Kochi Startup Recycles 10,000 Kg Plastic, Grows into Rs 8 Crore Company in Just 2 Years

Kochi based startup Carbon & Whale, has recycled over 10,000 kilograms of single-use plastic waste, turning it into useful and strong products like benches, stools, and interlock tiles.

Focusing on sustainable living, the company makes products that are made to last 15 to 20 years and which can be recycled again at the end of their life.

Alwin (centre) and Siddharth (far right) met at an event and found that they shared a common concern about plastic waste (Photo: Special Arrangement)

Alwin George, an engineer with experience in the education and digital sectors, and Siddharth A K, a business administration graduate founded the startup in 2022.

They were later joined by Sooraj Varma, a professor at the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET), who brought technical knowledge to the team.

Alwin and Siddharth met at an official event and discovered they shared a strong concern for plastic pollution. They decided to do their bit to create a solution and that’s how Carbon & Whale was born.

The company collects plastic waste from various sources, including schools, colleges, and beach clean-ups. The waste is sorted, processed, and transformed into modular furniture that can be spotted across public spaces like parks, metro stations, and shopping centres in cities such as Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Bengaluru.

Carbon & Whale follows a circular economy model, where nothing is wasted. Their furniture can be melted down and remade into new products once they become old after a few years.

The company also makes money by displaying advertisements on the benches they install in public areas.

The company collects plastic waste from various sources, including schools, colleges, and beach clean-ups.(Photo: iStock.com/ Mayur Kakade - for representation purpose only )

Their list of partners includes LuLu Group, Kochi Metro, Kerala Tourism, and Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML). The company has also received support from government bodies like the Kerala Startup Mission and KSIDC.

In its first year (2022–23), Carbon & Whale had a revenue of only Rs 69,447. But in just two years, they have grown rapidly, and currently the company is valued at Rs 8 crore, said Alwin George.

The startup has now launched a campaign titled #Declutter, with the aim of recycling one million kg of plastic waste. In just two years, Carbon & Whale has demonstrated that environmental challenges can be turned into business opportunities and that it’s possible to build a better, cleaner world - one recycled bench at a time. - TWL Bureau