Mohammad Azhar Mohiuddin's company 'Bio Reform' is manufacturing perishable, eco-friendly, bio-disposable and compostable bags in 180 days using advanced biotechnology processes. It is an excellent alternative to plastic bags.

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, when his peers got involved in social media content creation, Mohammad Azhar Mohiuddin saw it as an opportunity to get down to entrepreneurship and tackle issues like plastic pollution.

From a young age, he was immersed in various ventures ranging from website development, logo designing, running a cloud kitchen to selling burgers from home. His entrepreneurial spirit was fuelled by a desire to solve social problems rather than just pursue financial gains.

While researching global environmental issues, Azhar found that there have been many awareness campaigns and protests around the world about plastic pollution. "If we don't have an alternative, there is no way to stop the use of plastic. While big brands can buy jute and cloth bags, medium-sized small businesses, which comprise the bulk of the Indian market, continue to use plastic bags, "he adds.

"One of the main reasons behind the widespread use of plastic bags is its advantages. It has water resistance, heat resistance, durable, light weight and good tensile strength. I wanted to find a solution that reflects the advantages of plastic, which is eco-friendly and cheaper than paper, cloth and jute, "he says.

It was this quest that led to the launch of Hyderabad-based 'BioReform', a start-up that makes compostable bags using grain waste, sugar, cellulose and other natural components as sustainable biopolymers. In the last two years, it has helped reduce the use of more than six million plastic bags.

Azhar drew his inspiration from the biopolymer research paper of the 1800s. He began studying PBAT (Polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate), a biodegradable polymer derived from plant-based sources such as corn and potatoes. This became the basis of Azhar's new business venture.

The next step was to find the right machinery to convert the raw materials into final products. There were several setbacks like facing fraudulent schemes and operational difficulties in the initial stages.

It was during Covid 19 that he received Rs 1 crore from the Adventure Park Incubator Programme. In early 2022, at the age of 22, he inaugurated his factory in Hyderabad.

Setting up a manufacturing unit was a challenge for Azhar from the very beginning. He had to deal with the complexities of a construction business and the pressures of balancing academic commitments.

"On the inaugural day, my uncle, who is also the co-founder, left the company due to some personal reasons. I tried to balance my studies and the company's activities - collecting raw materials, helping workers make bags, and getting products to market. I used to sleep in a corner of the factory, "shares Azhar, who was then a third-year student of his college.

This continued for a year but Azhar had to shut down the factory as he was unable to generate profits to sustain the company. "I'm back to the grind. In between, I had 14-15 backlogs in my engineering. I've failed at both jobs. It was a stressful situation for me, "he adds.

Yet, through sheer bravery and tireless effort, he not only passed all the tests, but also secured funding from an investor, who eventually revived his venture in less than two months.

Today, his company manufactures 4-5 lakh carry bags, biomedical waste bags, garbage bags, food pouches and book wrappers. Interestingly, Azhar says that these bags are compostable and will decompose in 180 days. In the last two years, his startup has reduced the use of more than six million plastic bags by commercializing them in the B2B network. Last year, he earned an annual income of Rs 1.8 crore.