Delhi/Gurugram, India – UKHI, an IIT and IIM incubated material science startup pioneering agricultural waste-derived biopolymers, today announced a strategic partnership with DCGpac, India’s premier B2B packaging distribution platform. This collaboration positions UKHI’s innovative EcoGran™ biopolymer granules for nationwide distribution across all major online marketplaces, effective today.
UKHI, backed by prestigious shareholders including IIT, ISB, 100 Unicorns, and Venture Catalysts, represents the next generation of bioeconomy innovations. The material science company transforms agricultural waste into high-performance biopolymers that enable companies to significantly reduce their plastic footprint, carbon footprint, and packaging costs while becoming more socially responsible organizations.
Addressing India’s Single-Use Plastic Challenge
This partnership comes at a critical time as India enforces its comprehensive single-use plastic ban, which prohibits items including plastic bags under 75 microns, plastic cutlery, plates, cups, straws, stirrers, wrapping films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, and various other single-use plastic products. UKHI’s EcoGran™ biopolymers offer manufacturers and brands a direct replacement solution that maintains product performance while ensuring compliance with environmental regulations.
The partnership leverages UKHI’s manufacturing excellence with DCGpac’s proven distribution capabilities. DCGpac, headquartered in Gurugram, has successfully served over 60,000+ customers with 750 million units delivered, spanning from corrugated packaging to specialized indoor-outdoor solutions. The company’s award-winning, AI-driven platform ensures robust 24/7 digital fulfillment, backed by strong sustainability credentials including recognition as Business Leader of the Year for Sustainable Packaging.
“This alliance with DCGpac represents a transformative moment for India’s circular economy,” said Vishal Vivek, Co-Founder & CEO of UKHI. “By combining UKHI’s breakthrough biopolymer technology with DCGpac’s unparalleled distribution network, we’re positioned to accelerate India’s transition toward circular, plant-based packaging solutions. Our innovation enables companies to cut their plastic footprint while reducing packaging costs and meeting their corporate social responsibility goals.”
Cost-Effective Alternative to Paper Packaging
While many companies are currently switching to paper packaging alternatives following the single-use plastic ban, UKHI’s biopolymers offer a more sustainable and cost-effective solution. Unlike paper alternatives that often require additional protective coatings and can be 30-40% more expensive than traditional plastics, EcoGran™ biopolymers provide comparable performance at competitive pricing while offering complete compostability within 180 days.
Under the agreement, UKHI will focus on manufacturing EcoGran™ at its newly operational facility, while DCGpac leads marketing initiatives, e-commerce listings, order fulfillment, and last-mile delivery. This unified approach ensures rapid market penetration and seamless customer experiences across India’s major online platforms.
“We’re excited to partner with UKHI to bring truly sustainable packaging solutions to market at scale,” said Suresh Bansal, Founder & CEO of DCGpac. “This collaboration perfectly aligns with our mission to advance the bioeconomy and circular packaging solutions, offering customers high-performance, low-carbon materials that help them become socially responsible companies while achieving significant cost savings.”
Key Benefits Across Market Segments:
E-Commerce Businesses: Access to eco-friendly, compostable packaging materials through a trusted, proven distribution channel with guaranteed quality and timely delivery. Companies can reduce their plastic footprint by up to 90% while maintaining packaging integrity and customer experience.
FMCG & Retail: Lightweight, high-performance packaging solutions that meet emerging global supply chain sustainability standards while reducing both carbon footprint and packaging costs by 15-25% compared to current paper alternatives.
Environmental Impact: Significant reduction in plastic pollution while supporting India’s circular economy objectives, bioeconomy growth, and international climate commitments. Each ton of EcoGran™ prevents approximately 3 tons of agricultural waste from being burned, reducing CO2 emissions significantly.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Companies can demonstrate measurable environmental impact, comply with single-use plastic regulations, and achieve sustainability targets while reducing operational costs.
Large-Scale Impact Through Strategic Distribution
The UKHI-DCGpac partnership is designed to create large-scale impact across India’s packaging ecosystem. With DCGpac’s established network reaching 60,000+ brands and UKHI’s scalable manufacturing capabilities, this alliance can rapidly replace millions of units of single-use plastic packaging with circular, bio-based alternatives.
This collaboration addresses the immediate need for compliant, sustainable packaging solutions while building the foundation for India’s transition to a circular bioeconomy. The partnership enables even small and medium enterprises to access advanced biopolymer packaging through DCGpac’s user-friendly platform, democratizing access to sustainable materials.
About DCGpac
Founded in 2005, DCGpac is India’s largest B2B packaging platform, providing comprehensive Design-to-Distribution packaging solutions. Having supplied over 750 million products to 60,000+ customers, the company has earned recognition for sustainable business practices and women-led leadership excellence, bringing unmatched operational strength to the partnership.
About UKHI
UKHI is an IIT and IIM incubated material science company that transforms agricultural waste into EcoGran™, a high-performance biomaterial that effectively replaces petroleum-based plastics across multiple applications. Backed by shareholders including IIT, ISB, 100 Unicorns, and Venture Catalysts, UKHI is at the forefront of India’s bioeconomy revolution. With patents filed, and factory-backed compliance standards, UKHI is revolutionizing sustainable packaging production while helping companies achieve their circular economy and social responsibility objectives.