There is no dearth of entrepreneurs in India. Indian entrepreneurs have aced almost all sectors and there has been no stopping for them. Amid the growing menace of plastic, there have been rising concerns about plastic pollution across the world. Not only people but governments have also been looking for ways to reduce plastic pollution. Amid this crisis, Tamil Nadu’s father-son duo found an opportunity in the piles of waste and turned it into gold.
Who Is This Father-Son Duo?
The father-son duo is Tamil Nadu’s K Sankar and Senthil Sankar. K Sankar used to work abroad and after spending a good three decades outside India, he returned to India with a vision to combat the menace of plastic. In 2008, K Sankar founded Shree Renga Polymers. The company is today a frontrunner in pet bottle recycling and sustainable textiles in India and has an annual turnover of Rs 100 crore. Located in the tranquil city of Karur known for its home textile industries, the company uses German technology to power its production lines.
K Sankar is an IIT-ian with global work experience across different countries and extensive exposure to C-level work experience with MNCs. He was given the “Best Entrepreneur of the Year” Award 2018 from the Government of Tamil Nadu and also served as the Chairman of CII, Karur, and also as the Chairman of Native Lead, Karur.
His son Senthil Sankar is the next-gen entrepreneur. Senthil Sankar pursued Mechanical Engineering at Vellore Institute of Technology and did the executive education program at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He then worked with TCS for three years before joining his father’s business. He is also an Angel Investor for many startups.
What Do They Do?
Shree Renga Polymers uses PET bottles to recycle them and make sustainable textiles from them. They manufacture dope-dyed colours and speciality recycled polyester fibres. They reuse discarded bottles of soft drinks, water, and cooking oils. Apart from the polymer business, the father-son duo also run a sustainable fashion clothing brand EcoLine where PET bottles are recycled to manufacture sustainable clothing, such as jackets, blazers, T-shirts, and trousers.
The ringing endorsement of their work happened in February 2023 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi wore the company’s blue Sadri jacket to Parliament. Prime Minister Modi also wore Ecoline jackets again at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Recently, EcoLlne also presented a unique Mandarin Colour jacket made from recycled PET Bottles to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The Jacket was presented to CM Yogi Adityanath by Dr. Arun Kumar Saxena, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt of Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Modi wore the blue jacket on multiple occasions showing his commitment towards a sustainable ecosystem.