Zeroing in on the future 

Starting its life as a modest ethanol plant and quickly evolving to become India’s leading bioenergy company, Praj Industries’ upward trajectory is a prime example of a dream taking flight.

Founded by visionary Pramod Chaudhari, the company now offers cutting-edge sustainable marine and aviation fuel as part of its green product portfolio.

As Executive Chair, Chaudhari envisions more breakthroughs in the green energy space with innovations like biohydrogen and renewable polymers on the horizon. He acknowledges Praj’s impact on India’s bioenergy space is committed to sustaining that footprint.

In fact, he is particular about this. “For Praj, one parameter of success is definitely related to the legacy we leave for others to follow and to get inspired from,” he says.

Propelling progress

Chaudhari’s inspiration to set foot in the bioenergy industry came from Brazil.

“Brazil was the first country to go for biofuels after the first fuel crisis of 1973 hit the world,” Chaudhari explains. “India had a good sugarcane industry like Brazil, and we could learn from them.”

That led to the formation of Praj’s first ethanol plant. The ethanol plant was beneficial in more ways than one. It offered a solution to reduce the country’s dependence on fuel imports for one. It also caught on as a remunerative option for farmers.

Chaudhari explains another reason to push for biofuels that started emerging after the turn of the millennium was climate change.

“Ethanol blending is a good solution to control the climate because we are using carbon-neutral fuel,” he says.

This led Praj to expand its product base and start its research center to offer sustainable energy solutions. Among the co-products, it offers compressed biogas, bio-bitumen, biofertilizers and a range of proteins.

The latest in Praj’s portfolio is sustainable aviation fuel, a major milestone in the country’s push for biofuel.

“We partnered with Indian Oil Corporation Limited to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for a commercial flight operated by Air Asia,” Chaudhari reveals.

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For the future, he sees sustainable marine fuels and biohydrogen as part of Praj’s products.

He also talks about exciting prospects in producing renewable polymers.

“There are two types of bioplastics – polylactic and polyhydroxyalkanoates. Then, there are paints, varnishes, and surface treatment solutions, which can be used to produce safe toys,” he says.

“The prospects are unlimited.”

Achieving Net Zero

Chaudhari emphasizes the need to create circular economies for a truly sustainable future.

“Climate is going to rule the whole gamut of businesses in the future. So, it makes sense to promote circular economies wherever possible,” he explains. “It is important to sensitize people about that.”

That is why net zero is taken very seriously at Praj.

“We talk about net zero in terms of climate, but we can have net zero for every aspect from water usage, steam usage and having zero defects in our designs and equipment. Zero should be our focus in all walks of life,” he says.

“I am not exaggerating when I say most of our departments are busy with zero. Really, Praj is obsessed with zero.”

As an initiative to promote awareness, Praj has also adopted a village to implement and demonstrate net zero practices.

“When you visit Pune, we’d be proud to take you to two places – the first would be our R&D center, while the second would be our net zero village,” Chaudhari says.

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Praj includes suppliers in the circular economy, ensuring a green supply chain.

“We get our suppliers certified for a green supply chain. We rope them in to achieve a community effect that benefits them and us, and the community,” he explains.

‘Delight’ is a key word for the company, according to Chaudhari.

“Customer-centricity is key to Praj. We foster a warm and friendly atmosphere for our employees, who are our pride,” he says.

“We ensure delight for our customers, our shareholders and our employees.”