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Yale-trained entrepreneur Jinali Mody wins UNEP Young Champions of Earth prize
Her India-based, women-led company produces what it calls Banofi Leather, a plant-based material that reduces carbon emissions.
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Pranavi Sharma - Fri, 26, Sep 2025
- 01:19 EDT
- 20
Jinali Mody / Photo by Abu Nuuman
Indian entrepreneur Jinali Mody has been named one of the United Nations Environment Programme’s 2025 Young Champions of the Earth for her startup Banofi Leather, which transforms banana crop waste into a sustainable alternative to animal leather. The award was announced in New York during Climate Week.
Mody, 28, founded Banofi in 2022 after completing her master’s degree at the Yale School of the Environment. The India-based, women-led company produces what it calls Banofi Leather, a plant-based material that reduces carbon emissions, water usage, and toxic waste compared to conventional leather. The startup sources banana stems from smallholder farmers, creating new income streams while addressing India’s large-scale agricultural waste problem.
Speaking to Yale News, Mody described the challenges she encountered at the intersection of the leather and agricultural industries. “The leather industry results in excessive carbon emissions, immense water usage, and the production of toxic waste,” she said. “At the same time, India generates about 350 million tons of agricultural waste every year. I wanted to find a way to address both problems.”
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Her decision to pursue the idea came during her time at Yale, where she participated in Startup Yale, a campus entrepreneurship competition. Banofi Leather won the Sustainable Venture Prize, which gave her both financial support and confidence to build the company. “Startup Yale wasn’t just a competition, it was a transformational process,” she told Yale News. “It gave me the tools to clearly articulate the impact and potential of Banofi Leather, connected me with mentors and peers, and strengthened my belief that this venture could make a real difference.”
Since then, Banofi has piloted its product with more than 150 brands across fashion, lifestyle, and automotive sectors, including a partnership with Mercedes-Benz. The company has also worked with over 100 small-scale farmers in India. Mody recalled the impact of this shift on one farmer in West Bengal. “What moved me most was when he proudly told his community that the byproducts from his farm were now being used to make handbags, accessories, and shoes,” she said.
The UNEP Young Champions award provides each recipient with $20,000 in seed funding, mentoring, and global exposure. Mody and her fellow winners — Joseph Nguthiru from Kenya and Noemi Florea from the United States — will also compete in the Planet A pitch competition for an additional $100,000 growth grant and potential seed investment of $1 million.
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