How does one treat waste? Recycling is encouraged but not always possible. And not to mention, recycling has its challenges and may not always be the most ‘green’ thing to do. Where does that leave us with the solid waste that surrounds all of us?
But what if we could turn an eyesore into art?
Six years ago, Tausif Zafar Khan wondered the same, but not before a personal tragedy nearly broke him. He persevered, and today, his efforts have received international recognition. His venture, Oeco Waste Private Limited, recently collaborated with talented Nigerian artist Nkwocha Ernest Ogbonna to ramp up its upcycling initiatives by creating sculptural pieces from waste. With the initiative, Oeco hopes to solve several environmental and socio-economic problems, including climate change, effective waste management, the plastic waste crisis and unemployment.
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The journey of Oeco started in 2016 when Tausif returned home after quitting his job with Barclays in Delhi. He started a KPO, but tragedy struck when he lost his partner and manager in an accident.
“I was torn apart and broken inside, and then returned home from Guwahati. One day I went to the bank of the River Brahmaputra, where I sat all alone, deep in my thoughts. It was there that the idea bug bit me. I saw a scrapyard on the way home and realised I could make furniture from some of the materials there. I took three oil barrels home after consulting the owner, hired a cutting machine, and got down to work. It turned out to be amazing, and I haven’t looked back ever since.
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“I sold my first set of furniture to Dibrugarh University. Then, I reached out to the Deputy Commissioner of Dibrugarh to showcase my idea and got approval to construct a park out of waste in Dibrugarh. That’s how Planet Green started, which is today known as Oeco Waste Private Limited,” he said.
Beating the odds with innovative offerings
Starting in a budding novel industry can be pretty tough. The steep competition throws up an obstacle for Oeco to overcome. However, the team has created its niche by adopting customer-centric USPs. This includes designing spaces to serve customers’ unique needs. Along with upcycling, they also provide design solutions and have recently introduced sculpting with waste.
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Finance also posed a challenge for the group; common trouble for most manufacturing and service startups. They bootstrapped from scratch and are now scaling up. Marketing, given the novelty of the experience, wasn’t easy either. Many people were sceptic about putting items made from recycled waste in their homes. However, that is now being solved through better enlightenment, helping people become more environmentally conscious, and making more partners in the Earth Project.
Breaking boundaries for a better planet
The journey has been a roller coaster. But is impossible to ignore the stellar achievements of, and recognition for, Oeco in the last five years. “In 2018, Oeco Waste Private Limited got selected by Assam Startup – The nest, an initiative by the Government of Assam, and was also recognised by Startup India. We also received a grant from the government of Assam. We started with a turnover of Rs 6 lakhs in the first year and now we are closing at around 40 lakhs,” Khan says.
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The team achieved this through sheer dedication, passion, and a commitment to growth. Tausif is flanked by capable individuals with stellar performances in their roles. These include Mashud Zaheer Khan, head of marketing; Abhilesh Dowarah, manager; Arindam Phukan, head of advertising; Pakkar Riba, logistics and supply; Milan Taye, quality analyst; and Uddipta Dehingia, head of manufacturing.
Impact and opportunities for growth
By collaborating with bodies like Midway Journey, North East Waste Collective, and Nature Orbit for different awareness campaigns and workshops, Oeco has positioned itself as a reliable partner in effective and sustainable waste management. “The most recent one this year is with Nkwocha Ernest Ogbonna, founder of Akar Akar Junk Studio, where he creates sculptures from waste tyres. This is a first in India and we’re looking forward to more foreign collaborations to create art pieces from waste.
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“We also arrange crafting workshops for household women, using waste to make decor items and we sell them to our customers. We have organised events in association with Nature Orbit in Kaziranga National Park on the eve of World Rhino Day about sustainable development and its goals. We have also organised workshops in Arunachal Pradesh in collaboration with the district administration and public health engineering department. The recent 40-day-long workshop with the Nkwocha was a boon for our venture as it’s one-of-its-kind. We named the project when ‘Africa meets India’. This is a true picture of how cultures interact,” Khan informs.
In terms of job creation, 18 people have recently been brought on board, taking the total number of the team to 33 members, excluding core team members. They’ve also engaged as many as 50 local women entrepreneurs who make and sell the crafts from waste, with plans to engage an additional 100 people as they look to expand the business to other parts of India. There are plans to go bigger in the future, making floor tiles and different things from plastic waste rated below 0.5 microns.
With a venture that creates employment for numerous people and livelihoods for thousands more, as well as contributing to environmental sustainability, it is necessary to acknowledge their strides and take stock of the progress made so far. This new collaboration comes at the right time – when the world seeks cross-cultural dialogue and interactions, as well as a green, sustainable, and safe world for us all.
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