erthos is a climate technology company specializing in sustainable material design, with a focus on rapidly reducing the global dependency on plastics by accelerating the scale and widespread adoption of biomaterials. 

Key highlights include:

• erthos®, harnesses the power of AI, biomaterials, and advocacy to reimagine the building blocks of plastics for the world’s largest CPGs and material companies. 

• Through erthos® Studio, powered by their AI design platform ZYA™, they leverage the power of machine learning combined with in-house erthos® Ingredients to develop bespoke biomaterials tailored to their clients’ sustainable and functional goals.  

Changing the world starts with an idea. 

Real change is inspired by the people who are brave enough to bring that idea to life. 

Meet Nuha Siddiqui (CEO & Co-Founder)  and Kritika Tyagi (Head of Product & Co-Founder). They are the motivated force behind erthos; a startup that came up through the ranks creating biobased resins as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics for multiple applications. 

They have already established notable credibility through-out their journey, having been recognized and awarded globally by Bay Street Bull 30×30, and Forbes 30 Under 30. Recently, erthos has expanded their offerings to include ethos® Studio, a design solution driven by their proprietary AI platform ZYA™ that allows for accurate modelling and rapid design of industry-scalable bio-materials.

We had the sincere pleasure of meeting up with Kritika Tyagi to ask her some questions about the business and what the future holds for their inspiring organization. 

Elevator Pitch 

A climate technology company specializing in sustainable material design, with a focus on rapidly reducing the global dependency on plastics by accelerating the scale and widespread adoption of biomaterials. 

erthos®, harnesses the power of AI, biomaterials, and advocacy to reimagine the building blocks of plastics for the world’s largest CPGs and material companies. 

Through erthos® Studio, powered by their AI design platform ZYA™, they leverage the power of machine learning combined with in-house erthos® Ingredients to develop bespoke biomaterials tailored to their clients’ sustainable and functional goals.  

What inspired you to originally start your business?

Kritika Tyagi: erthos® began as a research project back at the University of Toronto for Nuha and I. One of the research topics was around limiting single-use plastic waste, and Nuha came up with the idea of using agriculture by-products to develop compostable alternatives to packaging – this project was called Eco Packers. 

She came from a background in environmental economics, and I joined as someone with a background in Plant Biology. Ultimately, we were inspired by what we were building in-house and decided we wanted to work on it full-time. We ended up incorporating as a full-time business and now years later, here we are. 

Can you tell us a little bit about what erthos® does?

KT: erthos® sits at the crossroads of materials science and technology, focusing on climate solutions. As a climate tech company, we’re dedicated to reducing global reliance on plastics by scaling up and promoting the adoption of biomaterials.

At erthos®, we leverage AI, biomaterials, and advocacy to rethink the building blocks of plastics. Our flagship offering, erthos® Studio, is an AI-driven platform that creates custom biomaterials designed to meet the sustainable and functional needs of major CPGs and material companies. 

These materials are compatible with existing plastic processing equipment, making the transition for our clients seamless. We’re proud to offer a low-barrier, sustainable alternative that aligns with the goals of our clients. 

What would be your big dream that you would like to achieve with your business?

KT: My big dream for erthos® is to see a global shift in how we approach sustainable alternatives to plastics. I envision a future where the conversation is less about the barriers we face and more about how we can leverage cutting-edge technology to bring these solutions to market quickly and effectively. The climate crisis isn’t something we can afford to wait on—we need solutions now.

There’s an overwhelming amount of plastic in our environment, and it’s clear that no single solution will fix this. That’s why I’m passionate about fostering collaboration across the industry. We need different types of sustainable materials working together to tackle this problem from all angles.

Ultimately, I want erthos® to play a key role in this movement. My goal is for us to grow to a point where our technology becomes a standard in the market, setting a new benchmark for how we address plastic waste globally. 

How do you and your team get through the hard days? Is there something that helps?

KT: Getting through the hard days is all about the strength of our team dynamic. We’re really fortunate to have a close-knit, communicative environment within the erthos® team. We make it a point to stay connected—whether it’s through our weekly full-team hangouts, where we order lunch in and spend time together, or through the regular team bonding activities we do, both within smaller divisions and as a whole.

What really helps us during tough times is knowing that we can lean on each other. We’re very open about what we can and can’t handle, and that transparency allows us to support one another when things get challenging. It’s that trust and camaraderie that keeps us going, even on the hardest days.

If you could share any piece of advice with other founders, what would it be?

KT: If I could offer one piece of advice to other founders, it would be this: take care of yourself as diligently as you take care of your company. It’s easy to get caught up in the demands of leading a team and pushing your vision forward, but you have to remember to center yourself in that process as well.

Regularly ask yourself, ‘Am I heading into a stressful situation?’ If the answer is yes, then follow up with, ‘What am I doing for myself?’ Are you getting enough sleep? Eating well? Exercising? Burnout is one of the biggest threats to a founder, and it often sneaks up on you. This was advice I received during a mastermind session at the Treefrog Accelerator program, from a fellow founder who had been through burnout firsthand. It stuck with me because if you’re not in a good place mentally and physically, it’s tough to lead effectively.

Your well-being is essential to your company’s success.