Craste

Craste is a Pune-based materials company that collects agricultural crop residue from local farms and converts it into building and interior panels, pulp, paper, moulded packaging and tableware. Its board products, marketed as Craste Boards and made with a patented FuMa (Futuristic Materials) technology, are produced entirely from crop stubble and are offered as No Added Formaldehyde (NAF) grade panels in thicknesses of 4mm to 25mm and densities of 450-900, with claimed non-flammability and moisture and termite resistance. Product lines include Sogasu Textured boards, which retain the natural texture and colour of the crop residue, a lighter Sogasu Textured Speciality board, and smooth Craste Plus boards intended for any finish. Target applications span hospitals and clinics, homes, kitchens, schools, furniture and workspaces.

On the paper and packaging side, Craste uses a patented circular fibre process that it describes as producing zero effluent waste with minimal water use and low carbon emissions, with by-products usable in other industries. The resulting agri pulp is used for paper, moulded packaging, tableware, cutlery and agri-based toys, with feedstock lines based on barley, wheat, millet and rice. The company also runs research labs offering R&D services to industries moving away from plastic, and has developed a patent-pending technology called Fumasolv to extract lignin from crop residue for packaging applications.

The company positions its work against three stated problems: the roughly 100 million tonnes of crop residue burnt annually in India, rising global timber demand and associated deforestation, and formaldehyde emissions from conventional MDF and plywood. It also states that its model raises farmer income.

Founding story

Co-founder Shubham Singh studied chemical engineering, worked in a corporate role, then completed a postgraduate degree and an entrepreneurship course at Imperial College London. While reading about Delhi's air pollution and stubble burning in the Imperial College library, and with existing research interests in biomass, he began exploring uses for crop waste instead of burning. Research showed farmers burned residue because clearing machinery was expensive and manual clearing slow. Learning that India is among the largest importers of timber led him to the idea of recycling crop waste into engineered boards for furniture. He co-founded the venture with his sibling Himansha Singh.

Business model

Craste operates a B2B model, buying crop residue from farmers (reported at Rs 6 per kg) and processing it into engineered boards, pulp, paper, moulded packaging and tableware sold to businesses. Alongside product sales it offers R&D services, developing custom packaging solutions for corporate clients seeking to replace plastic or wood-based inputs. Long-term plans described in 2021 included scaling through a franchise model.

Revenue comes from B2B sales of engineered boards, pulp, paper, moulded packaging, tableware and related products, plus R&D and custom product development services for corporate clients.

Traction

The company reports 80 tonnes of crop waste converted and around 100,000 products produced. It has worked with Anheuser-Busch (global and India teams) and Stanley Black & Decker on custom packaging, received about $250,000 in grants by 2021 including BIRAC SOCH, Biotech Ignition Grant, AB InBev and a RAFTAAR scheme grant, and won the Millennium Alliance Award. A client testimonial describes use of Craste Boards for soundproofing and panelling in a boardroom project.

Latest developments

The company markets Craste Boards under the patented FuMa technology in multiple textures and grades, certified as No Added Formaldehyde, and reports 80 tonnes of waste converted and about 100,000 products produced. Packaging work referenced includes barley-stalk packaging associated with Corona beer, agri-pulp cutlery and tableware, and agri-based toys.