Innovation

In order to bring about a change and innovation we need not always have ivy league education and be residing in big cities. Innovation can be brought about in a small town too and these small steps grow to bring on a big change in society. Mr Fulkar is an extra ordinary man who runs a laundry service in Sanquelim, a small town in Goa, India.

He has started a chain of innovations in his own capacity which are inspiring. He uses only organic detergent for washing clothes so as to protect the hands of his employees and contribute towards a sustainable environment by using the waste water generated by this process in watering coconut trees in the farm maintained by him.

He has approximately 1000 customers and he uses steam iron that requires water and electricity to operate. He chose this method as he was aware of the environmental impact of using coal irons, which is used by many even today. But as this consumes lots of power, he is planning to install solar panels to use solar energy to generate power rather than using electricity.

Being in a small town, there is existence of gender inequality. He encourages gender equality by hiring women from nearby areas thus empowering these women. He arranges drop facility for these women if they work till late hours thereby provides security to his employees. He is paying the employees as per the rules of piece wage rate system and thus not exploiting them and giving them their due. Thus the employees feel satisfied and works with more dedication.

Inspiration

Mr. Fulkar once visited the holy pilgrimage of Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh, India. He already had laundry services business when he visited the temple. During his visit he gave his clothes for laundry and was surprised at the quick receipt of the same. He was curious about the fast services and asked the laundry services there about how they operate and decided to incorporate the innovations in his business.

Overall impact

Water is a scare resource, the usage of waste water productively is conserving water. He does this by using organic detergents to wash clothes and using the used water to water coconut trees. As the organic detergents are used it does not harm the trees. By using the organic detergent he has been able to retain his employees. Previously, his employees used to quit the job because of the effects of the detergents on their hands. Their palms used to get rough but now they work happily as this detergent does not affect their skin. This has also helped in building more customers as the use of organic detergent does not deteriorate the quality of the clothes and therefore customers are satisfied with the service.

He is installing solar energy soon to conserve electricity and has already stopped using coal as its a non renewable energy resource and causes pollution.

He is encouraging women empowerment by hiring women in nearby areas who have had access to limited education and work opportunities due to prevailing gender inequalities.

Business benefit

By using organic detergent and thus being able to use the waste water to water coconut trees which saves water. Also, organic detergent doesn't harm the employee's hands and the customers are also happy with the quality of service.

The soon to be installed solar energy will reduce the electricity costs which are high for a laundry service.

Although these innovations came with some costs, but in the long run it will be beneficial for the business. Because of this innovation customers have increased which increased the revenue by approximately 10%. Also the use of steam irons have reduced the cost due to coal consumption.

Social and environmental benefit

The use of organic detergent enables the waste water to be used to water coconut trees thus conserving water. Also, coal isn't used to iron clothes and they are soon going to use solar energy which will help to save electricity and thus contribute towards sustainable growth and environment conservation. The women empowerment initiative will encourage the other women in the area to work and also other businesses in the community to hire women employees. This makes the women independent and gives them the confidence that even they can survive on their own.

Interview

Mr. Vishant Prabhakar Fulkar, [email protected]