As industries worldwide search for sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics, innovative startups are turning environmental challenges into business opportunities. One such company is UKHI, founded by Vishal Vivek, which is transforming agricultural waste into EcoGran, a carbon-negative and fully compostable material designed to replace traditional plastics. By creating value from crop residue that would otherwise be burnt, UKHI is addressing the twin challenges of stubble burning and plastic pollution while generating additional income for farmers. In this interview with Machine Edge Global, Vishal Vivek discusses the inspiration behind UKHI, the development of EcoGran, the future of circular manufacturing in India, and the country’s growing role in the global bioeconomy.
1. The Inspiration: Turning a Liability into an Asset
The inspiration for UKHI was born out of a desire to solve one of India’s most visible environmental crises: the toxic smog caused by stubble burning. I saw a massive disconnect where farmers were burning a “liability” (agricultural waste) that actually contained the high-performance fibers needed to solve a second crisis—plastic pollution. The idea for EcoGran took shape when we realized that by leveraging non-food biomass like hemp, nettle, and flax, we could create a carbon-negative material that doesn’t compete with food security but does provide farmers with a significant secondary income of over ₹15,000 per acre.
2. Performance & Versatility of EcoGran
We ensure EcoGran matches conventional plastics like LDPE and PP by focusing on the molecular compatibility of our biopolymers. EcoGran is designed as a drop-in solution. This means it can be used on existing plastic manufacturing machinery—blown film, injection moulding, and thermoforming—without requiring expensive retrofitting or new equipment. By balancing high-performance binders with treated agri-fibers, we maintain durability for industrial use while ensuring the product remains 100% compostable.
3. Scaling R&D for Industrial Use
Our R&D journey was anchored in collaboration with premier institutions like IIT Mandi Catalyst and ICAR-Pusa. We moved beyond lab-scale experiments to focus on standardization. A significant part of our R&D went into the pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass to ensure consistent granule quality despite the natural variations in agricultural waste. Today, this allows us to maintain a production capacity of 140 tons per month, with a roadmap to reach 1 Lakh tonnes by 2030.
4. Addressing Stubble Burning & Plastic Pollution
Our model creates a circular loop that solves both issues simultaneously:
• Preventing Burning: We provide an economic incentive for farmers to collect and sell their residue rather than burn it, directly reducing CO2 and methane emissions.
• Replacing Plastic: This collected waste is processed into EcoGran, which replaces the 380M tonnes of plastic produced annually, most of which currently ends up in landfills or oceans.
5. The Future of Manufacturing in India
Circular material innovation is shifting the manufacturing narrative from “extract-make-dispose” to “regenerate-make-compost.” In India, this transition is no longer optional; it’s a regulatory and economic necessity. With the Plastic Waste Management Rules (2022-2026) mandating a move away from single-use plastics, the future of Indian manufacturing lies in being the global hub for high-performance, bio-based materials.
6. Accelerating the Zero-Waste Economy
Companies like UKHI act as the “bridge” between the rural agrarian economy and urban industrial needs. By proving that sustainable alternatives can be 20–30% cheaper than imported biodegradable resins, we accelerate adoption. We demonstrate that “zero-waste” is not just an environmental goal but a profitable business strategy that reduces dependence on fossil-fuel-based imports.
7. Challenges in the Agro-Waste Supply Chain
The biggest challenge is logistics and aggregation. Agricultural waste is bulky and seasonally available. Building a reliable supply chain required us to establish exclusive sourcing networks in the Himalayan belt and create decentralized processing centers. We had to build deep trust with marginal farmers to ensure we had a consistent, high-quality feedstock year-round.
8. Barriers to Large-Scale Plastic Replacement
There are three primary barriers:
• Cost: Imported bioplastics (like PLA) are often too expensive for the Indian market.
• Awareness: Many manufacturers fear that biopolymers will damage their existing machinery (which EcoGran solves as a drop-in).
• Supply Consistency: There is a lack of localized, large-scale production of biopolymer resins in India, which is exactly the gap UKHI is filling.
9. India’s Position in the Global Bioeconomy
Over the next decade, India is positioned to become the global leader in the bioeconomy. Our sheer volume of agricultural biomass, combined with a growing deep-tech ecosystem, gives us a unique competitive edge. By 2030, I see India not just consuming these materials, but exporting “Agri-tech Carbon-Negative Materials” to the world, turning our environmental challenges into a global export opportunity.