CATCHING the SUSTAINABILITY BUG

KEVIN WU 28 Founder & CEO, Ento

A trained corporate lawyer by profession, Kevin has founded four different ventures in the fields of alternative protein, furniture retail, legal services and management consulting before even hitting 30. His alternative protein brand, Ento, is a venturebacked start-up specialising in edible insects for human consumption, which aims to provide healthy and sustainable protein for the planet.

“I briefly left the legal profession and spent a few months travelling around the world in order to realign my personal and professional interests,” he explains on how his brand came about. “I spent some time in Mexico City where I came across a particular Mexican street food of tacos topped with fried grasshoppers. I was told that this was a regional delicacy. Much to my surprise, the tacos tasted similar to shrimps! Therefore, I did some research and came across the UNFAO’s scientific article that proposes insects as a healthier and more sustainable food source.”

Insect-based protein proves to be sustainable to produce as it requires up to 2,000 times less water, 20 times less land and eight times less feed, plus emits 2,000 times fewer greenhouse gas emissions, than traditional livestock production. He asserts, “In 2013, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ( UNFAO) published a scientific report proposing the use of insect-based protein in food and feed. The conclusion of the report is that our agriculture and food system is unsustainable to feed our future population without significant detrimental impact on our environment, and

insect-protein has an excellent potential to sustainably feed our future population.”

“WE AIM TO ACHIEVE S U S TA I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T GOALS (SDG) NO .3 (GOOD HEAL TH A N D W E L L - B E I N G ) , N O . 4 ( Q UA L I T Y E D U CAT I O N ) , N O . 8 ( D E C E N T WO R K & E C O N O M Y G R OW T H ) A N D N O . 1 5 (LIFE ON LAND” SULIE ABELL