The trouble with stubble
Kriya Labs is fighting air pollution in India by making packaging out of rice stubble that would otherwise be burnt
South Asian megacities suffer greatly from regional air pollution. Large-scale open burning of post-harvest crop residues in rural areas contributes to severe haze pollution in cities like Delhi. Rice straw is one of the worst culprits. Farmers burn the stubble left in the field because there is no market for it. Kriya Labs was founded to give economic and commercial value to unwanted agricultural materials like rice straw. The startup has developed a patent pending process to break down the agricultural biomass into pulp and paper to make biodegradable tableware and packaging materials. Kriya Labs aims to eradicate the infamous paddy straw burning in India.