Saahas Zero Waste

𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩: 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 – 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝

We had an incredible time at the event "Stitching Sustainability - Change with Every Thread" on June 28, 2024, at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. It was a vibrant networking opportunity that brought together industry leaders, innovators, informal sector workers and policymakers to advance a circular textile waste value chain in India.

The event kicked off with an introductory session by Thomas Lennartz and Meghana Kshirsagar. Their insightful discussion set the stage for the day's focus on innovative and inclusive solutions and importance of public-private partnerships in the textile industry. Following this, Isha Sharma shared valuable insights on the joint develoPPP project “Building an Inclusive and Circular Textile Waste Value Chain in India”, emphasising on the collaborative efforts and the impact of the project. The project video was also released and you could find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFGhb0H3IRY

A particularly inspiring session featured a voice from the informal sector. Daya ji, a representative from the bartanwala community engaged in a conversation with Astha Khubele and her experiences shed light on the ground realities and challenges faced by those working in informal sector to manage and recover value from textile waste.

The event's highlights also included panel discussions with different stakeholders in the textile value chain, which were moderated by Annie Philip. In the fireside chat on ‘Innovation, Technology, and Partnership in the Textile Waste Industry’, we had Khushbu Maheshwari, Shruti Singh, Kamlesh Pal and Shobha Raghavan discuss technologies and innovative partnerships that are transforming the industry and promoting circularity. The second panel discussion on ‘Bringing in Circularity and Inclusivity in Textile Waste Management’ featured Anurag Gupta, Mansha Balecha, Snehit Kumar, Kritika Chauhan and Kalyanee Paranjape. The panelists provided diverse perspectives on recycling in India and the importance of inclusivity and circular practices in creating a sustainable textile value chain.

The event also featured a magical musical performance and a gallery showcasing impactful photographs and upcycled textile waste products, inspiring attendees to think differently about waste and sustainability. A huge thank you to all the speakers and attendees for participating in the event and making it a success. Together, we are making strides towards a more sustainable future, one thread at a time.

Impact Dialogue

We are happy to partner with Sambodhi Research and Communications Pvt. Ltd. who featured Wilma Rodrigues in the first session of their series entitled Impact Dialogue.

As we begin to wrap up 2023, we hope our Linked IN audience will take some time out to listen to this podcast. We do need to confront our consumption and our addiction to convenience. We need to decide to do better than just talk about Zero Waste.

Impact Dialogues feat. Wilma Rodriguez | The Cost of Convenience In today's world, where the world economy is about to reach $100 trillion, consumerism is at its peak. At the same time, one of the SDGs focuses on reducing ...

Book Extract #3:
(https://lnkd.in/dukgc8Wa)

Working with and for .

Our team members who have stood by us for over 10 years now, are across the executive team as well field team. We value their contributions over the years, which have brought us to where we are currently.

On the technology side, we use tools like a SaaS platform, IoT and across all our verticals as well as support functions to provide greater value to our clients, through

* improved compliance
* accountability
* ease of operations
* improved incentives due to additional transparency for partners

Two of our team members have made it to the basketball team, playing for Goa at the National Games Dekence and Siva (who is the captain of the team) do a great job of balancing work along with their passion for sports.
Wishing them all the very best!

For the past several years, resource recovery has not been included in any serious certification program. The Green Buildings Certification programs including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Green Rating for Intergrated Habitat Building (GRIHA),closely tracked energy and water. Waste was given very superficial treatment. A building is not required to go beyond segregation of wet and dry waste in order to receive the maximum points allocated for waste management.

We are glad that now, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) has recognised the need to go beyond waste segregation. They have, in fact, introduced a dedicated certification for resource recovery. TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency), is a systemic approach aimed at changing how materials flow through society, resulting in minimising waste and enabling maximum recovery.

We see a very good alignment of TRUE with our own Zero Waste Program.
It is a matter of pride and satisfaction that our customers and beyond are looking to work with us as they line up to receive certifications for resource recovery.

We are extremely proud to also introduce, our COO, Shobha Raghavan,who is now a certified True Zero Advisor, one of the few such advisors in the country.
We provide end-to-end project implementation for TRUE, starting from site assessment and gap analysis, designing a solution and phase-wise implementation.
We thus help you move closer to your ESG, SDG and BRSR goals.

We invite companies to get in touch to start a conversation around Zero Waste Programs and TRUE.

Please call 1800 258 6676 or write in to [email protected]

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When waste is brought back - This time in a boat

We introduce herewith a boat made from Ricron Board. The Ricron board, crafted from recycled multi-layer plastics, have found applications in construction, furniture, and retail solutions.

