Archive · 24 Sep 2025
Jinali Mody Awarded UNEP Young Champions of the Earth
Jinali Mody from India won an award for her amazing idea!
She makes a new kind of leather called Banofi Leather, but it's not from animals.
Instead, it's made from banana plant waste!
This is great because it uses much less water, produces fewer harmful gases, and wastes less than regular leather.
Her company is run by mostly women and helps banana farmers too.
Big fashion companies are now interested in her leather.
She's won other awards for her work, showing that she is a leader in sustainable fashion.
The award helps her make her idea even bigger!
Jinali Mody won the UNEP Young Champions of the Earth Prize.
Mody's innovation is Banofi Leather, a plant-based alternative to leather.
Banofi Leather is made from banana stem fiber.
The process drastically reduces water use and carbon emissions.
Mody's company partners with banana farmers and employs mostly women.
- Who
- Jinali Mody, founder of Banofi Leather
- What
- Won the UNEP Young Champions of the Earth Prize for creating Banofi Leather.
- When
- Announced in 2025.
- Where
- Mumbai, India.
- Why
- To recognize her work in sustainable fashion and environmental innovation.
- Winner
- Jinali Mody
- Award
- UNEP Young Champions of the Earth
- Innovation
- Banofi Leather
- Material
- Banana stem fiber
- Startup
- Banofi Leather (women-led)
- Impact
- Reduces water use by 95% and carbon emissions by over 90%