Bhumi Pednekar shares how everyday sustainable choices inspired her climate-conscious brand Backbay, blending activism with entrepreneurship and impact

At a time when sustainability is becoming a central concern for businesses and consumers alike, actor, entrepreneur and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Advocate Bhumi Pednekar has called for embedding sustainability into everyday systems, stressing that industries must align growth strategies with circular economy practices and climate goals.

Even in corporate India, Deloitte’s 2024 CxO Sustainability report stated that 85 per cent of C-level executives globally say they increased investments in sustainability last year (up from 75 per cent the previous year). Pednekar said, “As someone working closely with climate and social causes, I believe the future of sustainability lies in how we integrate it into everyday systems, how we build, live, and work and that’s exactly what WeWork India is doing.”

is about making better choices every day and creating positive change for both the environment and our communities. It is heartening to see how their efforts are already making a difference, and I hope it motivates more people and organisations to step up,” while speaking at WeWork’s Sustainability Summit on Wednesday in NCR.

“Hydration is not given a lot of thought. Water is just water. But with microplastics now found in our bloodstreams, we need to rethink how we consume it. I wanted an alternative for when we are travelling or outside our homes, and that’s how Backbay began,” she explained.

Backbay chose boxed packaging after research showed it to be one of the least resource-intensive options available. “I quit drinking from plastic because I couldn’t find a sustainable option. Through Backbay, we wanted to build that change and make responsible hydration easier,” she said, adding that building a sustainable business means overcoming entrenched consumer habits, but even small shifts can create a large impact.

Positioned as a premium, functional hydration brand, Backbay aims to offer naturally alkaline mineral water from the Himalayas, bottled at source in a women-led facility in Himachal Pradesh. The Pednekar sisters told BW Retail World earlier that they are eyeing the Rs 50 crore revenue mark within the next 18 months, with an initial focus on Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Goa.

The product will roll out across select cities at the end of August through an omnichannel approach, combining retail presence with quick-commerce tie-ups on Swiggy Instamart and Zepto, alongside a D2C website and Amazon.