India is known for its exuberant religious fervour, often showcased through vibrant colours and use of natural elements like flowers and dyes. Though everyone uses these materials for religious functions, most people are unaware of or prefer to ignore the massive ecological consequences of the over-use of these materials. Fortunately, Rajeev and Surbhi Bansal, co-founders of Nirmalaya, have found a solution to this ever-increasing problem. By reusing and recycling holy offerings into Incense sticks, Incense cones, Dhoop sticks and Havan cups, Nirmalaya seeks to preserve religious faith as well as the environment.
Their unique patented formula, certified by CSIR, makes items with 100% organic material, contains no charcoal and is free of toxic material. The charcoal traditionally used for making incense sticks, has been replaced with the remains of flower blooms scattered in India’s holy rivers, creating fewer carbon emissions.
Surbhi Bansal, Co-Founder and CEO of Nirmalaya spoke exclusively to G20 about her vision behind creating Nirmalaya and the journey so far. Excerpts:
Q. Please tell us about the genesis of your idea to form Nirmalaya?
A. I have been a resident of Delhi for almost 30 years, and in that time, I have seen our rivers being polluted excessively. Religious residue is unceremoniously dumped into rivers, which in my opinion, further hurts religious sentiment. I was always keen to do something for the environment and knew that was my calling. When the idea of recycling flowers and other residue from religious places struck me, I immediately acted on it and that was the genesis of Nirmalaya. In fact, the brand’s name itself means ‘Pure’.
Q. What is the scale of religious waste pollution in our country today and how bad are its effects on the environment?
A. I am proud to say that we are the most culturally diverse country in the world, with many religious practices followed at the same time. However, it is extremely sad that we have failed when it comes to being sensitive about the environment. Religious waste pollution has visibly ruined our rivers, making it the need of the hour to educate citizens about worshipping mother nature in addition to their traditional beliefs. Taking our capital city as an example – at least 70% of Delhi’s population leaves religious residue or offerings as trash. This waste leads to almost 10% of overall water pollution in India. As a result, only 2% or a 22 km stretch of the Yamuna river in Delhi accounts for almost 70% of the total pollution of the river.
Q. Has it been difficult to create awareness of the importance of recycling religious waste material among the public?
A. Yes absolutely. In India, it is a huge challenge to change people’s thought processes and fixed mind sets. The conscience of society is yet to be awakened. With digital campaigns, we have made significant leaps in the right direction these last 20 years, but there is still a long way to go. One positive change we have noticed with Nirmalaya products, is that people really appreciate them as well as the philosophy behind them. Our customers are delighted with the products and feel motivated to contribute to the cause, which makes me believe that we will overcome all challenges eventually.
Q. Where do you retail your products currently? Has it been difficult to enter the small religious center markets?
A. We currently sell our products online, and are trying to make headway in the gifting sector for discerning buyers who are bored of gifting traditional food items. I believe that our gift boxes are standout products and the response we have received has been far beyond our expectations. Yes, it has been difficult to enter small religious center markets due to the intense local competition, but with targeted marketing and awareness campaigns, we are hoping to capture our target audience even in small towns – those who know the relevance and importance of buying and using recycled products.
Q. Please tell us about the process of conversion and recycling of religious waste to create your products.
A. Our process begins from picking the discarded flowers and other material from temples with whom we have tied up beforehand. Fortunately, our roster of temples increases every day. We then bring these discarded flowers to our facility, where we segregate the material collected. Our employees include a few women and two physically challenged people. After segregating the material, we dry the flowers in solar dryers and in open space. A powder is then created from those flowers, after which our special recipe is used to create a mix to make the incense sticks, cones, dhoop sticks and Havan Cups. The flowers that are not recyclable through this process, are left in pits from which vermi-compost is created, so nothing goes to waste.
Q. Apart from recycling, Nirmalaya aims to increase employability of underprivileged women. Please tell us about your other welfare initiatives.
A. Our major focus has always been to clean the rivers; however, we feel it is also important to focus on other welfare initiatives. Hence, we aim to increase employment opportunities for underprivileged women and people that are physically challenged. We have designed a model where we aim to collect religious waste from every house in the country, ensuring that none of it goes to rivers and landfills. For this, we hope that our team and all employees continue to grow and prosper.
Q. What is next on the cards for Nirmalaya? Do you have any plans for the expansion of your products and services?
A. Presently, our focus is on creating more awareness and increasing production and distribution of Nimalaya products. In the long run however, we have many wonderful and exciting products lined up which I will keep as a surprise for our customers till they launch!
The interviewer is a lifestyle columnist and blogger at www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be found on Instagram @nooranandchawla.