Nilayan Chatterjee
Samyak Jain Sogani
Sanjay Kaushik N
NITIN MATHEW
Apoorv Aditya
Goa Institute of Management
Abhishek Naresh
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Founded by Rahul Nainani and Gurashish Singh Sahni in 2016, Recircle commenced its journey as a B2C waste management organization. The young mind of Rahul Nainani was awestruck upon discovering that India was importing waste from developed countries to sustain its recycling industries. Motivated by this revelation, Recircle organized a forefront of waste management technology that incorporated economic, social, and environmental standpoints, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 17. Under Rahul Nainani's leadership, the organization developed an integrated platform to collect, recycle, and repurpose waste produced in India. This strategic approach aimed to address pressing issues and contribute towards a sustainable future.
ReCircle, led by its founders Rahul Nainani and Gurashish Singh Sahni, is dedicated to advancing an ethical circular economy, closing the loop on plastic recycling, and collaborating closely with all stakeholders. The organization places a strong emphasis on capacity building, aiming to uplift both the nation and the informal waste sector.
In a significant development earlier this year, ReCircle launched ClimaOne, a groundbreaking tech-enabled platform designed to revolutionize the informal waste supply chain. By connecting brands, collectors, and processors, ClimaOne provides comprehensive visibility and control over the entire supply chain—from waste sourcing to disposal. This innovative platform enables businesses to trace the supply chain, ensuring transparency, end-to-end traceability for plastic credits, live data tracking, reporting for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), compliance, and non-duplication of plastic credits. The brand dashboard offers ethical purchase options and traceability for plastic credits.
ClimaOne also integrates informal workers nationwide, facilitating waste collection from businesses and uniting various stakeholders on a single digital platform. The platform ensures fair incentivization for workers and collection partners. ReCircle's strategic integration of technology into the waste management industry reimagines traditional processes, emphasizing the complete life cycle of waste, from collection to repurposing. This approach positions India proudly in the waste management sector while aligning with the United Nations SDGs.
As a technology-enabled enterprise, ReCircle prioritizes transparency, traceability, and accountability in the resource value chain to promote sustainable production and consumption of resources. The launch of ClimaOne addresses the critical need to formalize processes in the ecosystem, contributing to an ethical supply chain.
A recent announcement revealed that ReCircle is now certified under the prestigious Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) Certification Program by Zero Plastic Oceans (ZPO).
The core of ReCircle's mission revolves around behavioral change at the source. Recognizing the vast, untapped potential in the recycling space and the disjointed nature of stakeholders, including collectors, processors, recyclers, and businesses, ReCircle aims to be at the forefront of formalizing the waste sector, actively participating in the transition to a circular economy. This commitment to change and innovation underscores ReCircle's strength and sets it apart in the ecosystem.
In 2015, Rahul participated in Google's Startup Weekend alongside his co-founder Gurashish Singh Sahni. Their collaborative brainstorming birthed the inventive concept of an 'Uber for Raddiwalas' app, securing them a victory in the competition. This achievement catalyzed their recognition of the pressing need for heightened awareness and definitive measures regarding waste segregation and resource recovery, ultimately paving the way for ReCircle (formerly Raddiconnect).
Then, sometime in 2016, Gurashish Singh Sahni and Rahul ended up visiting the Deonar dumping ground located in Mumbai right after a massive fire broke out there—in fact, there was an image that NASA took from space where the fire was visible. They ended up going to the landfill site after the fire doused out to talk to the people that lived around the neighborhood and to the people that worked on the dumpsite. They quickly learned that the average life expectancy of people living in the neighborhood of the dumpsite was 38 years. This was an eye-opener for them and made them question if this is affecting the people in the neighborhood, then how soon is it going to start affecting the rest of the city. Following this, Rahul visited landfill sites in multiple cities across the country, and the situation was the same everywhere he went.
While this is one of the moments that inspired Rahul to work in the sector to make a real change, there have been multiple other instances that keep driving him to do the work that he does. Rahul would like to see a world where no resources are wasted, and importantly, they have to rethink waste as a resource.
With the goal of formalizing India's fragmented waste management sector while generating concrete value, Rahul believes in leveraging his background in finance (cleared all three levels of the CFA program) and years of operational experience to build a circular economy.
Although they initially started as a B2C platform, the traction also picked up in B2B. For them, milestones have been spread out across time, such as their brand associations with prominent organizations such as HUL, UNDP India, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, Mondelez, Tata Starbucks, and others, assisting them in realizing their sustainability objectives. The launch of ClimaOne was another key milestone for them; it connects all stakeholders (brands, collectors & processors) providing complete visibility & control over their supply chain—from sourcing to disposal of waste. Their waste-action impact has resulted in a 72% boost in income for their Safai Saathis, a 90% expansion in collection partnerships, and a 100% increase in global grants. Aligning with the SDGs of the United Nations has inspired them to create a greater impact in society while also making sure all stakeholders benefit from their initiative.
