The box tree is the inspiration behind Amritha Dinesh’s new venture; she has even named it so. “We wanted a green name. Box Tree went with our concept of creating boxes. Besides, it’s a hardy tree, whose wood is useful. It’s also the only tree whose yellow leaves can turn green again, if cared for,” she smiles.
Amritha started Box Tree, a shopping-cum-educational website in June, this year, and it aims to be a one-stop shop for everything organic and sustainable. “Our focus is on certified organic, fair trade and eco-friendly products,” she says, “we also offer environment-friendly travel services now and have a tie-up with Grassroutes, which organises eco-friendly holidays.” Box Tree started as an educational blog that dispersed tips on living responsibly. “Even educated people don’t realise the importance of sustainable living and that’s the message we’re trying to get across. We talk about everything from consumption to disposal. For consumption, of course, we have our online store. We also help connect our customers to those who dispose of different kinds of waste,” she explains.
The products can also be accessed on a subscription basis. “We deliver monthly groceries before the seventh of each month,” says Amritha. The website also offers free shipping for orders over Rs.999.
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The idea is to make people shift from shopping for savings to shopping for sustainability. “It was initially difficult to spread the word about Box Tree because people usually shop online as they want value for money. To make them change over to the idea of responsible shopping is difficult. While there are a few who are aware of sustainable living, the point is to reach out to those who are not. People should also not think it’s a sacrifice to shop for eco-friendly and organic products.”
In order to reduce the carbon footprint, most of Box Tree’s products are sourced locally and shipped directly from the manufacturer. “We only buy from artisans who cannot afford to wait for orders to pool in. We provide crafts such as patachitra art, bamboo pens and laptop stands and vetiver products. We make sure we don’t buy from mass manufacturers and we’re helping artisans or NGOs. Since I personally travel to different places in South India to pick up these products, we know exactly who is making them,” Amritha says.
Visit Box Tree at www.boxtree.in
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