Pune Inc: Determined to make India clean and green, this entrepreneur led by example

Indian Express

03-06-2025

It was around 2014, when Suhana Masale, a brand of Pravin Masalewale—a Pune-based spice company that is more than six decades old—saw growth in business, innovation and product range. At the time, it struck Anand Chordia, one of the younger members of the family, that the brand's economic success should be accompanied by a commitment to ecological conservation.
'When we travel to countries outside India, we are impressed by how clean and green they are. I always wanted to work on making my own country like that. Where could I begin the journey? I realised that I would begin the journey with myself and my premises. That is how the sustainability journey at Suhana started,' says Chordia, who is a food technologist who graduated in botany.
Thanks to Chordia's decision, Suhana Warehouse in Pune's Yavat has received the prestigious Net Zero Energy Certification by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), at IGBC's Green Summit and Abhinandan 2025. Chordia received the honour on May 30 from Pankaja Munde, Maharashtra Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
'When we started our zero waste journey, I did not have a thought or idea about what net zero was or what the technical terms of the environment were, but we kept on the path. We evolved and progressed, as we were committed to making Suhana a zero-waste company,' says Chordia, Director, Technology and Innovation, Suhana Masale, and Founder, The Eco Factory Foundation.
'We started a foundation, the Eco Factory Foundation, after learning a lot about waste management. We launched India's first waste management park, and even today, we continue the journey at Suhana. After managing waste efficiently, we also started working on water conservation and energy conservation, among others,' he adds.
The one-acre warehouse that has received the certification was designed by Chordia from scratch nine years ago. Located on a barren, low-rainfall land in Yavat, it was constructed using only green material. There is no air conditioning, but relying on natural ventilation, the company has achieved a temperature that is around 4 to 5 degrees lower than the outside environment.
Solar power drives the warehouse while constant rainwater harvesting and mulching of soil with organic waste have ensured that the borewells, which never used to have water earlier, are recharged and are full throughout the year. Water is recycled, as is plastic. 'We use innovative technologies and tools to convert plastic to oil and paper blocks and send them to people who will convert them into pellets and make tiles. We use those tiles on site,' says Chordia.
Eventually, what was barren land is now converted into a lush, green forest-like ecosystem that attracts a lot of native birds and small insects, including honey bees. 'All our other infrastructure, such as new factories in Hyderabad and other parts of India, is being designed similarly now. As an agricultural business, we believe that if we do not preserve nature, no agricultural business will survive. A country like India needs a soil-based economy more than an oil-based economy. The health of our nation lies in the health of our soil. So, although we run an industry, we work on water, air, waste and energy to achieve net zero,' says Chordia.
He emphasises that greenfield projects 'do not need extensive financial inputs'. 'It is not a capital-intensive exercise. It is only about awareness. I always say that ecological means eco-friendly and logical. People do not understand that, if it is logically correct, it is going to save a lot of money in the long term. In the long term, it is not about spending but about getting back, and you will earn out of it,' says Chordia.
He gives the example of waste segregation and says that it needs awareness, not money. 'If you segregate waste, you are not making it garbage. You are turning it into a resource to make some other important product. Waste is actually a resource at the wrong place,' he adds.
Chordia looks at the certificate as both a source of motivation and a validation. It has been a journey that has tested his commitment, and today, his ideas about nature-inspired solutions are yielding results. 'It is definitely happening,' he says.
Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More