Meet the Indian eco-trailblazer who threw shade at corporate life

By Mohamed Elashi & Bhaavan Goswami

Published on 08/01/2024 - 17:30

"I was making good money. I had my own apartment. Most people would love it. The thing was, I was depressed."

SCENES shines a spotlight on youth worldwide, breaking down barriers and creating change. The character-driven short films will inspire and amaze as these young change-makers tell their remarkable stories.

As a boy, Anish had a passion for sports, so much so that he dreamt of playing for the Indian cricket team and Arsenal football club.

He loved sports so much that he chose sports management as a major at University. Which initially seemed the perfect fit, but he soon changed his mind.

"Three months into the programme, I realised it was a waste of money and time. So, I added on a different major," he says.

Anish's switch to study finance marked a turning point in his journey. It was a bold move demonstrating his desire to push outside his comfort zone.

Corporate success

After graduating, Anish excelled in his new field and quickly rose through the ranks. He became the youngest director at his place of work, achieved financial success with a promising career, and even applied for a green card.

Despite all his successes, he still felt like something was missing. "I was making good money. I had my own apartment. Most people would love it. The thing was, I was depressed," Anish recalls. He realised that he wanted to dedicate his life to something worthwhile.

A life-altering conversation

Anish altered his direction yet again and sought a new career path. He quit his well-paying job to rethink his life's purpose.

Anish recounts the day he told his parents at a park in New York. "My parents were visiting me. They knew something was wrong. I said, 'Listen, Mom, Dad, I'm not in a good place. I'm not happy. I'm really thinking of doing different things. And I think I'm going to quit my job."

His father, Dr. Kishore Malpani, asked him, "So, what do you really want to do?"

Luckily, his parents were both supportive of his new journey. Anish investigated different sectors and finally came up with his revolutionary idea for sustainable innovation.

"After I quit my job in New York. I learnt about the impact of sustainability in different developing countries like Guatemala and Nairobi. I spent a couple of years in those countries and then came to India," says Anish.

The MLP problem

During this period, Anish learnt about MLP, a type of plastic packaging used for food. The food industry commonly uses multi-layered plastic because it makes food last longer. The problem is it's only used once.

According to the Global Plastics Network, 40% of all plastic waste in the world comes from multi-layered packaging.

"It's basically your packets of chips, the chocolate wrappers, your tetra packs. These are multi-layered plastic packets. They contain many layers of plastic fused together, making it virtually impossible to recycle," Anish explains.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) says India makes 3.3 million metric tonnes of plastic garbage annually.

A breakthrough solution

Anish's breakthrough came when he developed a patent-pending process to extract and convert the materials from MLP into high-quality, recyclable materials. This innovative solution set the foundation for his business. His company, WITHOUT, manufactures recycled sunglasses from MLP.

"Our solution is different because we separate the layers and extract the materials from it, creating more recyclable materials than the original MLP." Anish explained.

WITHOUT use techniques that extend the lifecycle of the materials and reduces waste.

Anish chose sunglasses through meticulous evaluation. He set 27 parameters to assess 70 products for his sustainable innovation venture. He considered factors such as market demand, scalability, production feasibility, environmental impact, and consumer appeal.

"Sunglasses did well for many of the tests. The most important part was that it could show off the properties of our material," he tells SCENES.

Humility and long-term commitment

Despite his accomplishments, Anish, now 34, remains humble and aware of the long path ahead. "We're just getting started. It's been two or three years, and we still have a long way to go," he says.

Anish is committed to making a major and long-lasting impact in the world and thrives to see a future free of poverty.

Beyond sunglasses, Anish and his company WITHOUT plan to sell the recycled materials to large corporations to make items such as eyeglasses, furniture, and lighting.

Manufacturing sunglasses from MLP proves the concept works, leaving no limits to what the material can do.