Abstract

The case elaborates the ground-breaking efforts of Narayana Peesapaty (Peesapaty) a former scientist in groundwater research at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI ) who resigned from his comfortable job, in his quest for substitutes for plastic cutlery. Driven by his deep concern over plastic being used as cutlery, he understood the long-term consequences of the toxic effects of plastic as cutlery on the people, the environment, and the Earth. Through his rigorous 6 years of research and 4 years of marketing, Peesapaty came up with a product that offered a potential solution to these global concerns. From 2014 onward, he started getting enquiries and orders for product the-- edible cutlery, from within as well as outside India. While there was still a long way to go, Peesapaty demonstrated how through diligent research, creative thinking, and effective entrepreneurship, it was possible to deal with economic, social, and environmental challenges together without compromising on or conflicting with any of the factors.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Presents the entrepreneurial nature of identifying the challenge.
• Elaborates on the protagonist’s experience of Breaking new ground in the quest for a solution.
• Revolves around prime entrepreneurial traits like passion, perseverance, and taking a strategic approach to problem solving.

Keywords

Narayana Peesapaty, Bakeys , IWMI, entrepreneurship, plastic cutlery, Indian Institute of Forest Management, plastic recycling, biodegradable, Polyvinyl Chloride, Sorghum