Sri Lanka is gearing up to inspire and spur some of its talented youth towards innovation, with an aim to build a greener and more sustainable economy. A platform that has gained its spotlight is the Green Innovation Challenge by HackaDev, an overarching program led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka, to which CurveUp (Pvt) Ltd, a consultancy focused on ed-tech and community empowerment, has partnered as its incubation partner.
The program has drawn some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial mindsets, and among them is Trash to Treasure, with its registered name Green Solve (Pvt) Ltd, a startup that produces charcoal briquettes from organic hard waste, including waste from king coconut, wood, and agricultural by-products.
Packets of charcoal
briquettes
The charcoal briquettes involve carbonising organic waste at high temperatures without oxygen, using materials that would otherwise be discarded or burnt. The production reduces carbon emissions significantly.
CurveUp hosted a comprehensive intro session to the HackaDev Green Innovation Challenge and facilitated workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions to its participants. A milestone plan was drawn up and reviewed by green-tech expert Hasanka Padukka after weeks of collaboration and guidance from the team at CurveUp.
The plan was approved by UNDP, followed by an MoU signed by the founders of CurveUp for Trash to Treasure. The initial phase included workshops led by legal professionals and formal incorporation procedures.
Trash to Treasure founder Dhanushka Bandara represented Sri Lanka at UNDP and Citi Foundation’s Youth Co: Lab Summit 2023, Asia Pacific’s largest youth social entrepreneurs gathering, in Thailand, enabling him to showcase his startup and connect with other peers in the Asia Pacific region.
The team found market segments for their charcoal briquettes, and conducted extensive market research to identify various types of charcoal production machines available. A lab test and a site visit by the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) ensured product quality and compliance with environmental regulations. The team is working towards securing the Environmental Protection Licence (EPL).
A few workshops and activities focused on marketing were conducted, such as one by a specialist highlighting the importance of public relation strategies and media relations and one by a sustainability packaging expert, which led to rebranding their packaging materials.
