SustainKart was launched with the idea of getting sustainable goods into the mainstream e-commerce sector, which earlier was challenging to locate. After thorough analysis and discussions, the Founder launched the brand in January 2021 with sustainable items from well-known businesses run by celebrities and influencers in its network. This helped them create a fantastic buzz around the brand name and develop it substantially.
SustainKart retails a wide range of sustainable products. Being the nation’s first and largest & responsible e-commerce business, SustainKart aims to shift Indian Consumers’ shopping habits toward sustainable goods by promoting sustainable economic development and minimizing environmental harm.
Innovative Services Offered
SustainKart, an e-commerce marketplace, offers a wide assortment of environmentally friendly, green, and clean goods in various lifestyle categories, including clothing, home décor, food, nutrition, kids & care, pets & care, furniture, and home care, everything under one roof.
The platform uses a rigorous auditing procedure to check the accuracy of the claims made about the items and brands. It facilitates hassle-free product selection for mindful Indians. These all-green solutions/ products/ requirements for human needs are a conscious effort towards a better and healthier planet.
About the Prominent Personality
Kanthi Dutt started his career at 12 and has worked with numerous well-known companies, including Coca-Cola, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils, Telangana Tourism, Andhra Pradesh Tourism, Bajaj Electricals, Colors TV, Reebok, TruJet Airlines, and many more. Currently, at 22, he is doing the true entrepreneurial spirit and has contributed ten years of his career already in the pursuit of perfection. As the Founder & CEO of SustainKart, Kanthi has played a significant role in putting corrective measures for the environment into action by promoting and developing a platform specifically for sustainable goods. Additionally, he participated in the Social Smart Campaign, a charitable drive to generate money for raising literacy levels in rural regions. His goal has always been to make a meaningful contribution to society by curating and actively participating in such creative campaigns.
On being asked what innovative approach SustainKart follows, the Founder says, “With SustainKart, we actively encourage people to participate in sustainable initiatives. As a result, we have seen tremendous growth since the launch, with a 16% quarterly and 23% half-yearly client retention rate. Our core principle of creating a sustainable economy while minimizing environmental harm has a positive social impact and a serious message that inspires people to live and act sustainably.”
Excellent Customer-centric Strategies
Besides promoting small and regional brands, SustainKart includes an extensive list of chemical-free, handcrafted, organic, vegan, upcycled, and cruelty-free brands. We encourage individuals to live environmentally friendly, sustainable lifestyles by offering an accessible platform where customers can choose sustainable solutions for every need.
Regarding transcending the drawbacks in the industry, Kanthi asserts, “Leading sustainable brands, including mCaffeine, Tribe Concepts, Neemans, Let’s Shave, and SuperBottoms, have already been featured on the platform in the first year. The goal is to launch at least ten celebrity-founded private labels by the end of 2022, which would be more than enough to dominate the various industrial disciplines.”
Surpassing Toughest Challenges
Startup entrepreneurs face many challenges during the initial phase of their business. However, we were able to attract consumers more quickly than other businesses because of our collective experience in sustainable living and products.
SustainKart believes that there are two major challenges faced and they are-
Brand Introduction: The biggest challenge for the company was Introducing the brand because people were skeptical about the audit process, which cannot be traced unless consumers navigate the product and check if the products are in alignment with sustainability. It has gained the trust factor over time when people started scouting and searching on the website.
Early in the VC curve: There are very restricted data points for the sustainable products market in India. Being a pioneer in the market, they took some time to gain interest from the investors in the VC network.
Kanthi believes that knowing how to recognize, embrace, and overcome problems is a skill every entrepreneur must have. It may feel like there is no end to the obstacles because the limits are constantly being stretched. To avoid being surpassed, maintain setting higher standards even when you excel.
The Turning Point for Sustainkart
The turning point for Sustainkart was raising the first round of funding from Industry veterans like Anvitha Varshney (COO of Naspers and Ex-COO of Google), Baharam Vakil (AzB Partners – Founder), Nandi Vardhan Mehta (CFO – of KAAF Investments), Rajnush Aggarwal (Ex Prof. of Sustainability- Stanford University), Anirudh Godbole (Director – KPMG India) amongst several others.
Moreover, gaining validation and acceptance from the industry pioneers like them fueled the team with more confidence in the path chosen.
Golden Pieces of Advice
On asking Kanthi what advice would he like to give to the budding entrepreneurs, he said, “Budding entrepreneurs should have an inexhaustible desire for entrepreneurship. Reaching a level of success should not cause them to be satisfied; there is always more room to grow and greater heights to achieve. ”
Regarding the same, Shilpa says, “Entrepreneurs must continuously establish higher standards and benchmarks than their competitors and do all in their power to provide comprehensive answers to real-world issues by getting ideas from the world’s finest practices and uniquely fusing them. Inclusive Success is true success.”
Current Projects
SustainKart has begun to acquire seed-stage firms, with the cleaning product company FromVedas being the first such brand. They have completed two fundraising rounds, and further investors are interested in the brand. Samantha Ruth Prabhu is one of the investors in the business.
In addition, the company has also co-founded Kare & Karess with actress Kajal Aggarwal Kitchlu, is a baby-care line that offers toys, skincare, food and snacks, baby wipes, accessories, and more.
The Bright Future of SustainKart
SustainKart has established itself as India’s first e-commerce marketplace exclusively for sustainable products. The goal is to reshape India’s purchasing habits for goods used for lifestyle purposes. The platform presently features over 1400 brands and 1.8L SKUs aiming to redefine homes and closets with environmentally friendly goods.
Shilpa believes that by the end of 2023, the company aims to launch at least ten celebrity-founded private brands accessible only on SustainKart, with other private labels set to be introduced soon. SustainKart is aiming to become a unicorn by the middle of 2023. There has to be a re-orientation of the thinking and decision-making process to promote a sustainable approach to daily living.
