The factory of the future is in India

Last month I visited Bollant, a factory that makes plates from leaves and recycled cardboard in Hyderabad, India. It blew my mind. Only a couple of months ago it was all in pieces- a ‘factory’ that was part of a scam to defraud a local bank before Ravi Mantha took it over with Srikanth (the CEO) and completely transformed it. Now it’s powered by rice husks and solar and is creating amazing products from trash. A factory of the future.

In the words of Chief Financial Officer Ravi Mantha:

I am on the board of a company that recycles paper and leaf plates called Bollant. I happened to find a young man passionate about manufacturing and I thought it was a good idea to focus on green and sustainable. We’re doing it with zero emissions; we recapture the waste heat, the ash, the effluent. The idea is to take garbage in and send products out. In another 6 months, we’re going to have 1 megawatt in solar energy from panels on the roof. This will completely cover the power needs of the factory. 50% of our employees are also differently abled- the CEO is blind. We say the tagline of our business is that we also hire able-bodied people.

More on the Bollant model: Our business model offers a green solution to our customers. We provide an excellent selection of biodegradable and compostable plates and bowls which are easily disposable. We take pride in making useful products by using agricultural waste which includes leaf husk of various plants and glue aggro paper. BOLLANT Industries major objective is to employ differently-abled people and also help in environmental restoration by producing products which would help everyone to say no to plastic products.

Plates made from paper and bark

Boxes and cardboard ready for recycling into paper plates and boxes

Breaking the cardboard down ready to be remolded

Our quest is to find solutions which will help us to address problems such as protect the environment from plastic products and also offer an equal right of employment to differently-abled people. We not only provide them vocational training, but we also offer them guidance. We ensure that production and work environment is suitable for them so that they can perform work with ease. We monitor employees’ progress and offer them relevant training which will help in filling the skill gaps.

For farmers, the agricultural waste can be a cash crop. Previously farmers usually burnt or disposed of the agricultural leaf wastes but with the advent of paper products made from agricultural leaves waste, farmers can now have the second harvest. We not only cater to local customers but international customers as well. We also support waste pickers as well as leaf traders by making them active partners in our supply chain.

Our enterprise is managed by trained and successful professionals, and they work to enhance the employment of people having disabilities. We provide stiff competition to traditional players. We wish to create preferential demand for eco-friendly products produced by our company.

With Srikanth, the CEO of Bollant.