Evidently, the gizmos of today get outmoded by the innovations of tomorrow. With business running at the speed of thought to deploy the best of technology in the new widget, the previous version certainly takes the back seat, thereby either gets replaced or becomes obsolete due to the end of its operative lifetime. Whether for breakdown, slow-down, or just the availability of a newer model, people today discard electronics at the slightest inconvenience, thus producing large quantities of e-wastes. According to a report by The UNEP(United Nations Environment Program), the amount of e-waste produced is estimated to rise by 500 percent over the next decade, making it a matter of grave ecological concern for managing it. With all bases covered to tackle the need of the hour, Vinod Mohan Shenoy and Jeevanshu SoniDirectors) put the spotlight on their e-cycling venture – Baobab Clean Technologies. Quadrupling with Corporate Data Assurance, Solutions for Bonded Assets, Proactive Asset Deposition Solutions and Zero Environment Footprints,it provides a single point solution for recycling all kinds of

e-wastes ranging from computers,
mobile phones to TVs, washing machines and ACs. It offers these services to both corporate customers as well as the trade channels.

Given the nascent nature of the industry, Baobab’s growth strategy is based on creating a brand that is synonymous with providing certified and quality refurbished products

Even though e-waste management is a nascent market in India, the increasing awareness about environmental concerns seeks proper disposal of the discarded electronic assets. This is where Baobab comes into the game and manages the e-wastes by setting up a market that strategizes on the demand and supply policy, where they gather the wastes from urban markets and sell them in rural markets which have a high need as well as a high level of acceptability for such second hand articles. “What we term as waste, is not exactly waste. It has a 2nd life or 3rd life in some cases and there is a huge demand for that in the semi urban and rural market,” explains Vinod.

The Flagship Buyback Scheme
Tied up with both offline and online retailers in New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Bangalore, the company operates on assured rate contracts and guaranteed pickups for procuring all kinds of

exchanged electronic goods without any selective picking. As the repair industry in India has a need for spares and with not many supplies available, Baobab cleverly bets on the spares that are generated from this whole some picking. The comprehensive Buy back offering enables companies and brands to focus on the sale of new products while not worrying about any aspect of the exchanged goods like assessment, valuation and logistics. While providing. local marketing support by putting up banners, fliers or online applications where the customer can see the value of the product, Baobab also gives six months warranty on the refurbished products. The product offering has got good market traction and enabled Baobab to launch several ongoing buyback programs for leading brands in the consumer electronics and IT products space.

The Road Ahead
Given the nascent nature of the industry, Baobab’s growth strategy is based on creating a brand that is synonymous with providing certified and quality refurbished products. Through extensive use of technology and process innovation, Baobab plans to scale and consolidate its Pan India collection and sales model. This would enable Baobab to improve its product quality while reducing its working capital needs. Aiming to achieve a milestone by setting up a plant in Rajasthan that would process about 2000 metric tons of wastes by first quarter of 2018, Baobab is definitely a capacious name to watch out in the e-waste marketing genre.