Divyesh Dadhaniya’s leap of faith into biopolymers in India
Divyesh Dadhaniya realised India’s untapped potential in biopolymers. What began as a research collaboration with IIT Guwahati evolved into Deltora , a startup dedicated to replacing single-use plastics with compostable, alternatives
06 Nov 2025 | 386 Views | By Sai Deepthi
After completing a master's degree in polymer technology in Germany, he came to realise that the future lay not in conventional polymers, but in biopolymers. Divyesh Dadhaniya found a serious lack of development in the biopolymers space in India. For example, compostable biopolymers are still categorised under plastic for GST, regulation, and incentives. He laments that there are no subsidies or benefits for manufacturers who solve a pressing problem. With growing global awareness around sustainability, it became clear to him that biopolymers would eventually replace traditional plastics.
Initially, he began exploring opportunities to pursue research in this space, which led him to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, home to the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Polymers. Dadhaniya says, “We were impressed by the infrastructure and facilities, and eventually partnered with them on an R&D project to develop various biopolymer-based compounds. I led the project, and after the research, returned to Ahmedabad to establish Deltora in 2022.”
Plastics and public awareness
This venture was purely born of Dadhaniya’s passion as he comes from a completely unrelated business background. “I had been deeply concerned about plastic pollution for some time, and during the Covid-19 lockdown, I used the downtime to launch a blog site to raise public awareness and guide others interested in entering the bioplastics space.” He offers advice and detailed knowledge on everything that one needs to get started—including support and technology—in bioplastics.
Starting Deltora only seemed like the next logical step for Dadhaniya. From the outset, Deltora focused on the step-by-step commercialisation of the technologies which were developed. “By 2023, we had launched eight products in the market and began receiving commercial orders. As of now, we have developed 28 unique biopolymer compounds, raw materials that can be used to manufacture a wide range of sustainable products,” he says.
When asked if Deltora, as a startup in an unexplored space, has a first-mover advantage or faces challenges, Dadhaniya claimed that majority of their investments are routed to R&D. “We have invested INR 12-crore so far, including importing customised equipment from Germany to ensure flexibility with various formulations and meet its unique R&D needs."
The feedstock
Deltora currently imports aw materials such as PLA, PBS, PBAT. This brings up the next challenge of expensive feedstock. Many other companies are aiming to develop sustainable models to reduce dependence on imported feedstock by manufacturing PLA from sugarcane and cornstarch indigenously, which would help solve the issue of a lack of raw materials in India.
For a price-sensitive market like India, harsh regulations and EPR guidelines are now pushing many companies towards biopolymer products. Biopolymers typically cost up to two times more than conventional plastic, depending on the application. However, firms like Deltora are confident about the future of biopolymers. According to Smithers, the market for biodegradable and compostable packaging is set to grow at 8.8% CAGR to 2029. Deltora is working with a core mission to replace all forms of single-use plastic, especially complex multi-layer packaging such as snack and candy wrappers, which are currently non-recyclable and a major source of environmental pollution.
At a time when the world is holding negotiations for a plastic treaty, Deltora’s USP remains to produce products that are both recyclable and compostable. Dadhaniya says, “In the right conditions—like composting sites—they degrade into water, carbon dioxide, and compost. These feed back into agriculture, creating a full circular economy. But degradation is context-specific: it takes longer indoors and degrades faster when exposed to moisture and heat outdoors.”