When it comes to upcycling waste, the primary concern is usually reducing pollution and environmental hazards. However, if it also becomes a profitable business, it goes beyond basic ecological goals and opens up a wide range of opportunities. Siddharth A K, a young and enterprising Keralite who was born and raised in Delhi, developed a concept along these lines and founded the startup Carbon and Whale. He was soon joined by two like-minded individuals – Alvin George and Suraj Varma. In just two years, their company has recycled 10,000 kg of plastic to make benches, which could be seen at malls and metro stations in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. Advertisements are displayed on the benches to earn additional income.

Alvin quit a profession in the education-digital sectors which he pursued for many years to launch a company for reducing carbon emissions. He is now following the circular economy model, which aims at the protection of the environment along with the business.

Alvin says that he wishes to introduce projects which are beneficial to the ecosystem. It was a chance encounter with Siddharth at an official meeting that led Alwin to start his company, as both share a deep concern over the mounting menace of plastic waste. Incidentally, Alwin and Siddharth come from different academic backgrounds. While the former has an engineering degree, the latter pursued business administration.

Realizing the drawbacks of the traditional methods in the plastic recycling sector, Alvin and Sidharth developed a new process to produce items from plastic waste along with Sooraj Varma, a professor at the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET). They focused on finding a solution to the problem of single-use plastic waste, which is currently burnt or abandoned in the soil.

“We decided to launch a clean-tech startup in order to offer a permanent solution to the issue of plastic waste. Specifically, our goal is to create durable and attractive furniture items from single-use plastic,” says Alvin. The products made by his company are expected to last 15-20 years.

Carbon & Whale’s products include benches, stools and other utility furniture made from discarded plastic. In fact, Alwin and friends found a new use for plastic that usually ends up in the ocean or under the soil. Customers who recognized the efforts of the startup to protect the environment placed significant orders for the products, boosting sales. The startup has also cooperated with city corporations to produce benches for parks and other public places.

The next goal of Carbon & Whale is to turn one million kg of plastic into furniture, for which the team will be cooperating with regional organisations and volunteers. “We are planning to create awareness in society regarding the importance of proper disposal of plastic waste for the future of humanity,” says Alvin.