Often, we stumble upon innovative opportunities where Ricron boards become a good fit. Recently, Greenfoot Enterprises approached us for their 'Green Boat' pilot project. Based in , Greenfoot Enterprises makes a range of products from sustainable materials. They are committed to reducing waste and creating a pollution-free environment. The boards are waterproof, weather-resistant, termite-proof and buoyant. These properties made it the ideal material for boats. In contrast to widely used marine plywood which has only a five-year lifespan, Ricron boards last over twice as long. They also do not need additional material like fibre, making them ideal for extended water exposure. What's more, Ricron boards are flexible and recyclable at the end of their life cycle.

This aligns with our mission to combat the waste crisis by promoting the use of recycled MLP boards over virgin material for various indoor and outdoor uses. Together, we're closing the loop and paving the way for a more sustainable future. 🌱🚤


Tanuja D Rao
Ricron Panels

We are glad to be one of the finalists for the Sankalp Forum x Artha Impact (Rianta Capital) global awards 2023. We appreciate the acknowledgement of our business model which puts and above .
Artha Impact

Please vote for us here:

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Our Swachh Bharat Award

Today we revive fond memories of winning the , five years back in 2018.
The recognition was given to us by MOHUA (The Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs) for our work with decentralized waste management and specifically for our zero waste services to bulk waste generators.

In the last five years, our services have been refined and enhanced considerably. We still have important customers like IIMB, Microsoft Research, Goldman Sachs, RMZ Corp, Brookefield properties and others who avail of our zero waste services. We have also expanded our geographic reach to the Region including , and . We are able to consistently deliver 96 per cent resource recovery for our customers along with tracking and tracing the flows of waste until the end destination which for practically all waste streams in an authorized facility.

Today we celebrate the birth anniversary of Gandhiji alongside the expansion in meaning of the word Swachh - responsible waste management and resource recovery.

We bring focus on the business models followed by the informal sector. These models have created livelihood but also exploitation.

The business models of the 21st century must now focus on environmental and social impact The acceptance of these models will also give an opportunity to the informal sector to elevate their own transformation and transition to formal systems.

Goa State Urban Development Agency

'Let’s Transform’ is now integrated into the business offering of Saahas Zero Waste(SZW). It involves a sharing of experience and expertise which SZW makes available to the large informal workforce that is looking to embrace professional systems. This is what we recognize as .

Let's Transform is a between SZW, brands including IKEA Social Entrepreneurship BV and Alliance to End Plastic Waste and the

We are currently working with 16 entrepreneurs in the SME space from across India to establish and operate their within a formal framework. This video series seeks to introduce you to our social inclusion entrepreneurs as they present the ground realities and their journey of change. While each of them has their unique challenges, there are some which are common to all. The eco-system is tragically disjointed, and continues to be a major obstacle, coming as a barrier to them building sustainable business models. Nevertheless, we continue to work with them to reach the mutual goal of a robust, business.

Introducing Zabiullah, our social inclusion partner and one of our Let’s Transform entrepreneurs.

This film tracks his Let's Transform journey which began in March 2022.

He is a second-generation waste entrepreneur with 15 years of work experience. With support from our Let’s Transform program, he is now in the process of establishing an ethical supply chain for low-value plastic waste that would otherwise be burnt or dumped. He is now tracking this plastic with a digital tool called Tracer through which there is visibility of the flow of waste until an authorized end destination.

There is a considerable distance that Zabiullah still has to traverse. He has put together building blocks for the supply chain. We will now work together with him to build a robust business model to enhance his revenue, cover his expenditures, and move towards profitability.

We thank Alliance to End Plastic Waste for enabling this pathway of change for our entrepreneur Zabilullah.

Let's Transform ‘Let’s Transform’ is now integrated into the business offering of SZW. It involves a sharing of experience and expertise which SZW makes available to the lar...

NEW MOMS AT WORK

Meet Subhra Das,Sara Srinivas Koundinya and Gauri Kawade – three women from our team who are happy to come back to work after having a baby.

We believe that the six months maternity leave given to a mother is very critical. Beyond this, SZW supports a phased to work where for another 3 months new mothers have an to work from home.

Across India, the percentage of women in the workforce has been declining. From 32% in 2005 to 19% in 2022.

Women are needed in our workforce. 60% of our own team at SZW are women. We hope through this post that we will have many women feel enthused to get out of any comfort zone. They could choose to come into the social sector where both their skill and will would be put into good use.

Here is Subhra Das with her story