Team & Partners

The Fair Recycled Plastic team

Fair Recycled Plastic is a sustainable extension of the business activities of the Melitta Group and its subsidiary Cofresco. In order to build up our recycling company in Bangalore, an international and interdisciplinary team has been founded that implements the goals of the initiative together and with a lot of heart and soul: Avoiding marine and microplastics and improving the living conditions of the waste pickers.

Meet some of our team members:

As Country Manager Manufacturing India, Ashutosh heads the recycling company in Bangalore

Ashutosh Singh

What is your job at Fair Recycled Plastic?

Shortly after the company was founded, I joined Vishuddh Recycle. As Country Manager, I am responsible for Vishuddh and Cofresco's activities in India, starting from sourcing raw materials, through production and export, to overseeing the social aspects and the programs implemented by Cofresco in India.

What particularly appealed to you about Fair Recycled Plastic?

The biggest incentive for me was that we are helping to solve a very serious problem: plastic pollution. I have an education in the petroleum and chemical industry and know about the versatility of plastics. So I wanted to be part of this revolutionary change in how we look at and treat plastic products. I always say: It's not the plastic itself that is the problem, but how we deal with it.

What was and is particularly challenging?

From the groundbreaking ceremony at the Bangalore site to the export of our first containers to Poland, everything was actually a challenge. Since it was a completely new project, we had to learn a lot and still encounter new challenges in regular operation today. Thanks to our dynamic team both here in India and in Minden, we master these challenges together and even have a lot of fun doing it.

As production manager, Prasanna is responsible for the smooth running of the operation

Prasanna Poojary

What is your job at Fair Recycled Plastic?

As Production Manager at Vishuddh Recycle, I am responsible for ensuring that operations run smoothly. I come from the field of plastic injection molding and previously worked for an automotive supplier. Today, I am very proud to be able to lead the operations of Vishuddh Recycle.

What particularly appealed to you about Fair Recycled Plastic?

I have always worked for commercial or profit-oriented companies. The fact that Vishuddh Recycle is structured as a social business therefore appealed to me very much. The idea that a company not only wants to make profits, but also reinvests these profits in a meaningful way, convinced me.

What was and is particularly challenging?

Due to the Corona crisis, my team and I had to install completely new equipment and machines for ourselves ourselves. We only had online support or reference manuals and drawings. Recycling is not easy, the smallest changes in the feed have a drastic impact on the end product. Therefore, it was a tricky task to set up the machines correctly. Nevertheless, or precisely because of this, it is a very interesting task in which I keep learning.

As head of the warehouse, Bindimathi monitors and controls all incoming and outgoing goods

Bindumathi V.

What is your job at Fair Recycled Plastic?

I originally joined Vishuddh Recycle as a temporary sorter, but due to my previous professional experience and qualifications, I was quickly offered a permanent position as a warehouse manager. My tasks are to monitor the movements of the warehouse – both towards the entrance and towards the exit as finished goods.

What particularly appealed to you about Fair Recycled Plastic?

I particularly like the corporate culture, feel comfortable and valued. Also because of this culture, I quickly got the opportunity to take on other tasks with more responsibility. Personally, I also think it's great to be able to work on a solution to one of our biggest problems: plastic pollution. I really like processing the plastics in order to be able to recycle them and thus follow the principle of a circular economy.

What was and is particularly challenging?

The biggest challenge was and is the different quality of the waste we receive. Unfortunately, many still lack awareness of the correct handling of plastics. Therefore, we have to spend a lot of time and energy on further sorting the plastic waste delivered so that it is of the required quality, while educating our suppliers on the proper separation of plastics so that they can be processed and reused.

As Head of Accounting and Administration, Panneer takes care of administrative tasks and manages the international supply chains.

Panneer Selvam

What is your job at Fair Recycled Plastic?

As an accounting and administrative expert, I am responsible for all administrative tasks in the factory, as well as managing the supply chain both domestically and internationally.

What particularly appealed to you about Fair Recycled Plastic?

The unique business idea of Vishuddh Recycle appealed to me and the work culture in the company ultimately convinced me. Now I not only have the feeling that I really belong to the company I work for. I am also part of a change that leads to something good. And I'm proud of that.

What was and is particularly challenging?

One of my biggest challenges is working with the sellers in the supply chain. The recycling market in India is still in its infancy and is very unstructured. It is difficult to explain and understand the benefits of Vishuddh Recycle's way of working to suppliers. Not to mention our high quality requirements for the raw materials. This always presents us with major challenges, but we are on the right track. We have already made significant progress with some partners and we are sure that the rest will meet our requirements better and better over time.

Our partner companies

The new recycling company processes around 2,000 tonnes of LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) every year. The collected plastics are sourced exclusively from selected social enterprises, whose aim is to establish a better infrastructure in Bangalore's waste management and thus improve working conditions for waste pickers.

To meet the demand for plastic waste, our partner companies are expanding the number of their suppliers, such as Waste Pickers. This gives more waste pickers an additional source of income, which ensures them a purchase guarantee at fair pay and good working conditions.

Continuously improving conditions together

Our partner companies have been carefully selected and audited together with Yunus Social Business. In order to ensure that the high quality requirements for the working conditions and the delivered material are met, audits have been carried out on site with TÜV Rheinland, which are repeated regularly. In addition, the Fair Recycled Plastic team is continuously working together with the partner companies to continuously improve the conditions for local employees.

We work with these partner companies:

Smile on Wheels

Introducing

Many people in Bangalore work in the waste industry. They make a decisive contribution to ensuring that the streets of the 12-million-strong metropolis in southern India are cleared of waste every day.

Get to know some of the employees of our partner companies:

Important helpers we support

The profits from Fair Recycled Plastic will benefit two non-profit organizations that provide better health care and additional educational opportunities for waste pickers and their families. The selection of the organizations was made together with Yunus Social Business.

The Fair Recycled Plastic team

Ashutosh Singh

What is your job at Fair Recycled Plastic?

What particularly appealed to you about Fair Recycled Plastic?

What was and is particularly challenging?

Prasanna Poojary

What is your job at Fair Recycled Plastic?

What particularly appealed to you about Fair Recycled Plastic?

What was and is particularly challenging?

Bindumathi V.

What is your job at Fair Recycled Plastic?

What particularly appealed to you about Fair Recycled Plastic?

What was and is particularly challenging?

Panneer Selvam

What is your job at Fair Recycled Plastic?

What particularly appealed to you about Fair Recycled Plastic?

What was and is particularly challenging?

Our partner companies

Smile on Wheels

Smile on Wheels

Smile on Wheels

Smile on Wheels

Important helpers we support

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