IITKanpur-backed innovation ‘Fleather’ - a regenerative approach to creating leather out of floral waste, developed by IIT Kanpur-incubated startup Phool.co, gets global recognition as one of the fifteen finalists for the 2022 Earthshot Prize, as announced by Prince William recently. 

The Earthshot Prize recognizes an accomplished group of entrepreneurs and innovators spearheading ground-breaking solutions to the grave environmental challenges our planet faces. ‘Fleather’, one of the only two innovations shortlisted from India for the award this year, is a revolutionary product developed as animal-free leather by Phool, a startup founded by Ankit Agarwal and Prateek Kumar in July 2017 with critical incubation support from the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre, IIT Kanpur, and will now be in the running to receive a £1 million award at the second-annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony to be held on December 2 in Boston. 

While unveiling the finalists, Prince William said, “The innovators, leaders, and visionaries that have made it to the 2022 Earthshot finalists prove there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of our planet. They are directing their time, energy, and talent towards bold solutions with the power to not only solve our planet’s greatest environmental challenges but to create healthier, more prosperous, and more sustainable communities for generations to come.” 

Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director IIT Kanpur, congratulated the Phool team, From transforming flower waste into incense sticks to creating the vegan alternative to animal leather – Fleather, the sustainable model that the startup has been following truly benefits the environment and helps the economy grow. Their support to underprivileged families and rural women through employment is an inspiring model in itself."