Cocoatrait's vegan and gluten-free chocolate brand Kocoatrait has curated an eco-friendly festive gift for Diwali, what it claims to be "the world's most planet-friendly gift box".

According to the company, the gift box is a culmination of months-long work on packaging design to develop an eco-friendly gifting option during the festive season. The company said the gift box comes in different options between four and 12 Kocoatrait Zero Waste chocolates made using "organic Indian cacao beans" with intriguing flavours. The box is available in different sizes and price points.

Chocolate wrappers used in the box are up-cycled using reclaimed cotton and cacao shells, which are generated during roasting of beans. The chocolate wrappers are printed at V-Excel Educational Trust, Chennai, which supports the inclusion of differently-abled individuals. It also claims that eco-friendly water-based inks are used for printing the wrappers with no additional branding or printing done on the outer boxes.

The chocolates are housed inside a specially designed reusable palm leaf box made by MRmRm Foundation, Chennai, which employs and empowers traditional craftswomen in rural Tamil Nadu. The chocolates are wrapped in recyclable paper bubble wrap.

The outer box is made of bagasse-based paper and uses starch-based inks. The company said even the tapes used for packaging are eco-friendly – paper tapes, and are capable of surviving the odds when delivered across India.

Kocoatrait was conceived as a sustainable chocolate brand. L Nitin Chordia, founder of Cocoatrait and his team set out some clear priorities. “We wanted to make it easy for consumers to adopt zero-waste and make the product relevant at an international level.”

Chordia claims that Kocoatrait is "the world's first zero-waste and sustainable chocolate". "Our reasoning for inclusivity apart from packaging design and ingredient decisions have deep roots in our circular economy, planet-friendly and sustainable approach. 'Giving back' is a powerful action and as Jesse Jackson said, 'When everyone is included, everyone wins'."

He further said, "For years, India has been accumulating a lot of plastic and non-recyclable waste during the festive season. This effort redefines planet-friendly and inclusive festive gifting in India and helps us set a benchmark for the industry to emulate and get inspired by."

"We launched Kocoatrait in Amsterdam in 2019 and were quite easily convinced that consumers are aiming to save the planet while making all kinds of purchases. Sustainable chocolates was just a missing piece and inclusivity was always very well respected as a business decision by customers," Chordia added.

Chordia's wife Poonam, also one of the founders, concluded, "The consumer contributes to saving the planet and enjoys being inclusive while spending on a bar of Kocoatrait Zero Waste chocolate. We like to take the hard work of our fellow citizens to our consumers via the chocolate bars."