How this bootstrapped start-up is making road construction more sustainable

Started in December 2022, Delhi-NCR-based BituBin India provides solutions for sustainable procurement for the Infrastructure industry. They started with the use of waste tyres and plastic and now have an array of Sustainable Solutions. The bootstrapped company generated a turnover of INR 30 crores in 1.5 years with a gross profit of INR 3 crores, said co-founder Siddhant Khare. In this interview, we learn more about their work towards making construction sustainable.

Please tell us about Bitubin’s offerings in the construction space.

The construction industry accounts for more than 37% of total carbon emissions. We are trying to make construction sustainable and environment-friendly by offering our clients sustainable alternatives. BituBin India provides sustainable procurement solutions for infrastructure. There are two stages for making construction sustainable:

– Design Stage of a project – Designers and architects design the project with a sustainable approach that leads to green buildings, green highways, etc.

– Procurement Stage – Procurement of materials and equipment in a sustainable way.

We provide services at both stages. We started in December 2022, supplying recycled waste tyres and waste plastic to make roads and highways. Now, we are into Landscaping and Green Plantation Services, Solar Panels and Solar Lighting, Road Safety—crash Barriers, CatEye—road Studs, Signboards, Road Markings, etc., producing Crumb Rubber from Recycled Waste Tyres, Waste Plastic, Green Building Design, Fibre Reinforced Polymer as a replacement for steel-TMT to an extent, and working out the possibilities of Bio-Bitumen usage.

The government has been advocating the use of recycled waste tyres and waste plastic in road construction, and we are looking to play an active part in these efforts.

Please tell us about the supply chains for modified bitumen and crumb rubber and which roles you play in them.

We are manufacturing modified bitumen and plan to start crumb rubber manufacturing soon.

The supply chain involves importing waste tyres and buying them from domestic sources. These waste tyers are used to make Crumb Rubber, which is then blended with bitumen through a high-shear mill at our plants. We have displaced over 1000 tonnes of waste that would otherwise take up landfill space.

By using crumb rubber from recycled waste tyres, we can replace bitumen up to 12 to 14 per cent per ton, thereby reducing the use of bitumen. Further, conventional bitumen can be replaced by using Bio-Bitumen, which is currently under R&D.

Please mention your manufacturing capabilities, locations and capacities.

We have one centralised plant in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh and two mobile manufacturing units in Maharashtra and Gujarat. We also have one plant in Panipat, Haryana, which is a joint venture. Our daily capacity is to produce more than 600 tons of Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen i.e. 150 tons per day per plant.

Next, we plan to set up manufacturing units in South, East, and West India. We are already working with partner companies and supplying to projects across the country. However, by setting up manufacturing units, we will be able to reach more customers. Once we have a big customer base, it will be easy to make them shift to and go entirely sustainable as policies and awareness align with their objectives and are supported by the entire ecosystem. Both founders are handling most of the functions until now, with 10 full-time employees and a few on contract.