Without is an Indian material science company founded by Anish Malpani in 2021, working to recycle hard-to-process multi-layered plastic packaging. Using its patented VerdiCycle technology, it transforms discarded plastic into materials for products such as sunglasses, bottles, planters, deodorant sticks and textiles. The company also works to improve livelihoods for waste-picking communities through employment and social impact programmes.
Plastic waste has a rather impressive talent for sticking around. A packet of chips, for instance, might take a few minutes to finish, but the plastic packaging it comes in can hang around for decades. And while most of us toss it into a bin and move on, these multi-layered packets are among the hardest forms of plastic waste to recycle. Pune-based social enterprise Without has decided to do something about that, and its experiments have already resulted in sunglasses, bottles, planters and even yarn made from discarded waste.
Founded by Anish Malpani in 2021, Without is a material science company working at the intersection of waste management, technology and poverty alleviation. Malpani spent five years working in corporate finance in the US before moving into the social impact space, spending time with non-profit and social enterprise organisations in Guatemala, Nairobi and London. His central idea was that India's waste problem and the poverty experienced by its waste-picking communities were closely connected. If discarded materials could be given greater economic value, the people collecting and sorting them could also earn a better living.
The company's work initially focused on metallised multi-layered plastic packaging (MLP), the material used in everything from chips packets to sachets. These wrappers combine several layers of plastic, aluminium and other materials, making them extremely difficult to separate and recycle through conventional methods. Without developed its patented VerdiCycle technology to tackle this problem. The water-based chemo-mechanical process works at temperatures of up to 120°C, without burning the waste or using organic solvents. It separates the packaging into three material streams: VerdiFLX, a recycled polyolefin; VerdiPTA, which recovers PET building blocks; and VerdiMIX, which uses the remaining material in composite applications.
The materials coming out of this process have several applications. VerdiFLX is used to make engineering-grade plastic pellets that can go into products such as bottles, pots and other moulded goods. VerdiPET is recycled PET resin, while VerdiFLO turns recovered polyester into yarn that can be used for clothing and textiles. VerdiMIX uses the remaining material to create construction composites. The company has also experimented with 3D-printing filaments made from chip packets.
Its first big public-facing experiment was a pair of sunglasses made entirely from discarded chip packets, launched in February 2023. The first batch sold out within a week and received coverage from over 100 publications. Since then, the team has developed a 100% recycled bottle using sachet waste, including a project recognised by L'Oréal's 2025 Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Programme. Its collaborations have expanded into products with brands such as Ugaoo, Bare Necessities and Bluvia. These include recycled planters and India's first refillable deodorant stick made from chip packets.
A major part of Without's work also happens on the factory floor. Its Pune facility, called The Cradle, opened in October 2025 and brings material science, research, product design and manufacturing under one roof. Brands can approach the company with an existing product idea or work with its team to develop something from scratch. The process can include ideation, CAD designs, 3D prototypes, material selection, moulding, assembly and quality checks. Its manufacturing team includes people who previously worked as waste-pickers, now employed with formal contracts, health insurance, training and two to three times their earlier income.
The social work is also supported by Foundation Without, its independent non-profit arm. Through a 24-month graduation programme, it works with waste-picking households on education, healthcare, financial security and long-term livelihood opportunities. According to its 2025 impact report, the company had recycled 7,478 kg of multi-layered plastic since its inception and generated ₹45.3 lakh in additional income for its workers. It is also a Certified B Corporation, with three patents granted and five pending, according to its website.
With plans to expand its recycling network through local collection hubs, recovery plants and research centres, Without is attempting to give discarded materials an entirely new place in the manufacturing economy. And if your next pair of sunglasses happens to have started life as a packet of chips, that's quite a journey for a snack wrapper.
Follow Without here.
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