From “More” to “Better”: The Shift in Indian Consumer Markets

Let me ask you something: When was the last time you bought something just because it was sustainable?

Probably rarely.

You bought it because it looked good or felt comfortable or was reasonably priced or simply worked better.

That’s exactly why sustainability is becoming normal in India. Not because people suddenly changed. But because design did.

Some brands are making products so good that sustainability becomes a bonus and not the only reason to buy. Let’s look at how that’s happening:

Take Mahina

Mahina works because it redesigns the product category. Reusable period underwear isn’t positioned as sacrifice. It’s positioned as comfort and convenience. The environmental benefit is huge considering that India generates billions of disposable pads annually but the reason someone switches is simpler: It works well. Markets evolve when innovation makes the new option feel smarter, not more moral.

Look at Anokhi

In a world flooded with fast fashion, Anokhi stands out because it feels thoughtfully made. Hand block prints. Pieces that don’t look outdated in one season. You buy it because it feels premium and lasting. When something lasts longer, waste reduces automatically. The market is moving from “more” to “better.”

Or Bare Necessities

It doesn’t ask you to rethink your entire lifestyle. It just replaces everyday products like toothpaste, shampoo, cleaning essentials with better-designed alternatives. Small switch. Low friction. That’s how markets shift through subtle upgrades.

Even Bamboo India shows this.

A toothbrush is still a toothbrush but when material innovation meets affordability, scale follows. The scale is what turns a “movement” into a market norm.

What’s the Pattern?

These brands aren’t asking people to become activists. They’re redesigning products so that sustainable choices feel:

• Affordable

• Easy

• Culturally rooted

• Functionally reliable

• Familiar

  
  

India produces over 62 million tonnes of waste annually. Awareness alone won’t fix that but design can shift habits at scale. When the better choice feels just as normal as the old one, sustainability stops being a statement. It just becomes how things are done.