Ganesha Ecosphere – Turning PET Scrap into Sustainable Fibre

No textile company worth its salt can ignore sustainability as a core principle. Ganesha Ecosphere reaches beyond epitomizing the principle by recycling PET and manufacturing RPSF and yarn. B P Sultania, Joint President – Ganesha Ecosphere reveals to Ganesh Kalidas in an exclusive interaction how the company achieved success in producing and marketing RPSF and RPSY both at home and internationally, besides setting an example that can only be followed the industry as a whole.

What began as a business in 1994 to recycle 5000 tons of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) waste per annum into polyester staple fibre and spun yarn, today has grown to turning a whopping 1,15,800 tons per annum. While 3 manufacturing set ups – 2 in Uttar Pradesh and 1 in Uttarakhand – are functioning up to full capacity, the 4th one – absorbing a capital expenditure worth Rs. 400 crores – is poised to open in Telengana by the end of 2021. Their first overseas factory in Nepal is under works and is set to open in the next 6 months or so.

To think that all this has been achieved in only 26 years, although the company itself was established 6 years prior to that.

Turning Scrap into Sustainable Resource

Ganesha Ecosphere embarked on a unique initiative at the behest of their chairman Shyam Sunder Sharma,a first generation entrepreneur – to collect and process the non-biodegradable PET waste – to manufacture recycled polyester staple fibre (RPSF) besides spun and filament yarns (RPSY).

B P Sultania, Joint President – Ganesha Ecosphere says: “We were the first company in India to even think about recycling PET waste because it was a specialized activity. We started recycling in 1994.Till that time, it was entirely a new product for the Indian market and even there were very few PET recyclers in the worldwide. Even the most popular home-grown conglomerate in India entered this business after us in 1998.”

He continues: “In the initial few years, our main challenge was acceptance of our product and the quality of the fibre. Our relentless efforts along with consistent technological upgradations over the next 8-9 years established our product and the quality of the fibre in the market.”

India’s actual production output of recycling PET material into fibre is 60-70000 tons a month. And Ganesha Ecosphere accounts for 15-18% of the total market.

Ganesha Ecosphere has invested in a massive network of over 300 scrap vendors located across the country.

Quality Assurance – The USP

Ganesha Ecosphere’s recycled fibre has caught the imagination of the spinners, Non woven makers and other application users both within and outside the country. Their discerning customers have gradually transitioned from using virgin fibre to the RPSF. This is also because sustainability is a real issue now demanding a serious change in how business is done and Ganesha Ecosphere is known as the brand that offers sustainable solutions.

Sultania shares: “Our recycled polyester fibre is well comparable to the prime grade fibre and we have multiple clean fibre certifications too such as GRS, and OEKO-TEX® among others. Our customers know that we are the only company in India who can provide all kinds of fibres – from 0.9 to 70 deniers. We have the capability to supply fibres in Raw white, Black and around 300 dope dyed shades which can be well used to make finest Yarn counts upto 50s-60s.

Trusted by Global Customers

Today, Ganesha Ecosphere exports to 18 countries around the world. Their monthly exports sum up to around 1000 metric tonnes of recycled polyester fibre.

“Our product and quality are well accepted in the global market

In fact, anyone who deals with any aspect of the Sustainable textile business around the world is practically a customer of Ganesha Ecosphere.

In his own words: “A spinner is our customer, so is the nonwoven producer, and the one who does fibre-filling too. We make recycled fiber to cater to all of them. In fact, we manufacture hollow conjugated fibres especially for the fibre-filling industry. This only shows that we consider each of these as individual business sectors. It allows us to broad base our business and not be dependent on any one industry. That is why we believe in producing value-added and specific items for each of these industries.”

A Bouquet of ‘Firsts’

Ganesha Ecosphere is now poised to manufacture various types of Sustainable Speciality fibers.It has already introduced Flame retardant and Anti bacterial fiber.  According to Sultania, the company also has the distinction of being the first to introduce recycled Flame retardant and anti-bacterial fibre which has already received approval certifications in Europe.

He adds: “The ZNO based anti-bacterial fibre can kill 99% of the bacteria and Viruses  on the surface of the fabric through out the whole life. Both the anti-bacterial and the flame retardant fibres have been developed through technological collaboration with a global company.”

Soon, the company will also be introducing a bio-degradable fibre which again will be a ‘first of its kind’ in India.

The company is also finalising with a global renowned company to provide TRACEABILITY into the recycled products manufactured by Ganesha.

Ganesha Ecosphere was one of the few companies which began production in a staggered fashion in mid-May amidst the chaotic times of the COVID pandemic while following strict safety guidelines.

“By the end of June, our production capacity was around 45%. In July, it was rose to around 70%. And now it is operational at 100% capacity, and take note – our entire product remains already sold out,” he beams.

Vision 2025

Since the company’s inception in 1988, with consistent efforts and hard work Ganesha Ecosphere has built a reliable reputation for itself in the market, armed with successful products and by taking care of their customers.

Sultania says proudly: “We have always believed in nurturing our loyal customers who buy from us exclusively. Our focus now is to introduce many more value-added items for our existing market.”

Despite the serious dent that COVID pandemic has put industries in globally, Ganesha Ecosphere is confident of its turnover pegged at Rs. 750 crores approximately in the current financial year. There is no doubt in Sultania’s mind that in the coming 5 years their turnover will double to say the least.

Conscious Consumer

The RPSF by Ganesha Ecosphere is present in the ubiquitous everyday items such as t-shirts, carpets, vehicle upholstery, air filter fabrics and is also found in the fillings of pillows, duvets and toys.

And it is right up the alley of the ‘conscious consumer’ who wants sustainability to be at the core of textile processing.