Jinali Mody wins UNEP Young Champions of the Earth Prize

Mumbai-based Jinali Mody has been named a 2025 Young Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Planet A for her innovative work transforming banana stems into Banofi Leather, a sustainable plant-based alternative to conventional leather.

The award provides funding, mentorship, and global recognition to help scale bold ideas from young environmental innovators.

Advertisement

Mody, a biochemistry graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and a master’s degree holder from the Yale School of Environment, is the founder and CEO of Banofi Leather. Her India-based, women-led startup aims to disrupt the fast fashion industry by producing leather alternatives from banana crop waste. Compared to conventional leather, Banofi drastically reduces water use, toxic waste, and CO₂ emissions.

Banofi Leather is made from banana stem fibre blended with natural binders and starches, producing a material that looks, feels, and even smells like animal leather. The production process reduces water use by 95 per cent, cuts carbon emissions by over 90 per cent, and eliminates toxic waste.

The company employs a team that is 60 per cent women and partners with around 100 smallholder banana farmers, generating additional income from stems that would otherwise be burned or left to rot.

Banofi products are now attracting attention from global fashion houses, demonstrating that agricultural waste can be transformed into durable, high-performance alternatives for a sustainable future.

Mody has received international recognition for her leadership in sustainable fashion, winning the 2023 Hult Prize of USD 1 million, the Sustainable Material of the Year Award in India, and the WEGE Prize. She has also been acknowledged by the World Economic Forum and supported by the MIT Climate and Energy Prize.

The Young Champions of the Earth initiative is UNEP’s flagship youth engagement program, recognizing ambitious young innovators worldwide with outstanding ideas to protect and restore the environment.

Planet A, a new YouTube channel co-founded by Chris Kemper, CEO and Chairman of cleantech company Palmetto, and screenwriter and entrepreneur Court Crandall, aims to spark environmental action through educational stories, contests, and collaborations.

UNEP, the UN Environment Programme, is the leading global voice on environmental protection, inspiring and enabling nations and people to improve the quality of life without compromising the planet for future generations.