Coimbatore, the ecological capital of Tamilnadu is blessed with solar power plants, windmills, green warriors, green NGOs like Siruthuli and green start ups like Plantcil.
Coimbatore, the ecological capital of Tamilnadu is blessed with solar power plants, windmills, green warriors, green NGOs like Siruthuli and green start ups like Plantcil. The plantable stationery manufacturing company, Plantcil is located at Pachapalayam near Perur. The company makes a number of eco friendly products . Vishnuvardhan and his fiancé Divya Shetty use flowers, banana fibre etc., to make paper. The paper is later used to make pencils. The shavings of these pencils are recyclable too. The start up makes dairies, invitation cards etc., All the products are plantable for they are embedded with seeds within.
Rakhis, pen and pencil stands, seed balls, bags and paper made from shredded currency are manufactured by Plantcil. Post consumer degradable waste is used by the venture. " We make pencils out of cow dung and flowers from temples. Jute, husk and roughage are also used by us. Our plantable wrist bands are a big hit with people. Bio degradable tapioca bags, products made out of banana fibre etc., are brought out by us. We want to provide sustainable alternatives without changing the habits of people, " stated Vishnuvardhan , the technocrat entrepreneur.
Vishnuvardhan and Divya work from Coimbatore. They manufacture pencils made out of news paper or used paper by deploying homemakers belonging to a number of self help groups. While Divya is the CEO and Co Founder, Vishnuvardhan is the COO cum Co Founder. Both of them display a kind of grit and ambition that can propel them to great ecological heights. Their venture Plantcil makes many types of pencils and pens based on innovative concepts.
" We are working with women who are homemakers and want to ensure that their income takes care of the family. Plantcil supplies the equipment to produce the products and the women belonging to the self help groups are first given training by our team. Thereafter we supply the required raw material and design to the women involved in the manufacture. On completion the goods come to us through our designated channels and the women involved in this lovely task are financially compensated by us. All these women are actually entrepreneurs and Plantcil hand holds them throughout," stated an ebullient Vishnuvardhan.
" We try to use the internet and youtube to learn things. Our work is based on innovation and we are really fortunate to have our own base of supporters. P.Bala of Ampere Technologies and the interesting Sriram Sankaran have provided us a lot of motivation. We are now sending our products to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, United kingdom and Canada. Both of us decided to leave the mundane world and do something interesting. Therefore we quit our jobs and took up Plantcil. We experiment a lot and its yielding results. Plantcil is in the process of setting up production facilities in South Africa. A distribution network is being established in Australia now. " smiled Divya Shetty.
The founders of Plantcil want to leave a better world as a legacy for the next generation. They want to make money the eco friendly way while also empowering women in rural areas like Theethipalayam. The empowered women earn about Rs.7000 to Rs.10000 per month and this helps them to take care of the family. The high level of alcohol consumption in Tamilnadu is a cause of concern. This has more than negated the benefits that have been accruing to the people through the social welfare programmes. Plantcil is offering both - skills and income to the rural women seeking growth.
Plantcil offers a big range of products which are based on a number of concepts. " A number of designs are part of repertoire. We make pens and pencils with verses from Thirukkural printed on the surface. Pens and pencils with seeds are also offered and can be planted in your garden. A number of themes are offered and customised products are the order of the day. Pens and pencils for birthday parties, corporate events are being made by our women entrepreneurs. The home maker is now a homepreneur, " added Divya Shetty.
The organisation uses edible colours for printing and have made writing products for weddings, marathons and other competitive events. Its heartening to learn that kids from a number of schools are involved in the process. Eco friendly pencils are offered in exchange for newsprint collected through students and the vacant spaces in the schools are being converted into kitchen gardens with the seeds found along with the pens and pencils made by Plantcil. The seeds from the students are used by Plantcil in its products. Even the pencil shavings from such pencils are accepted for recycling by Vishnuvardhan and Divya. The pencils are manufactured by the women entrepreneurs in a number of places which include Hyderabad and Sivakasi. Kids are also taught how to do craft work with the pencil shavings.
" The process of recycling helps us to ensure that the soul of our environment is born again and again amidst us. The many incarnations of nature add knowledge to our kids each time. Today the known designing structure is 'cradle to grave' and we want to make it 'cradle to cradle' henceforth.The Super Heroes Green Army has three major focus points and they are mitigating deforestation by saving trees, afforestation and farming, " professes Vishnuvardhan.
" Most of the times downcycling takes place in the name of recycling and upcycling should be the objective for everyone. We go to schools, do skits, fun activities and also talk to the kids in order to involve them whole heartedly. The volunteer network of kids and elders are actually contributing to the environment. Now a lot of women are making pencils and the numbers will rise during the times to come. While such eco friendly pencils are made available regularly we take special orders provided a minimum of 110 pieces are ordered for. People can get in touch with us through www.plantcil.com , " smiled the CEO and Co Founder Divya Shetty.
The company made India's first plantable newspaper for the World Environment Day ( 5 - 6 - 2018 ). The Founders added further, " We are trying to plant a positive work culture. This is done in the interest of our ecology. People are of the opinion that production is harmful but our work is positive because it reinvigorates our ecology. We want an eco friendly growth for ourselves and all our stakeholders. "
Vishnuvardhan and Divya Shetty are clear about their focus. They want to provide sustainable alternatives for people without changing their life styles because they understand that its the best way to take conservation forward. The facility at Pachapalayam is sure to give them more time and space to continue with their experiments. From student seed banks to self help groups, the process is never ending.
Plantcil is also using banana fibre to make pens and they are into fruit pencils and seed paper ( it can be used for wedding inivitations which are normally thrown away ). Extracts from fruits will add fragrance to the pencils. India has to do much by recycling for our record in this context leaves much to be desired. Both Vishnuvardhan and Divya Shetty are still in their twenties and are slated to tie the knot shortly. Well, this eco friendly matrimony is sure to add value to our environment.