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The Jute Foundation

The Jute Foundation

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The Jute Foundation

Championing Jute. Empowering Millions.

Jute, the Golden Fibre is one of the most powerful natural alternatives to plastic and a rapidly renewable carbon sink. It absorbs net carbon, restores soil health, supports millions of farming families, and biodegrades naturally.

Through our FIBER (Framework for Income, Biodiversity, and Emission Reduction ) Credits Program, we issue carbon and plastic credits aligned with our scientific methodology. Every credit is independently verified, blockchain-recorded, and fully traceable from the credit holder back to the originating farm.

Our work supports approximately four million jute-farming families across India, strengthens rural livelihoods in West Bengal and the eastern states, and helps revive the Golden Fibre as a globally competitive natural alternative to plastic. At the same time, it gives businesses around the world the verified, audit-ready environmental data they need to meet rising regulatory expectations on carbon, plastic, and supply chain transparency.

We partner with farmers, scientists, industry, and governments to make jute the standard for sustainable packaging and natural-fibre solutions and to ensure that every credit we issue delivers measurable, verifiable, real-world impact.

Leadership That Guides Purpose Into Impact

Shri Siddarth Singh

Board of Governors

Siddharth Singh, a former IAS officer, is the founding Chairman of The Jute Foundation, launched on World Environment Day (5 June 2018) in New Delhi by Erik Solheim, then Executive Director of UN Environment.

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Shri C. K. Mishra

Board of Governors

Shri C.K. Mishra is a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1983 batch, who retired as Secretary, Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

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Shri Atul Bagai

Board of Governors

Shri Atul Bagai is a senior international environmental professional and former Head of Country Office, India, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He has extensive global experience in environmental governance,

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Shri Rajani Ranjan Rashmi

Board of Governors ​

Shri Rajani Ranjan Rashmi is a retired IAS officer and one of India’s leading climate policy experts. He served as Special Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and has been India’s principal negotiator on 

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Building Resilient Supply Chains for Tomorrow

We enable businesses to thrive by positioning eco-friendly jute as the ultimate alternative to synthetic plastics. Our continuous advocacy builds a conscious consumer base, ensuring enterprises have a stable, high-demand market for sustainable products.

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Shri Siddarth Singh

Board of Governors

Siddharth Singh, a former IAS officer, is the founding Chairman of The Jute Foundation, launched on World Environment Day (5 June 2018) in New Delhi by Erik Solheim, then Executive Director of UN Environment. The Foundation was created to promote jute as a sustainable alternative to plastic and support the long-term growth of the jute sector.

He first developed an interest in jute during his early postings in rural Bengal and later deepened his engagement while serving as Director General of DGS&D, where he gained insight into procurement and supply chain challenges in the sector. Over time, his experience across key government roles—both in West Bengal and the Government of India—strengthened his focus on revitalizing jute as a sunrise industry aligned with global sustainability goals.

After retirement, he continued institution-building efforts, including leading the revival of IJIRA as its Chairman, transforming it into a self-sustaining research and training organization. Building on this work, he established The Jute Foundation to explore environmental credit mechanisms such as carbon and plastic avoidance credits to improve the economic viability of jute for farmers and producers.

Across his career, he has been closely associated with policy, trade, and institutional reforms in sectors ranging from textiles and agriculture to international trade, and is widely recognized for building and strengthening public institutions.

Shri C. K. Mishra

Board of Governors

Shri C.K. Mishra is a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1983 batch, who retired as Secretary, Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Over a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades, he has held senior leadership roles across Health, Environment, Industry, Power, and Textiles at both Central and State levels.

He has been India’s key policy architect and negotiator on climate change, representing the country at UNFCCC (COP) negotiations and other multilateral environmental forums. He also led major national initiatives including Mission Indradhanush and played a central role in shaping the National Health Policy 2017 and India’s air quality and climate governance frameworks.

Post-retirement, he continues to contribute as an advisor to leading global and national institutions in climate, health, and sustainability governance.

Shri Atul Bagai

Board of Governors

Shri Atul Bagai is a senior international environmental professional and former Head of Country Office, India, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He has extensive global experience in environmental governance, climate change mitigation, and ozone layer protection under the Montreal Protocol.

At UNEP, he led South Asia regional programmes focusing on compliance capacity building, climate co-benefits of ozone-depleting substance phase-out, and sustainable policy innovation across multiple countries. He has designed and implemented initiatives integrating environmental regulation with energy efficiency, green procurement, and carbon reduction frameworks.

Prior to the UN, he served the Government of India for over 17 years in senior positions, including as Ozone Cell Director at the Ministry of Environment and Forests and as Chief of Staff to Union Ministers in Finance and External Affairs.

Shri Rajani Ranjan Rashmi

Board of Governors ​

Shri Rajani Ranjan Rashmi is a retired IAS officer and one of India’s leading climate policy experts. He served as Special Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and has been India’s principal negotiator on climate change under the UNFCCC, including the Paris Agreement framework.

He has played a key role in shaping India’s international climate diplomacy and domestic policy architecture on carbon markets, mitigation pathways, and sustainable development. He also served as Chief Secretary of the Government of Manipur and received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration.

Currently, he is Distinguished Fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), where he works on climate policy, low-carbon transition, and global carbon market frameworks.

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