Saturday, 26 September 2026

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Innovators

Turning plastic waste into school desks: the engineer behind a circular revolution

Imran Sheikh’s low-cost extrusion process has converted 4,000 tonnes of plastic into furniture for 1,100 government schools.

IS

Imran Sheikh noticed two problems on the same street in Indore: a mountain of multi-layer plastic that no recycler wanted, and a government school where children sat on the floor.

A mechanical engineer by training, he spent two years developing a low-temperature extrusion process that turns mixed plastic into durable boards.

Desks that last

ReForm desks weigh less than wood, do not rot or rust, and cost about 30 percent less than steel alternatives. Each one uses roughly 25 kilograms of plastic waste.

Waste is just a resource that has not met the right idea yet.

Imran Sheikh

The company has supplied 1,100 schools and is now working with municipal corporations to build park benches and bus shelters.

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