Turning Waste into Worth: How Elima Is Building the Blueprint for India’s Circular Economy
Founded with the belief that “the materials we need to build the future already exist above the ground,” Elima is rapidly emerging as a key force in India’s transition from a linear to a circular economy.
As sustainability shifts from a buzzword to an economic and environmental imperative, one company is transforming the way India manages waste and resources, not through incremental change, but by building an entirely new ecosystem, called Elima, A Hyderabad-based circular economy company, is reimagining waste not as an end point, but as a beginning of a valuable input that can be recovered, reused, and reintroduced into the economy.
Founded with the belief that “the materials we need to build the future already exist above the ground,” Elima is rapidly emerging as a key force in India’s transition from a linear to a circular economy. By integrating digital systems with physical infrastructure, and by combining environmental responsibility with economic viability, Elima is setting a new standard for how circularity can be scaled — and sustained.
An Integrated Approach to Circularity
At its core, Elima operates as a full-stack solution provider across the waste value chain from collection and logistics to recycling, material recovery, IT asset disposition (ITAD) and resale. Its vertical integration allows the company to ensure transparency, maintain quality, and control costs, all essential for creating a commercially viable model for sustainability.
“Sustainability can’t depend on goodwill alone, it has to make business and economic sense” says Mohit Kumar Vanamala, Co-Founder and COO of Elima. “Our model is built to be scalable, profitable, and impactful. We’re not just managing waste, but we’re building the infrastructure for a resource-positive economy.”
Elima’s operations are focused on three key sectors: consumer electronics & IT, non-ferrous metals, and plastics. Each sector presents a unique opportunity to close the loop on resource use.
In electronics, Elima handles everything from e-waste collection to responsible recycling and refurbishment. Its ITAD services are particularly relevant for enterprises seeking secure and sustainable disposal of outdated devices. Meanwhile, in non-ferrous metals, the company recovers and refines high-value materials like copper and aluminium, creating secondary raw materials that meet industrial-grade specifications.
In the plastics domain, Elima is pioneering the recycling and compounding of engineering polymers like ABS, HIPS, and PP materials commonly found in consumer electronics. These polymers are processed and reintroduced into manufacturing pipelines, often for use in electronics, automotive parts, and appliances.
“By connecting collection, recovery, and reuse under one platform, we make it easier for businesses to adopt circular practices without increasing complexity or cost,**” says Vanamala.
Moving Beyond Compliance to Circular Value
In India, sustainability regulations such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) have helped nudge businesses toward responsible waste management. But for many producers, EPR compliance remains a box to be ticked, rather than a transformative opportunity.Elima is working to change that mindset.
“We help brands go beyond compliance to real circularity” Vanamala explains. “That means building take-back programs, recovering materials from end-of-life products, and then actually reintroducing those materials back into their own supply chains.”
This is already happening. Elima is working with consumer electronics and automotive brands to integrate recycled alloys and engineering plastics into new product lines. The benefits are multi-fold with regulatory compliance, reduced raw material costs, improved ESG scores and a stronger sustainability narrative for consumers.
Technology as the Backbone
A key enabler of Elima’s operations is its use of technology, both digital and physical.**
On the digital side, Elima has developed in-house platforms for logistics tracking, documentation, MIS reporting, and compliance monitoring. Every kilogram of waste is traceable from source to final recovery, complete with weighbridge slips, Form-6 documentation, and photographic evidence.
“Transparency is non-negotiable for us,” Vanamala emphasizes. “Whether we’re handling a hard drive or a tonne of plastic, our clients know exactly where it went, how it was processed, and what came out of it.”
Physically, the company uses advanced processing technologies, including automated dismantling lines, shredding and segregation systems and high-precision refining techniques for metals and polymers. This not only improves recovery rates but also ensures the output materials are of consistent and usable quality, something that’s essential if they are to re-enter formal supply chains.
Scaling for Impact
From a single facility in Hyderabad, Elima has expanded rapidly across multiple states. Its current recycling capacity stands at 18,000 metric tons (MT)**, with plans to scale that up to 45,000 MT in the near future. The expansion includes strengthening its logistics and collection network, particularly across South and West India, and building a deeper ecosystem of partner refurbishers, recyclers, and logistics providers.
Elima’s recommerce brand, Flypbox is also a strategic focus. Designed to give a second life to refurbished electronics, Flypbox is helping consumers access affordable, high-quality devices while extending the lifespan of electronic products — a core tenet of circularity.
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Despite its success, the circular economy space in India is still emerging and not without hurdles. Low awareness, fragmented regulation, and informal sector dominance continue to create challenges for responsible recyclers.
“Many organizations still view recycling or ITAD as a cost center, not a strategic sustainability initiative,” Vanamala notes. “But this is changing. We’re seeing a shift where corporates are beginning to take full ownership of their waste, not just because of regulations, but because it aligns with their brand and business goals.”
Indeed, as consumer expectations grow and global supply chains shift toward sustainability, businesses in India are under increasing pressure to adopt responsible practices. In this context, companies like Elima are not just service providers, they are enablers of a new industrial model.
The Road Ahead
Looking forward, Elima is focused on depth and scale with expanding capacities, strengthening its digital backbone, and investing in R&D for advanced metal and polymer recovery.The goal is not just to grow, but to make every kilogram of waste traceable, every refurbished product trackable, and every recycled material usable in high-quality applications.
As Vanamala puts it, “Circularity is no longer optional. It’s becoming an operational necessity and a massive business opportunity. We believe the next decade will see circular economy companies become as mainstream as manufacturing or logistics are today.”
With its integrated model, deep expertise, and purpose-driven approach, Elima isn’t just turning waste into worth but it’s building the blueprint for a sustainable India.
