Can Angirus’ Eco Bricks Replace Traditional Building Materials In India?

India has big plans for a sustainable tomorrow. For starters, the nation has set its sight on net zero emissions by 2070. Also, the pace at which the country is adopting electric vehicles is astonishing, and the government’s role in subsidising the industry and end users is just the icing on the cake.

All in all, the country’s fight against air pollution is as serious as it gets, given that India is home to one of the five most polluted cities in the world. 

Even more concerning is that, of the 99 cities tracked last year for the worst air pollution globally, 83 were from India. 

This is happening despite the government’s strong push to phase out diesel engines and eventually petrol ones. On top of that, a significant percentage of vehicles in India already run on CNG, a clean fuel introduced in the early 2000s as an alternative.

Besides all that is being done, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) is doing everything in its power to preserve the environment from various miscreants, including construction and mining dirt and dust, which, surprisingly, account for 59% of air pollution in India. 

Amid all the brouhaha around curbing air pollution, it’s important to note that the traditional brick industry has been a major contributor to air pollution for a long time. Reports indicate that around 300 Bn bricks are produced annually in South Asia, with India contributing to 75% of this total. This high production level not only leads to increased coal consumption but also substantially raises CO2 emissions.

While that is true, brick manufacturing impacts 8% of the air pollution in Delhi and nearby districts. A research paper stated that brick kilns are “a major contributor to ambient air pollution and are responsible for up to 91% of total PM emissions in some cities”.

The problems caused by traditional clay brick manufacturing are numerous. It not only leads to higher fossil fuel consumption but also contributes to pollution of air, water, and land. Although there have been discussions and various efforts to make brick production more sustainable, including the growing popularity of fly ash bricks, many of these methods still fall short of being fully sustainable.

From the array of problems that contribute to the growing challenge of environmental degradation, including plastics, Udaipur-based Angirus has vowed to make the construction sector sustainable with its ecofriendly bricks that are made of non-recyclable waste material, including plastics.

Founded in 2020, the startup, using its patented technology, works to upcycle non-recyclable waste materials into functional and ecofriendly building materials such as bricks and paver blocks.

The startup’s name takes inspiration from an Indian sage, who is also considered the inventor of clay bricks. The cofounders call their startup the Angiras sage of modern times.

The startup has so far received INR 80 Lakh in grants and awards from different organisations, including IIT Madras, Pernod Ricard India Foundation, and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Angirus has also raised INR 36 Lakh in equity from IIM Ahmedabad Ventures and a few angel investors.

Angirus’ Early Days

Although Angirus was founded in October 2020, its story began much earlier, in 2019, when cofounder and CEO Kunjpreet Arora was pursuing civil engineering from Rajasthan Technical University.

Growing up in Udaipur, Arora was deeply troubled by the sight of plastic waste scattered across the city. Even though the government was doing its bit to raise awareness, Arora realised it wasn’t enough.

As a civil engineering student, Arora started researching whether single-use plastics can be upcycled to make bricks for construction. 

Around the same time, Lokesh Puri Goswami, now the cofounder and CTO of Angirus, was working on a marble slurry project.

As Arora moved ahead with her research, she found that one can easily make construction bricks by melting plastic waste and mixing it with marble slurry. The bricks of this compound are stronger and more durable than the traditional ones.

The findings were mind-boggling, and the two joined forces not to solve the broader issue of waste management and make sustainable bricks for a greener and cleaner tomorrow.

During this time, the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world, forcing people behind the walls of their homes. This period proved to be beneficial for the cofounders, and they kept doing secondary research to understand the potential demand for its upcoming products. 

In 2021, Angirus signed an MoU with a local municipal corporation in Udaipur, which had a construction and demolition recycling plant under its jurisdiction. Angirus started using the plant to recycle the construction and demolition mix into recycled aggregates to be used in concrete, recycled bricks, and more.

Soon after, the cofounders started working on building a machine of their own that could use various recycled waste to make bricks. 

“The traditional brick kiln industry contributes heavily to carbon emissions and relies on manual labour. With stricter government regulations, we saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between outdated practices and modern technology,” the cofounders said.

By 2023 end, the startup also began a few pilots with local contractors and builders. From here, Angirus started getting orders. Currently, its pilot facility in Udaipur has a capacity of producing 12,000 bricks per month.

Currently, the founders are in talks with some of the top builders and architects in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore, Srinagar, and some areas in Rajasthan. Angirus has already secured INR 50 Lakh worth of orders.

Angirus Imagines A Society Made Of ‘Wricks’ 

The startup’s bricks, called wricks, are made from 25-30% plastic waste and the rest from industrial byproducts. Also, these wricks are waterproof due to the plastic used in them.

According to the founders, the wricks are also 80% damp-proof, offer 20% more thermal insulation than clay bricks, and are twice as strong. 

“While traditional bricks have a strength of 4-6 megapascals (MPa), ‘wricks’ boast a strength of 12-18 MPa,” Arora said, adding that these parameters are lab-tested at IISc Bangalore, NABL Labs and Shriram Institute for Industrial Research.

“In fact, one of our Chennai clients has said that he’s witnessing at least a 15-degree temperature difference from outside the building versus inside of the building that is being built with our product,” the cofounder said.

Behind this innovation is the startup’s technology and machines. The bricks are made in a three-step process, which includes mixing, melting, and moulding. Given a large part of the process is automated, the brick-making process is also less labour-intensive.

In December 2023, Angirus received the first patent for its technology. The proprietary tech has helped the startup match the prices of traditional bricks.

For instance, clay or cement bricks may cost around INR 12 to INR 20 a block in Tier 1 cities while Angirus’ wricks are priced at INR 15 to INR 20 per block.

“Earlier we were paying INR 9 per kg when we collected the plastic waste from Mumbai and Jaipur, but now we are paying INR 3 per kg from local cities, so that has also drastically reduced our manufacturing cost as well,” Arora said. 

The startup expects to improve its unit economics and reduce manufacturing costs when it starts to produce at scale.

Where Is Angirus Headed?

Since launching commercial sales in August 2023, Angirus has achieved INR 7 Lakh in revenue in FY24. Notably, it garnered around INR 4 Lakh revenue in just the May-July period, according to the founders. Looking ahead to FY25, Angirus is aiming for INR 70 Lakh in revenue. 

To support this expansion, the company is seeking INR 1.5 Cr in equity and an additional INR 1.5 Cr in grants. It is building a new facility in Bengaluru, which will have a production capacity of 1-1.2 Lakh wricks a month.

However, despite the promising opportunity, there are challenges ahead. For one, the awareness of sustainable construction practices among individuals and builders is still limited. 

Per the founders, while large builders are starting to embrace sustainability due to government green building initiatives and ESG goals, widespread adoption of Angirus’ wricks and sustainable building materials in general will still take time.

“Once the builders see the environmental benefits of adopting our bricks, it will bring about a revolution. But this will take some time,” Arora said.

Meanwhile, the startup is receiving active interest from global markets like Europe, Australia, and the UAE. However, Angirus plans to address challenges in the Indian market first.

While that is the startup’s long-term goal, it will be interesting to see how Angirus stirs up the debate around sustainable construction practices with its environmentally friendly wricks. 

[Edited by Shishir Parasher]