Two alumni of Marwadi University, Rajkot, have come up with an eco-friendly solution to tackle pollution and hygiene issues by turning agricultural stubble into biodegradable sanitary napkins.
Foram Kundalia and Khushal Katdare, co-founders of Nishkaam Innovations, have also created UriMate, a portable female urination device to promote public hygiene.
Their startup is recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and is incubated at the Marwadi University Centre of Innovation, Incubation and Research (MUIIR Centre).
While UriMate is already available in offline markets and set to launch online soon, the biodegradable napkins are currently in the prototype stage, said the team members. The team claims their product “offers better absorption than existing alternatives, thanks to the properties of agricultural stubble, a resource that’s typically burned, contributing significantly to air pollution”. The innovation not only targets menstrual hygiene but also aims to reduce environmental damage and support farmers by creating a new market for crop waste, said the team members.
According to Katdare, most sanitary napkins in India are made with 90% plastic and depend on imported raw materials, primarily from China. Although some biodegradable pads are made from banana or bamboo fibers, no major players are using agricultural stubble, which the duo argues is “more sustainable and locally available”. This gives their product a cost advantage while promoting rural development, said the team, adding that the idea for UriMate came to the founders while they were developing sanitary pads and found that poor access to clean public toilets was a common problem for women, exposing them to diseases.
UriMate, a female portable urination device, allows women to urinate without sitting on unhygienic seats.
UriMate allows women to urinate without sitting on unhygienic seats. The startup’s target market includes rural and semi-urban regions. However, they also plan to position the products in urban markets based on their performance and eco-friendly edge. For distribution and scaling, the team is relying on government grants and CSR funding as of now. Nishkaam has already received support through New Generation Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre (NewGen IEDC), Marwadi University and Pandit Deendayal Energy University. “The name Nishkaam, inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, embodies the spirit of selfless action,” says Kundalia and Katdare. Both Kundalia and Katdare who belong to Rajkot, have been friends since childhood, studied Information Technology together before founding their startup.