Nuha Siddiqui

Bio

Nuha is the CEO & co-founder of erthos, a start-up striving to make plant-powered plastics the new normal. She founded erthos while still completing her Business & Environmental Economics degree at the University of Toronto (Rotman). As a passionate student entrepreneur, she actively contributed to the growth of the young leaders in Canada. Under her leadership, Enactus UofT, a social entrepreneurship organization, grew from 7 to 70 members and her efforts were recognized by HSBC with the 2017 Woman Leader of Tomorrow Award. After graduating, she decided to go full-speed with erthos with her co-founders, scaling the company to a team of 20, raising over $7.3M and launching global manufacturing pilots to tackle the issue worldwide. The rapid expansion of erthos as one of Canada’s fastest growing cleantech companies, has been recognized and awarded by a number of platforms including Sustainable Development Technology Canada, AB InBev, and the Entrepreneurship World Cup. Most recently Nuha was recognized by Rotman, naming her one of the youngest Leaders to Watch! After years of research and collaboration across the supply chain, Nuha and her team at erthos are gearing up to launch their first line of materials for single-use packaging and plastics in 2022.

Why do you want to serve on the Executive Committee?

As the CEO & Co-Founder of erthos, I’m on a mission to build a new standard for materials in the plastics industry. I spend my day-to-day striving to prove that science driven innovation and collaboration in the business world can result in scalable sustainable technologies and a future where we no longer need to choose between saving the planet and strengthening our economies.

At erthos, we transform agricultural by-products into plant powered alternatives to traditional plastic inputs. Single use plastics made with our solutions are compostable and compatible with existing plastic technology, making plant powered materials the natural choice. We work alongside plastic manufacturers and brands, to provide a 1 for 1 alternative to existing plastics. Our solution also incorporates an entirely clean manufacturing process that results in less energy, CO2 emissions and water consumption throughout its full life cycle.

As a CEO of a rapidly growing and closely aligned sustainable technology company, I would like to serve on the SPC Executive Committee to support the movement towards sustainable materials in the packaging industry. With my startup background and diverse insight into evolving trends in new materials, I hope to provide a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities that exist as we continue to evolve as an industry,

What do you think you would contribute as an Executive Committee representative?

The challenges that we face today within the sustainable packaging space continue to become more complex with shifting market trends, new policies, and consumer awareness. The truth is, the only way to build awareness for sustainable solutions that are scalable and innovative is through the power of collaboration. However, this doesn’t just mean collaborating with well-established industry players, this also includes new emerging technology companies. I represent an ecosystem in the sustainability space that is often missing from the conversation, but has a unique perspective on how to leverage new powerful technologies, and new voices.

As an emerging technology company, our success to date has been a result of strategic collaboration with industry supply chain leaders. Since incorporating in 2018, we’ve raised over $7.3M in funding and launched global manufacturing pilots with partners like ABInbev. Our team has also successfully developed our first plant-based plastic product, which will be commercially launched next year. We’ve now grown to a team of 20 world class environmentalists, scientists and engineers and we exemplify what impact a truly diverse skill set, an innovative product and collaboration can make in building sustainable materials.

Alongside supporting the SPC mandate and primary roles of the committee, I hope to advocate for other emerging technologies that have massive potential to make a positive impact in the packaging and plastics industry.