ABOUT THE CHALLENGE
Today, the industrial sector as a whole contributes to about 25% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and has been one of the major contributors to the economy in terms of employment generation. But what started as a means to ease humans’ lives has now become a major threat to their existence if not looked into carefully. The waste from the industries has the potential to contaminate the natural resources of the Earth for a very long time and can alter our environment in unimaginable ways.
Hindalco, an Aditya Birla Group company, in partnership with Manush Labs, is launching this program as an opportunity to ‘innovate to eliminate’ and aims to benefit humanity by catalyzing and empowering technological innovations in the domains of ‘clean-technology” and “circular economy”.

Satish Pai
Managing Director, Hindalco Industries Ltd.
Director, Board of Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt. Ltd.
Our strategy is to create value sustainably and operate responsibly by aligning our multi-dimensional approach with the elements of people, planet and prosperity. Our partnership with Manush Labs is a collaborative solution to reduce the environmental load and move closer to our ‘Net Zero carbon’ goal of 2050.
SCALE AND POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM
We are inviting startups that are re-imagining sustainable industrial practices in these two focus areas:
-
Material science: Sustainable packaging material
-
Solid waste Utilization: Flue-gas desulphurization process waste utilization
Replace up to 5000 tons of plastic annually with innovations across technology, processes, or material

Reuse up to 700 thousand tons of FGD process waste into useful products annually.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Paid Pilot Opportunity and possibility of scaling up with Hindalco Industries Ltd. and funding by Aditya Birla Group
The program offers selected startups a direct opportunity to work with Hindalco Industries ltd.

Contract and Revenue
Direct large-scale opportunity to replace Hindalco's 5000 tons of plastic waste annually with innovations across technology, processes, and materials. And 700 thousand tons of FGD waste annually.

Paid Pilot
Selected startups and innovators will have an opportunity to start with a paid pilot and explore joint development opportunity in mutually agreed areas.
Upon successful Pilot, Startups will potentially enter into commercial contracts with Hindalco.

Potential funding from
Aditya Birla Group Innovation Fund
Aditya Birla Group Innovation Fund will facilitate startup engagement with other relevant of the ABG group. The selected startups will have the opportunity to receive potential funding from ABG Innovation Fund.

Problem Diagnosis and Business Development
Provide scaling to selected startups that will directly translate their efforts into substantial results. This will expectedly lead to capability building, customer outreach, and valuation gains for the startup

Joint Business Opportunity
Opportunity to jointly develop product/solve solutions for Hindalco and ABG businesses to to solve their use cases thus potential to add new revenue stream

Tech and Product
Support
Technology and product
support from Manush Labs' in-house team, international network, and local partners at various stages of the program.
WHAT THE LEADERS SAY ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Deeksha Vats
Chief Sustainability Officer, Aditya Birla Group
“Balancing economic growth with the relationship between people and the environment is integral to Aditya Birla Group’s sustainable vision for its businesses. Driven by our purpose to build a greener, stronger, and smarter world, our search for innovative solutions has brought us to the launching of the ‘Clean Technology Startup Challenge 2022’ with Manush Labs focussing on ‘circular economy.’ We foresee a future built of “Sustainable Businesses” flourishing in a “Sustainable World.”
ABOUT THE PARTNER
HINDALCO INDUSTRIES LTD.

Hindalco Industries Limited is the metals flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group.
A US $18 billion company, Hindalco is the world’s largest aluminium company by revenue, and a major copper player. Guided by its purpose of building a greener, stronger, smarter world,
Hindalco provides innovative solutions for a sustainable planet. Its wholly-owned subsidiary Novelis Inc. is the world’s largest producer of aluminium beverage can stock and the largest recycler of used beverage cans (UBCs).
Hindalco’s copper facility in India comprises a world-class copper smelter, downstream facilities, and a captive jetty.
Hindalco’s global footprint spans 50 manufacturing units across 10 countries.
Hindalco was named the world’s most sustainable aluminium company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) in 2020 and 2021.