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Mahadev a first generation entrepreneur first tried his hands at IT . His constant desire to innovate turned him towards wonder material , fiber from waste . Waste from agricultural produce , bamboo , coffee husk and the list goes on . With technical support from scientists of Institute of Wood Science and Technology , Bengaluru he worked on fiber composites and built an array of modern day products starting from cutlery to car parts . Each fiber presenting unique challenge and resulting in an unique product . Story of bamboo waste is unique too.

Hundreds of products can be made from bamboo, from essential household items to complex industrial and construction products. Bamboo products are not new to society. All of us would have most certainly used bamboo products such as furniture, incense sticks (agarbatti), tissue papers, chopping boards and clothes.

Ancient civilizations were using bamboo as a useful resource. However, this trend had faded over the centuries, but is now making a comeback in parts of the world, becoming a popular resource. Benefits of this miracle plant, bamboo are widely accepted globally.

It is, however, little known fact that the process of making many of these bamboo products results in significant bamboo waste, which is as high as 90% in some products and industries. This means, every 1 kg of bamboo product made will result in 9 kgs of bamboo waste. This bamboo waste is usually burnt, discarded and often creates little value if not becoming a cause of concern.

His co-founded startup company , Spectalite, headquartered in Bangalore has developed novel technology to use bamboo waste for making products from cutlery to car parts. The company makes biocomposites from bamboo waste, which can be moulded into any form and shape. With performance comparable to wood and engineered plastic, biocomposites provide design freedom to create almost any rigid or semi-flexible product from bamboo waste.

The socio-economic impact of these products includes creating additional value for farmers, factories, & forests from bamboo waste. It ensures the wellbeing of life on earth as the products made are safe to use even in food contact applications with international standards.  

The primary ecological benefits include conservation of resources and reduced carbon footprint. The manufacturing process requires little water, no toxic chemicals are used and results in zero waste discharge. While the compostable products degrade naturally in home compost, the durable products can be recycled many times supporting circularity.

As a startup the company is committed to making many industrial and consumer products from bamboo waste in the coming years, diverting 1000s of Tons of bamboo waste from being discarded or burnt.