ReCircle, under the visionary leadership of founder Rahul Nainani, has achieved a remarkable milestone by diverting over 1,00,000+ metric tons of waste from landfills and oceans in India. This significant accomplishment, equivalent to the weight of 16,666 elephants, spans across 270 cities and towns. The organization has successfully collaborated with 45+ processing partners boasting a pan-India network of 400 collection partners, impacting the lives of more than 3100 informal waste workers, also known as Safai Saathis. As of March 2022, their lifetime waste recovery figure stands at an impressive 25,904+ metric tons.
Through the seamless integration of all stakeholders on a single platform, ReCircle has effectively streamlined the waste management process, enhancing transparency from waste collection to repurposing. The organization's commitment aligns with long-term goals focused on contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 17, while striving for efficient management of the waste sector.
A noteworthy upcoming innovation from ReCircle involves incorporating QR codes in products made from repurposed waste. This innovative step aims to provide consumers with insights into the journey of the product, emphasizing transparency and accountability within the organization. This forward-thinking approach underscores ReCircle's commitment to sustainable practices and further positions them as leaders in the waste management industry.
At a critical juncture, ReCircle, headquartered in Mumbai, finds itself facing a pivotal decision—whether to ignore the current state of harmful waste accumulation or to enable circular systems. As a resource recovery clean-tech innovator, ReCircle is dedicated to creating waste-management solutions that empower individuals, communities, and businesses to take action.
As a technology-enabled enterprise, ReCircle operates with a mission to promote sustainable production and consumption of resources by ensuring transparency, traceability, and accountability in the resource value chain. The organization is actively working towards diverting waste away from landfills and oceans, redirecting it back into the economy for recycling, reusing, or repurposing.
At the forefront of ReCircle's initiatives is ClimaOne, a revolutionary tech-enabled platform designed to transform the informal waste supply chain. Additionally, the organization has instituted flagship programs like Plastic EPR Service, Plastic-Neutral programs, and ground-level community collection drives. With a focus on the massive and untapped recycling space, ReCircle aims to formalize the waste sector and actively contribute to the transition to a circular economy.
Through its technology-enabled waste supply chain platform, ReCircle is positioned to efficiently and transparently handle waste recovery across India in a scalable and cost-effective manner. The organization's commitment to innovation and sustainability has been recognized through grants from esteemed international organizations such as GSMA & UKAID, The Incubation Network & Alliance to End Plastic Waste, and UNDP India. Notably, ReCircle recently closed its pre-series A fundraise, led by Flipkart Ventures, 3i Partners, Acumen Fund Inc, and a pool of High Net Worth Individual (HNI) investors, further solidifying its position as a leader in the pursuit of a circular economy.
Measuring success by the impact of their work on society and the environment, ReCircle has diverted an impressive 1,00,000+ metric tons of waste, equivalent to the weight of 16,666 elephants, from oceans and landfills across 270 cities and towns in India. Collaborating with 45+ processing partners boasting a pan-India network of 350+ collection partners, ReCircle has made significant strides in waste management.
The organization has played a pivotal role in enabling 60+ progressive brands, including HUL, UNDP India, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, to achieve their sustainability goals. In an era where global sustainability and overcoming climate cynicism are paramount, ReCircle underscores the importance of a structured circular economy, powered by technology. They firmly believe in the transformative impact that technology can have in expediting the arrival of a responsible circular economy.
Recognizing that waste is not only an environmental concern but also a human and societal issue, ReCircle emphasizes that their efforts, while pan-Indian, contribute to a mission that truly impacts the globe. The organization is dedicated to building something that adds value to people's daily lives, and this commitment resonates deeply among all employees, including the Safai Saathis. Looking ahead, ReCircle aspires to be at the forefront of formalizing the waste sector, actively playing a role in the transition to a circular economy.
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At ReCircle, the organization's purpose lies in harnessing the inherent value of waste, from an environmental, societal, and economic standpoint. As pioneers of an ethical circular economy, ReCircle diverts trash from festering in landfills and water bodies by building sustainably advantaged, innovative systems to retrieve and repurpose waste. This approach also supports the human capital of the nation's disadvantaged informal waste-workers.
ReCircle's growth is channeled through a dynamic multi-stakeholder approach. The organization creates robust partnerships with individual consumers, multinational brands, and urban local bodies. Over the years, it has evolved from an Uber for scrap aggregator model dealing only with individuals into a social enterprise with a strong environmental and community-driven impact plan. ReCircle collaborates with conscious citizens, brand owners, small businesses, producers, corporations, and importers. The organization is powered by real-time data analytics and technology.
Apart from the on-ground work with consumers, ReCircle also collaborates with brands to follow guidelines and manage their waste by complying with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) norms and plastic-neutral programs. Oftentimes, brands lack the expertise to comply with evolving norms, and ReCircle steps in to provide support. Their work with businesses centers around enabling compliance with regulations and policies, addressing issues like greenwashing suspicions.
ReCircle's localized systems invigorate the operational aspect of resource recovery, aiming to inform, educate, and mobilize support from the grassroots, starting at the individual level and working upwards to the largest corporations. The passion of ReCircle's people and the power of future-focused technologies have enabled the organization to bring its goal to fruition and scale.
