Author: Vishal Vivek

Vishal Vivek, CEO & Co-Founder of UKHI, is a sustainability entrepreneur and the former founder of Hemp Foundation, where he empowered 1,000+ farmers through 100+ SHG workshops. An MIT Bootcamp and Stanford Spark-Seed alumnus, his work—honored with the HDFC Parivartan Award—combines sustainable agriculture, innovation, and business strategy to drive both economic empowerment and environmental change. Vishal Vivek is the Founder and CEO of Ukhi, a pioneering bio-materials company dedicated to ending plastic pollution by converting agricultural waste into high-performance compostable polymers. With a background in sustainable entrepreneurship and over a decade of technology experience, he leads Ukhi’s vision to create scalable, planet-positive material solutions. Previously, Vishal founded the Hemp Foundation, where he empowered more than 1,000 farmers and advanced sustainable livelihood initiatives. His work has been recognized through awards such as the HDFC Parivartan Grant and featured in leading publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur. Times Group recognized him as a legendary entrepreneur and published his biography in “I Did IT- Vol 2” alongside social pioneers like Bindeshwar Pathak (Sulabh International) and Anshu Gupta (Goonj). Vishal has authored more than 200 articles on sustainability and hemp, reflecting his deep expertise and advocacy for regenerative solutions. His commitment to grassroots impact led him to live in the remote mountains of Uttarakhand, where he immersed himself in the lives of marginal farmers, understanding their challenges and co-creating economic opportunities through hemp-based initiatives. A deeply passionate innovator, Vishal often draws inspiration from seemingly impossible achievements: “If Elon Musk can make rockets reusable, or Dashrath Manjhi can carve a path through a mountain with rudimentary tools, why can’t we eliminate the demon of single-use plastic while uplifting struggling farmers? We will make it happen—whatever it takes.” Ukhi is proud to be supported by premier institutions including IIT Guwahati, NSRCEL-IIM Bangalore, Indian School of Business (Hyderabad), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR Pusa), and the Indian Institute of Packaging. Vishal is committed to demonstrating that business can be a powerful catalyst for global environmental and social good.

How to Read Plastic Packaging Symbols: The Complete Guide

Imagine holding two plastic packages in your hands. Both show a triangle. Both look official. Both seem to suggest the same thing. But they don’t. One triangle tells you what the plastic is made of.

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EU Plastic Tax Explained: A $10B Opportunity for Bio-Based Alternatives

Europe’s plastic waste problem can no longer be pushed aside.  If things don’t change, plastic packaging waste in the EU could grow by almost 46% by 2030. Much of that comes from heavy reliance on

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How to Source Sustainable Packaging in India: A Buyer’s Guide

Imagine getting 9.7% extra for the same product you are selling right now.  That’s how much customers are actually willing to pay for sustainable products. A 9.7% sustainability premium.  Now, imagine this sustainability premium showing

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Everything to Know about UAE Plastic Ban

The UAE plastic ban is one of the region’s boldest steps to address the very real problem of plastic pollution.  It started with a few local restrictions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Over time, it

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Top 12 PBAT Bioplastics Manufacturers in the World

The world now produces over 430 million tons of plastic annually.  Nearly two-thirds of that becomes waste within the same year. The scale of the problem is far beyond what recycling alone can solve.  This

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A Packaging Converter’s Guide to Processing Bio-PBAT Resin

Bio‑PBAT resin is no longer a lab‑scale alternative or a future material.  It is running on thousands of film lines and moulding machines today, mostly on the same equipment that processes LDPE or PP. This

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The Agri-Waste Revolution: How India is Solving the Plastic Crisis

Here is a startling fact: each year, India produces more than 9.3 million tons of plastic waste. It makes India responsible for generating about 20% of the entire global plastic waste.  Here is another fact

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Beyond PLA: Why Next-Gen Biopolymers Like Bio-PBAT Are Winning

The bioplastics market is clearly on a steep growth trajectory. In 2024, global bioplastics were estimated at around US $15.6 billion. And by 2030 the value is expected to reach US $44.8 billion. Still, bioplastics are a niche with

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The Ultimate Guide to Cost-Competitive Compostable Packaging

Compostable packaging is a smart investment for the environment, yes, but equally for your brand and your ability to adapt to policy shifts. Over 30% of consumers globally say they are willing to pay more

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How Bio-Mulch Can Reduce the Plastic Footprint of the Agri Industry

Every growing season, farmers lay down roughly 2 million tonnes of plastic mulch. This is enough to blanket 30 million hectares, an area the size of Italy.  But once the crop is harvested, most of

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