Anish Malpanis start-up Ashaya comes up with first of its kind - recycled sunglasses made from packets of chips

Former finance professional Anish Malpani started his social impact start-up Ashaya in February 2021. Malpani wanted to work with multi-layered plastics (MLP) and come up with a model which could change the way this is dealt with. After two years of hard work, Malpani is now ready with a product, the first of its kind in the world—the first recycled sunglasses made from packets of chips.

MLP perhaps is the concern in the world of plastics due to the challenges in recycling it as it is made by fusing multiple materials. Mostly used to make packaging for chips or biscuits, almost 100 per cent of these end up in landfill sites. Unlike other plastics, say PET bottles or milk pouches, the chances of these being recycled are zero. As landfill sites pose major threats to the environment, a sustainable solution to MLP is the need of the hour.

In his laboratory in the industrial zone of Bhosari, Ashaya’s team of engineers and chemists have been working to extract high-quality material which can be reused as raw material for upcycled products.

Under the brand “WITHOUT”, Malpani launched the first-ever sunglasses made from recycled chips packets. He said one pair of sunglasses is manufactured from five packets of chips. “The sunglasses are light, durable and adapt easily to the face frame. We are still in beta (trial) mode, but we are really happy with the finish and strength of the material but are looking for feedback to continually improve,” he said.

By scanning the QR code with the glasses, the consumer can see how many packets were used to manufacture them. The owner can get their name embossed on the glass’s frame. The names of waste pickers from whom Ashaya purchases the packets are also mentioned.

Waste pickers are an integral part of the company’s work ethics, Malpani said, as they are making a positive impact in all spheres of society. “Thus 10 per cent of sales would be shared with SWaCH and Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP) – waste-picker collectives based in Pune – as donations towards keeping children of waste-pickers in school,” he said.

The company has also built a micro-pilot plant in their R&D lab that allows them to process 5kgs of MLP every day. “Our goal in the next few months is to raise funds to build an actual pilot plant here in Pune that can do 100 kg-500 kg of MLPA per day – that’s when the impact will really begin,” he said.

The key element in Ashaya’s function is sustainability. Other than sunglasses, even the packaging is sustainable and plastic-free. At present, the product is available only on the company’s web portal- http://www.without.live.