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.

Do You Know Which Countries Are Highest Plastic Polluters & Plastic Users?

53 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced every year, globally! And, India is responsible for producing 20% of this plastic waste: 9.3 million annually. However, we found that per capita plastic usage of plastic

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Please Note Nitin Gadkari: We Have Three Powerful Ideas To Stop Delhi Pollution Forever

He was inspired to share this suggestion on December 3, when the data from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) informed that the overall AQI of Delhi measured 274, which is categorized as “poor”. Infact, he

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The Future of Bioplastics: Opportunities and Challenges on the Horizon

Conventional plastics pose a major environmental threat. Here’s why:A staggering amount, more than 400 million tons, are produced each year. Waste plastics take up to 500 years to degrade.Every year, about eight million tons of plastic waste escape

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Can hemp make bioplastics stronger?

Discover how hemp can enhance the strength of bioplastics, offering a sustainable and durable alternative to traditional plastic materials. Ever had a coffee in one of the cups you see above? Well, they are supposedly

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Hemp Versus Flax in Bioplastic Production

Hemp versus flax in bioplastic production Let’s start from somewhere we all agree on. Plastic is bad — we all know that. It sticks around for ages, and processing it properly is too expensive to

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Plastic that’s good for the planet, courtesy Hemp

Plastic is usually made from dead dinosaurs (read fossils). They turn into crude oil, the oil turns into petrol, and we turn the petroleum into plastic. However, what if I told you that we can

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