Turning food waste to climate action solutions

Food goes through many steps, from growth and processing to transportation, distribution, and consumption. The entire process generates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change.

With growing affluence, an extra step has been added that exacerbates this effect: food waste.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), about 17 per cent of all food available goes to waste every year, creating more than eight per cent of global GHG emissions.

As climate change affects food security and resource availability, understanding the problem is essential to designing productive solutions that can mitigate these challenges.

This is what inspired Ankita Vijayvergiya to co-found BillionCarbon, an Indian climate tech start-up that develops solutions to combat the climate impact of food waste.

Vijayvergiya talks about her inspiration behind startup, how the technology works, and the challenges she faces as a working parent in the climate tech industry.

The turning point for her was “witnessing [firsthand] how food waste contributes to environmental degradation and realising the potential to turn this waste into something valuable,” she shares with GovInsider.

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Climate change and climate tech

Borne out of a passion for the environment and a desire to drive impactful change,  Vijayvergiya had always known that “climate would be [her] second career.”

She started her career not as an entrepreneur, but in a multinational company. However, very soon she started to question the true impact of her work as a corporate executive.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she took the entrepreneurial leap to the climate sector, setting up her first startup, Nature Healers, which educated people about sustainable living.

“During my research [at Nature Healers], I was struck by three things: the sheer scale of the food waste problem, the untapped potential for business in this sector, and the enormous impact that could be achieved,” she says.

BillionCarbon aims to convert food waste into useful resources like biofertilisers and insect protein.

But how does this work?

The catalyst behind this process is the black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) technology. The process leverages on the natural reproduction cycle of black soldier flies:  the fly larvae feeds on food waste and leaves behind a by-product known as frass, which can then be used as organic fertiliser.

After two years of research and development, the startup refined an innovative food waste management system called 3-day Precision Food Waste treatment technology, based on BSFL tech.

“Our specially designed micro-climate controlled bioreactors can achieve up to 95 per cent biomass reduction in just three days. This is done through a fully circular, continuous fail-safe process with zero downtime,” she explains.

These processes go together with data-driven intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT)-powered technology to enable rapid scaling, Vijayvergiya says. GovInsider previously reported how BSFL technology helps to reduce the volume of waste disposed in landfills.

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The path toward sustainable businesses

Her approach towards driving a positive impact is to stay flexible.

“Be loyal to the problem, not necessarily the solution you originally came up with,” she says. This enables her to be open to new findings, learnings, and innovations.

As climate tech receives more attention and investments, the work toward mitigating carbon emissions can make a difference with a committed focus on delivering solutions.

Recently, BillionCarbon joined a climate tech and sustainability accelerator run by Accelerating Asia in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The programme offered mentorship, resources and networking opportunities to navigate the climate tech investment landscape, with a focus on efforts based in the Asia Pacific region.

Through this opportunity, BillionCarbon was awarded a seed grant to refine their technology towards the goal of mitigating one billion tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030.

Vijayvergiya aims to contribute to the global efforts of reducing carbon emissions. Singapore, for instance, set a national climate target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

But running the race requires a strong mindset. From an entrepreneurial perspective, the key to ensure the business is sustainable and socially responsible is to focus on impact, she says.

“Prioritise the planet, people, and profits—in that order.”

On a personal note, having a strong support system of people who understand the vision behind the business is essential to staying firm on the career, she adds.

Valuing care work in the workplace

By the time Vijayvergiya  began running the company, she was navigating a personal, life-changing journey as well.

Her experience balancing pregnancy, motherhood, and entrepreneurship reinforced her belief in integrating supportive work practices in the ecosystem.

“Public policy can play a crucial role in supporting working parents,” she notes, adding that the challenges of parenthood apply to both mothers and fathers who seek to be deeply involved in parenting and business.

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower’s Labour Force report 2023 reported that caregiving needs remains one of the reasons for unemployment as parents have to care for children under the age of 12.

Creating an even playing field for all genders in the workplace is essential to ensure care work is accessible and does not pose a constraint to career progression and business success.

“Workplace crèches are essential for allowing women to work with peace of mind, and breastfeeding spaces are a must if we are to raise a healthy generation. These policies are not just beneficial—they are necessary to create a supportive environment for working mothers,” she notes.

Amidst these challenges, one of the lessons Vijayvergiya  has learned in her journey as a climate entrepreneur is to be perseverant.

“It's never a question of ‘if’ you will succeed, but rather ‘when.’ Staying committed and persistent, even in the face of challenges, is what ultimately leads to success,” she says.