28-Year-Old Jinali Mody Turns Banana Fiber into Leather, Wins UN Award

Business News: Mumbai's entrepreneur and biochemist Jinali Mody has been awarded with Young Champions of the Earth 2025 by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Planet A. The award is given to him for her innovative work of making Banofi leather from bananas, a permanent, plant-based option of traditional leather.

Winners List

Young Earth Champions 2025 also includes Jinali Mody, Joseph Nguthiru of Kenya, and Noemi Florea of ​​the United States. All three were honored for their environmental work. Through this award, Jinali Mody demonstrated how smart use of agricultural waste and natural resources can revolutionize the sustainable fashion industry.

Banoffi Leather and Environmental Benefits

Jinali Mody holds a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, and a master's degree from the Yale School of the Environment. She is the founder and CEO of Banofi Leather. Her company creates leather alternatives using banana crop waste to bring sustainable alternatives to the fast fashion industry. Compared to traditional leather, Banofi reduces water consumption by 95%, carbon emissions by 90%, and virtually eliminates toxic waste.

Banofi Leather is made by combining banana stem fibers with natural binders and starch. The result is a material that looks, feels, and smells like animal leather.

Employment for Women and Benefits to Farmers

Women constitute 60% of the total workforce at Banofi Biomaterials. The company partners with approximately 100 small banana farmers, creating an additional source of income for them from stems that would otherwise be destroyed or left to rot.

International Recognition

Jinali Modi has won the Best Sustainable Material of the Year Award and WEGE Awards in India, including the Hult Prize's $1 million prize in 2023. He has also been recognized by the World Economic Forum and the MIT Climate and Energy Prize.

Young Earth Champions Program

Young Earth Champions initiative, UNEP's major youth engagement program. Its purpose is to honor the ambitious young new intellectuals around the world, offering excellent ideas to protect and restore the environment. Planet A, which is a partner of this initiative, conducts educational stories and competitions to speed up environmental education and action.