Recykal, a B2B marketplace for waste and provider of cloud-based solutions to facilitate transparent and traceable material flows in waste, has raised US$ 22 million in funding by investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley India. Existing investors Circulate Capital, Vellayan Subbiah, and Arun Venkatachalam from the Murugappa Family also participated in this round. This is the second institutional fundraise by the company after a US$ four million round in 2020.
India generates more than 60 million tonnes of municipal solid waste per annum, while a mere c.20 per cent is processed or recycled. Rapid urbanization has made the country one of the top waste generators globally. The introduction of tighter regulations such as Extended Producer Responsibility (“EPR”) have imposed a high compliance requirement for brand owners.
Recykal already works with several of the world’s largest consumer brands to assist them in implementing sustainability solutions in India and the company has in parallel launched India’s B2B marketplace for waste that connects participants across the waste value chain to enhance efficiency and economics for all.
Recykal plans to use these funds for strengthening its technology, expanding its B2B marketplace pan India and building hyper-local waste processing infrastructure. This will enable the circular economy and help corporate India in achieving its sustainability goals.
“Recykal Marketplace and other technology driven sustainability solutions have a direct impact on the waste management ecosystem and its stakeholders. These innovations will pave the way to tap into the $100 billion potential that the waste management industry holds. We believe partnering with Morgan Stanley will help us expand our solutions across the entire spectrum of the ecosystem, ” said Abhay Deshpande, Founder and CEO, Recykal.
“We are excited to work with a management team that is at the heart of India’s waste management eco-system. Their vision for the company is inspiring and they have been executing consistently, even at the peak of the Covid-19 crisis. Waste management in India and many other parts of the world is already a big problem and it is getting worse. We believe our investment will allow Recykal to play a leadership role in implementing scalable and sustainable solutions to one of society’s biggest challenges,” said Raja Parthasarathy, Managing Director and Co-Head, Morgan Stanley India Infrastructure.
“Over the past year, we have witnessed and been impressed time and again by Recykal’s continued growth and evolution. With a passionate team and cutting-edge end-to-end digital solutions, the company is making a real difference to advancing the circular economy in India. Recykal’s model is proof that the creation of both financial and environmental value can go hand in hand. We are proud to be supporting Recykal on its growth journey and partnering with them as they continue to scale their impact,” commented Rob Kaplan, Founder and CEO, Circulate Capital.