Vellayan Subbiah

Led India's plastic waste revolution through grassroots mobilization and policy advocacy, instrumental in the 2022 Plastic Waste Management Amendment Act

Dr. Vellayan Subbiah is an Indian environmental scientist and social entrepreneur whose work catalyzed India's battle against plastic pollution. Founding Plastic Lifeline in 2018, he developed biodegradable alternatives using agricultural waste, creating jobs for 5,000 rural women in Tamil Nadu alone. His 'Plastic to Profit' initiative trained marginalized communities to convert plastic waste into construction materials, diverting 20,000+ tons of plastic from landfills annually.

Subbiah's 2020 campaign '#BreakThePlasticChain' went viral across South Asia, mobilizing 3 million citizens to adopt reusable containers. His research proved that 80% of India's coastal plastic pollution originated from mismanaged urban waste (published in Environmental Pollution Journal), directly influencing the 2022 Plastic Waste Management Amendment Act that banned single-use plastics nationwide.

His invention of the 'BioBrick' - a compostable packaging material made from sugarcane waste - is now used by 15% of India's food delivery startups. Subbiah's partnerships with the UNDP led to a $50 million initiative scaling up bioplastic production across 10 Indian states. In 2023, he launched Asia's first Plastic Waste Exchange (PWX), an AI-driven platform connecting waste pickers with recycling industries that now operates in 150 cities.

Recognized as a UN Environment Programme Champion of the Earth in 2021, Subbiah's work has prevented 12 billion plastic items from entering oceans between 2020-2023. His TED Talk 'From Plastic Problem to Plastic Solution' inspired similar movements in Indonesia and the Philippines. Current projects include developing edible cutlery from jackfruit waste and lobbying for extended producer responsibility laws in ASEAN nations.

Subbiah's impact metrics are staggering: His initiatives have reduced plastic in India's rivers by 35% (World Resources Institute, 2023) and created $250 million in new economic opportunities for waste workers. His 2024 book 'The Plastic Revolution: A Blueprint for Circular Economies' outlines actionable strategies for global plastic management, now required reading at MIT's Sustainability Program.