Ahmedabad woman converts agricultural waste into fibre for textiles; sells at up to Rs 650 per kg

“The company planned me. I did not plan it,” says Shikha Shah, 29, with a smile. Shikha is the founder and CEO of AltMat (Alternative Materials), an Ahmedabad-based innovative venture that solves the dual problem of agricultural waste and the pollution caused by the textile industry. 

The company buys agricultural waste from farmers and recycles it into eco-friendly fibre branded ‘Altag’. The fibre is blended with other materials to make yarn that is woven into fabric. 

The fabric is produced by its value chain partner. The by-products of the processes in the factory are used to make sustainable paper and packaging. Altag is sold to Fortune 500 companies across Europe and USA.

Childhood inspiration

Shikha says she was “born into” recycling because her father, Vishnu Shah, was in the business of recycling automobile waste into metals. She grew up listening to the ‘waste to value’ supply chain concept. She studied business at Nirma University in Ahmedabad followed by a postgraduation in entrepreneurship and leadership at Babson University in the US, renowned for its entrepreneurship programme.  

“When I was a teenager, I wondered what the world needed more. Was it social impact or profit? Influenced by my mother, I was drawn to volunteering at NGOs when I was 19,” she says.

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But Shikha soon realised that you need to club a cause with business to make a larger impact. Conscious capitalism is the answer as it marries purpose with profit, says the youngster, who wears two hats – of an innovator and entrepreneur. 

Her undergrad project in textiles taught her about textile pollution. Textile waste takes up landfill space, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and pollutes the environment. 

Her post-graduation project was on agriculture and equipped her with knowledge of agricultural residues. She started AltMat in December 2019. Her father provides strategic guidance to the company. 

Entrepreneur cum activist

Shikha says around 57 percent of textiles are polyester, which is plastic. Every time it is washed it releases microplastics harmful for not just marine life but human life as well.

“To grow cotton on 2.4 percent of the world’s agricultural land, 24 percent of the world’s pesticides are used. Three pairs of jeans may involve using up to 20,000 litres of water. There is no doubt that we need alternative materials,” she emphasises. 

“We are mainstreaming sustainability as we operate on a large scale. We produce sufficient fibre to make 40 lakh garments (shirts or T-shirts) annually. Our current annual output is 1,000 tonnes of fibre,” Shikha says.

The venture has grown from the laboratory to a pilot project to an industrial-scale facility. “With the production capacity expansion in 2023, we can now produce up to Rs30 crore worth of fibres annually,” she adds.  

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“AltMat collaborates with 11 big brand houses and 30-plus global brands are testing our products. We plan to increase scale 25 times in five years,” Shikha adds. 

AltMat is part of an initiative called the ‘Fashion for Good’ accelerator based out of Amsterdam which recently started its South Asia programme. Shikha is one of the 40 young leaders fighting climate action under the India Climate Collaborative supported by Tata Trusts, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Wildlife Conservation Trust, among many others.

Patented processes

“Farmers grow crops primarily for food, medicines and cosmetics. We buy agricultural waste from them and convert the grass-like structure to a cotton-like structure which can be spun into yarn,” explains Shikha. 

The yarn is woven or knitted to make garments, accessories (bags and shoes) and home décor products (carpets and upholstery). The fabric made from the fibre is similar to cotton and linen and is not expensive. “Altmat's fibres are priced between Rs330 and Rs650 per kg, making them more affordable than silk and wool,” she says.  

The AltMat team researched around 30 crops for the possibility of using the residue. It largely uses the waste from fruits, oilseeds and medicinal crops to make fibre.

Some examples are banana, hemp oilseed, pineapple and nettle. The company sources agricultural residue from other countries as well. 

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“It must be noted that we use only the agro-residue – the leftover material after a crop has been harvested for food or other primary uses. We want farmers to use the land to grow food. This is the prudent use of fertile land. We focus on making the most of agricultural by-products, ensuring that no additional land, water, or resources are used for growing materials solely for textile production,” emphasises Shikha. 

Wide-ranging impact

Ventures like AltMat ensure that the yield of the land increases – it yields both food crops and fibre from the residue – without using more pesticides or chemicals. Apart from creating additional income for farmers the venture also employs people for collecting agricultural waste.

For farmers, disposing of agricultural waste is a costly process. If they burn the waste it leads to harmful pollution. By procuring the waste from farmers, AltMat solves the disposal problem for farmers and curbs pollution.   

The company is highly conscious of its resource footprint on chemicals and water. While it uses very little water, all of it is treated and a lot is reused.

The manufacture of the fibre by the company consumes one-fourth less water than growing cotton. Minimal pesticides and no hazardous chemicals are used. Also, the material produced is biodegradable. 

The fibre produced by AltMat has antibacterial properties and provides thermal insulation as the company ensures that harsh processes do not destroy the natural goodness of the materials.  

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Accolades aplenty

Shikha has received the Atal Innovation Medal and the Women Transforming India Award on behalf of the United Nations and Niti Ayog, Government of India, for her entrepreneurship in sustainability, textiles and agriculture. AltMat was one of the first six changemakers to present at Lakme Fashion Week.

What does she believe are the special features of AltMat? “One, we are a good balance of optimism and pragmatism. The world needs alternative materials. The product has to be not just environmentally sustainable but also viable. The price has to be right. Two, the scale has to be large enough to make an impact. The scale of our operations today shows that what looked like a college project is a successful commercial venture,” says Shikha.

The third special feature is that the product itself is holistically beautiful. It is sustainable (with a low carbon and water footprint) and functionally superior. “It is a product with ‘e-values’ – a true Gen-next material,” she adds. 

Shikha is confident that India can make a big difference in climate action. “We are a nation of over a billion. If we act, more than 15 percent of the world has acted,” says the determined entrepreneur.  

(Aruna Raghuram is a freelance journalist based in Ahmedabad. She writes on women’s issues, environment, DEI issues, and social/development enterprises.)

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