“One thing I have realised from the whole pandemic crisis is that the world is currently living so that governments can take extreme measures when needed, so why are they so slow in reacting to the climate change crisis?“, Bethlehem highlights in our talk.

More than ever, environmentalists like Bethlehem are convinced that the government can, and must, take more drastic measures when it comes to sustaining our only planet. Since her freshman year, she has been working on a solution that would not only solve the issue of agro-waste but also save trees. After years of working from her home and getting rejections on all fronts, Bethlehem finally managed to launch Zafree Papers, which manufactures a 100% tree-free pulp, paper and paper products using agro-waste from small farm holders. She shares with us her challenges in building such a business, especially making sure that she can stick to her principle of being eco-friendly at all points in her supply chain. Nothing will stop this women leader, who is also known by her friends and colleagues as the “Iron Lady”, to deliver on her mission to transform the paper manufacturing industry into a 100% tree-free industry.

The startup became the winner of the Land Restoration Prize by DOEN, aimed at finding and awarding the best tech(-enabled) solutions in the land restoration and land degradation space.

Speaker recommends reading Napoleon Hill: Think and Grow Rich.