In an exclusive conversation with IT Voice, Abhishek Agashe, Co-founder & CEO at Elima, shares how his global perspective and engineering roots inspired a mission to transform India’s e-waste into a strategic resource. From urban mining to AI-driven recycling, Elima is building the infrastructure for a circular, sustainable, and self-reliant Viksit Bharat.
IT Voice- What inspired you to launch Elima and enter the waste management sector?
Abhishek Agashe- My first real exposure to life outside India came when I went to the UK for my Master’s degree. That experience left a lasting impression on me not just because of the academics, but because of the quality of life and the way cities were built and managed. Clean streets, well-planned infrastructure, responsible waste systems it made me reflect on the contrast back home and the opportunities that lay untapped.
Around the same time, back in 2015–16, everything was going digital in India—smartphones, laptops, consumer electronics were becoming more affordable and accessible. I started thinking about what happens when all these devices reach end-of-life. That’s when it hit me that electronics are going to be the fastest-growing waste stream in the coming years, and we’re completely unprepared for it. That realization made me come back and start dabbling in the sector. One thing led to another and eventually Elima was started in 2021.
IT Voice- How has your background in energy systems shaped Elima’s sustainability strategy?
Abhishek Agashe- My interest in climate tech goes back to my engineering college days. Even before I pursued my Master’s, I was involved in nonprofit projects focused on clean energy and sustainability. That eventually led me to study Energy Conversion Systems Engineering with a focus on renewables like solar and wind.
Through that journey, it became clear to me that the future of energy lies in distributed systems—microgrids, decentralized solar, EV infrastructure—all of which rely heavily on critical materials like copper, aluminum, and advanced composites. That realization tied directly into the idea of urban mining.
Recycling electronics isn’t just about managing waste—it’s about recovering the very materials that will power the next generation of energy systems. At Elima, that connection drives our sustainability strategy. We’re not just processing e-waste we’re building the material backbone for the renewable energy economy. And as clean energy becomes cheaper and more accessible, it also makes recycling more energy-efficient and commercially scalable than traditional mining ever could.
IT Voice- How does Elima apply circular economy principles in its daily operations?
Abhishek Agashe- At Elima, we look at circularity as more than just a concept—it’s a system we’re actively building into our operations every day. Our goal is to move towards a zero-discharge model, where even the by-products and traditionally hard-to-recycle materials from our processes find a second life.
We’re putting serious effort into R&D to find scalable ways to close these loops. Some of these innovations are already showing promising results, whether it’s recovering value from dust, composites, or multilayer materials. For us, circularity means creating infinite-loop supply chains, and that starts at three levels: how we acquire discarded products, how we process them efficiently, and how we develop secondary markets for recycled outputs.
Ultimately, we want every product that comes to Elima to re-enter the economy in some form cleaner, smarter, and with more value than before.
IT Voice- What differentiates Elima from other waste management or recycling companies in India?
Abhishek Agashe : Most players in this space tend to focus on either collection, trading, or basic recycling. At Elima, we’ve taken a fundamentally different approach. We’re building a vertically integrated infrastructure that spans everything from product take-back to deep material recovery and even recommerce.
What truly sets us apart is the level of control we maintain across the value chain, paired with a sharp focus on cost structures and unit economics. We’re not just scaling for the sake of scale we’re engineering processes that are both resource-efficient and commercially viable. Whether it’s metals like copper and aluminum or high-grade plastics, our goal is to recover materials at a quality that can directly re-enter manufacturing supply chains.
We’re also investing heavily in R&D and technology because we believe the future of recycling in India needs to be as much about innovation and efficiency as it is about scale. It’s this blend of deep integration, material science, and economic discipline that makes Elima more than a waste management company. We are building the backbone of a circular, cost-efficient economy.
IT Voice- How do you manage high-volume waste processing without compromising environmental standards?
Abhishek Agashe : For us, compliance is a core part of how we operate. One of the biggest differentiators between formal and informal waste management in India is the adherence to environmental and safety standards, and we’ve built Elima on the foundation of doing things the right way, even if it comes at a cost.
Yes, there is a cost to compliance—setting up pollution control systems, obtaining authorizations, conducting audits etc, but that’s exactly where regulatory frameworks like EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) and potential production-linked incentives for recycled materials can play a catalytic role. They help companies like ours absorb these costs while continuing to grow responsibly.
At the same time, I genuinely believe that sustainability is about optimization. The more we refine our operations, reduce wastage, and improve material recovery, the more efficient and cost-effective we become. In the long run, being sustainable is not just better for the planet, it’s also very good business.
IT Voice- What role do informal waste workers and NGOs play in your supply chain?
Abhishek Agashe: The informal sector has been operating in this space long before organized players entered the market. Many of these workers understand materials as well as, if not better than, many formal operators. Their reverse supply chains are incredibly deep, often reaching areas and pin codes that formal systems find hard to access, and they do it at a fraction of the cost.
That’s why, at Elima, we strongly believe that they must remain a part of the value chain. The question isn’t whether they should be involved but it’s how we can create systems where the material they collect is diverted into the formal recycling ecosystem, and more importantly, how we can improve their quality of life while doing so.
We’re working on building bridges between these informal networks and our formal infrastructure, whether through fair pricing, steady demand, or shared logistics.
NGOs are valuable partners in this process. They help with community engagement, awareness, and sensitization, ensuring smoother integration and long-term trust.
