorants. Reduce plastic waste further by carrying reusable cutlery and switching to compostable sachets for home care products.

How to Measure Impact and Implement Change

Impact is only real when it’s measurable. At Bare Necessities, we actively track our environmental impact through waste segregation, composting with Daily Dump’s Khamba, and monitoring our waste disposal, carbon footprint, and water usage. We also promote waste literacy within our team to build a more conscious workplace culture.

We’re proud to be India’s first B Corp-certified personal care brand—a recognition that assesses our governance, environmental efforts, employee wellbeing, and community engagement. This, along with third-party certifications like PETA and ISO, reinforces our commitment to genuinely sustainable and ethical practices.

At the end of the day, combating plastic pollution isn’t just about products or policies—it’s about mindset. As entrepreneurs, we can build businesses that nourish rather than deplete. We can design systems that heal. And it starts with the daily choices we make—as founders, as consumers, and as citizens of a shared planet.