Center For Sustainable Development

What Center For Sustainable Development does

The Centre for Sustainable Development is a non-profit environmental initiative embedded within the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, India. It operates a community-led, bottom-up model aimed at reducing plastic waste and children's exposure to microplastics, with its flagship effort being the Steel Tiffin Pledge under the Mission City Chakra campaign. The program engages 104 schools and approximately 56,000 students, who pledge to replace plastic lunch boxes with steel tiffins beginning June 2026 and who act as behavioral-change ambassadors influencing their families and households.

Its core deliverable is not a technology product but a coordinated social-behavioral program: schools commit to mandating steel tiffins, students participate and persuade parents to reduce plastic use, and the resulting household-level behavior change is the unit of impact. There is no proprietary software, application, or pricing model disclosed; distribution is entirely direct via school partnerships, and revenue mechanics are not commercial. The Centre functions as an academic-hosted program unit rather than an independent commercial entity, with no disclosed funding rounds, investors, or operating budget.

The business model is therefore grant- or institute-funded rather than revenue-generating, and the customer base is concentrated in a single geography (Pune, India) and a single channel (K-12 schools). Scaling is dependent on replicating the Mission City Chakra template city-by-city and expanding the institutional base at Gokhale Institute, with no visible technology, AI, or product-surface differentiation beyond the programmatic community-mobilization model itself.

Name

Center For Sustainable Development

Legal name

Centre for Sustainable Development

Website

https://csdbahamas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Sustainability Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability, Waste Reduction & Composting Programs (EDALADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability Engagement, Training & Behavior Change Programs (On-site) (BPABALAK), Pollution Prevention, Chemicals & Waste (incl. Plastics) (BPADALAJ), Waste, Recycling & Sustainability Services (EDAEAAAF)

Keywords

• Environmental sustainability programs
• Plastic waste reduction
• Community-led conservation
• School outreach campaigns
• Sustainability research

Headquarters

HQ city

Rock Sound

HQ country

Bahamas

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

The Center for Sustainable Development operates environmental sustainability programs focused on reducing plastic waste and microplastic exposure, anchored by the Mission City Chakra campaign and the Steel Tiffin Pledge, which engages schools and students to replace plastic lunch boxes with steel alternatives. It also conducts research and educational programming in conservation, climate resilience, and sustainability, delivered as a non-profit initiative hosted within an academic research institution.

Product overview

The Centre for Sustainable Development at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics is a non-profit environmental initiative focused on reducing plastic waste and environmental health risks for children. The organization operates the Mission City Chakra campaign, which includes the Steel Tiffin Pledge initiative designed to eliminate plastic lunch boxes in schools by promoting steel tiffins as an alternative, thereby reducing children's exposure to microplastics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Steel Tiffin Pledge A community environmental pledge campaign that mobilizes schools and students to replace plastic lunch boxes (tiffins) with steel alternatives, designed to reduce plastic waste and children's exposure to microplastics through daily food consumption. Delivered free to participating schools in Pune, India.
• Mission City Chakra Initiative A city-level environmental campaign coordinated by the Center for Sustainable Development with schools in Pune, designed to drive grassroots behavioral change on plastic waste and sustainability. The initiative engages students as ambassadors who propagate the program into their homes and communities.
• Conservation and Sustainability Research and Education

Quantifiable outcome

• 56,000 students from 104 schools pledged to switch from plastic to steel lunch boxes starting June 2026

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gokhale Institute of Politics and EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Centre for Sustainable Development operates as a program or unit hosted at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune. The Institute provides institutional support and hosts the environmental initiatives led by the Centre.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Ocean Conservancy: U.S.-based environmental advocacy organization focused on ocean health, including plastic-pollution reduction through campaigns and policy. Comparable as an advocacy-led nonprofit working on plastic-waste awareness and behavior change, though operating at a global rather than local scale.
• WWF India: Large India-based conservation NGO focused on environmental sustainability, climate, and species protection. Comparable as a broad environmental advocacy organization active in India, though much larger and not focused specifically on school-based plastic reduction.
• Greenpeace India: India arm of the global environmental advocacy network, focused on climate, plastic pollution, and sustainability. Comparable as a high-profile environmental advocacy organization in India, though broader in scope and not school-targeted.

Emerging players

• Plastic Bank: Social enterprise that stops ocean plastic by building ethical collection networks and incentivizing behavior change in underserved communities. Comparable to the Center for Sustainable Development in its focus on plastic-waste reduction through community engagement and behavior change.
• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global coalition working to end plastic pollution through advocacy, education, and behavior-change campaigns. Comparable in its advocacy and education focus on single-use plastics, though it operates globally and does not run school-grounds programs directly.

Regional players

• Toxic Links: India-based environmental NGO focused on waste, chemicals, and pollution issues, with strong research and advocacy capabilities. Comparable as an Indian advocacy nonprofit working on pollution and waste-reduction issues with community engagement.
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI): India-based research institute working on sustainability, energy, and environmental policy. Comparable as a research-and-advocacy organization driving sustainability education and policy in India, but operating at significantly greater scale and institutional breadth.
• Sustainable Development Foundation: India-based nonprofit working on sustainable development education and community programs. Comparable as a sustainability-focused research and education organization active in India, with similar grassroots, behavior-change orientation.
• Centre for Science and Environment: India-based research and advocacy organization focused on environmental sustainability, public health, and policy. Comparable to the Center for Sustainable Development in its research-driven, advocacy-led approach to environmental issues in India, though larger in scope and primarily Delhi-based.
• Saahas (Waste Pickers & Waste Management): India-based nonprofit working on solid-waste management, plastic reduction, and behavior change among citizens and institutions. Comparable in its focus on community-led plastic-waste reduction and waste-management education in India.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center For Sustainable Development