In the end, a truly circular economy in India cannot be built without the informal sector. The goal is to uplift, not replace.
IT Voice- What are Elima’s expansion or innovation plans over the next 2–3 years?
Abhishek Agashe: Over the next couple of years, our focus is clear: go deep, not wide. We’re doubling down on electronics and engineering plastics, not just in terms of collection, but by processing them into high-value recycled products that can substitute virgin materials in manufacturing.
We’re actively building out our primary supply chains to ensure consistent, high-quality input, while also creating demand-side markets for our recycled outputs particularly in sectors like consumer electronics, appliances, and automotive components.
Geographically, our expansion will stay focused in South India, where we already have strong operational linkages. We also plan to enter Maharashtra in the next 2–3 years, but with the same disciplined approach—prioritizing depth and operational excellence over just adding locations.
On the innovation front, we’re investing in R&D for new recycling and refining technologies, particularly to tackle hard-to-process materials. We’re also building a strong digital backbone for Elima, with AI and automation playing a key role in improving material recovery, process control, and output quality. Our aim is to make recycling not just more sustainable, but smarter, more traceable, and more valuable.
IT Voice- Are you adopting any advanced technologies like AI or robotics in waste processing?
Abhishek Agashe : We are actively building capabilities in this direction. While we haven’t implemented robotics yet, we are exploring the adoption of AI, data systems, and process automation to improve how we sort, recover, and refine materials.
Our goal with technology is very clear—it should help us increase efficiency, improve the quality of recycled outputs, and bring down costs over time. For example, we’re working on integrating AI models to support material grading and traceability, which will become especially important as we scale and move into higher-value material recovery.
We don’t believe in tech for the sake of it. We adopt what works, test fast, and implement wherever it can meaningfully improve our processes or outcomes.
IT Voice- What specific policy changes do you believe are essential for India’s recycling sector?
Abhishek Agashe : One of the most urgent needs is to formalize the sector more systematically. Today, the process of getting licenses or authorizations to operate recycling units can vary significantly from state to state. We need uniformity in regulatory frameworks, along with better checks and balances to ensure compliance and transparency across the board.
Second, we need to create real market incentives for recycled materials. Policies like recycling-linked production incentives or tax benefits for manufacturers who adopt green, recycled materials could go a long way in driving demand and creating robust, stable markets for recyclers like us.
Third, India has the potential to become a hub for recycled material exports—but that will require clear export policies, quality certifications, and trade facilitation.
Lastly, both the Centre and State governments need to promote investment in recycling infrastructure and R&D. Without that, we’ll struggle to make the leap from basic recycling to advanced materials recovery, which is where the real environmental and economic value lies.
Recycling should not just be seen as waste management, it should be seen as a critical part of our industrial and environmental policy going forward.
IT Voice- Why is the formal recognition of recycling as an industry so critical?
Abhishek Agashe : Formal recognition of recycling as a full-fledged industry is absolutely essential if we want to unlock its true potential. Right now, many recyclers operate in a regulatory grey zone—caught between waste management rules and manufacturing standards. This limits access to finance, insurance, and working capital, which are critical for scaling operations.
It also affects our ability to attract infrastructure investments, form global partnerships, or bring in FDI. Without formal status, it’s challenging to build long-term joint ventures or technology transfer agreements with international players who see India as a high-potential market.
Recognition would also open up better access to markets, allow recyclers to participate in government procurement, and qualify for schemes that other manufacturing sectors already benefit from.
Recycling isn’t just about handling waste—it’s about recovering high-value materials, supporting clean manufacturing, and contributing to resource security. Giving it industry status will allow it to stand shoulder to shoulder with other industrial sectors and help India lead the way in circular economy infrastructure.
IT Voice- How do you envision Elima contributing to India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision?
Abhishek Agashe : At Elima, we see ourselves as enablers of India’s manufacturing future. Our goal is to provide high-quality, cost-effective secondary raw materials—metals, plastics, and components, that can power the country’s industrial growth without depending heavily on imports.
If India is to become a global manufacturing hub by 2047, we need reliable access to critical materials, and that is exactly where circularity plays a key role. By recovering and refining resources domestically, we’re not just managing waste. We are building resource security and economic resilience.
Beyond the supply chain, our larger vision is to help fuel responsible consumption in India. If we can make sustainable materials affordable and accessible, we improve the economics of production and the quality of life for the end consumer. That’s how we see our role in a Viksit Bharat—powering growth from the ground up, through smarter use of resources and a commitment to cleaner, inclusive systems.
IT Voice- What advice would you offer to aspiring entrepreneurs in the sustainability space?
Abhishek Agashe : My biggest advice is to approach this space with first principles thinking. Don’t just follow trends—understand the fundamentals of the problem you’re solving. Build companies that can create real, value-added products, and think beyond India—build with a global mindset.
Sustainability is a rising sector, but it’s not an easy one. There are regulatory hurdles, long sales cycles, and operational complexity. So don’t expect a smooth ride. You have to be in it for the long haul.
Also, think about unit economics from day one. Build lean, build disciplined. I strongly believe in bootstrapping until you’ve cracked product-market fit and your economics make sense. It’s hard, but it teaches you financial discipline, which is essential in this space.
And lastly—be bold. This sector is about disruption. Whether it’s energy, materials, or manufacturing, we’re here to rewrite old systems. So don’t play small—build to transform.
