Phool: How Flowercycling Is Revolutionising Waste and Wellness

The idea for Phool bloomed on the ghats of the Ganges. Standing by the river in his hometown of Kanpur, co-founder Ankit Agarwal witnessed a startling contradiction: temple flowers were being dumped, untreated, into the waters. These vibrant offerings had turned into pollutants, laden with pesticides and heavy metals, suffocating a river revered by millions.

Moved and disturbed, Ankit began to research. What he found was staggering: over 8 million metric tons of temple flowers are dumped annually into rivers like the Ganga. The environmental and public health consequences were enormous, yet largely ignored. 

Leaving behind his job as an automation scientist, he returned to Kanpur. With a handful of discarded petals, he set out to transform an act of pollution into a movement for sustainable change.

The Birth of Flowercycling

Phool.co is India’s first startup to pioneer 'flowercycling'—an innovative process that Upcycles floral waste into certified natural charcoal free incense and Fleather, a revolutionary vegan alternative to leather. What began in 2017 as an experiment has grown into a scalable, globally recognised social enterprise.

Today, Phool processes over 30 tons of temple waste daily from five major pilgrimage towns. Its operations not only protect rivers from floral pollutants but also employ over 300 women, many of whom were previously manual scavengers. For these women, Phool offers more than just a job; it restores dignity, health, and purpose.

Team, Talent, and Trust

Phool was co-founded by Ankit Agarwal and Prateek, and has since evolved into a multidisciplinary team of IIT scientists, top-tier designers, marketers, and a passionate on-ground workforce. The company hires based on curiosity, conviction, and integrity, with a strong emphasis on shared values of sustainability and social justice.

Partners in Progress

The journey was catalysed by IIT Kanpur and the SIDBI Innovation & Incubation Centre, providing early support and R&D infrastructure. Phool has since attracted backing from Social Alpha, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, IAN Fund, and Sixth Sense Ventures, receiving strategic mentorship, IP support, and global exposure.

"Have patience," says Ankit. "Purpose-driven ideas often take time to gain traction. If your vision solves a real problem and is rooted in integrity, the world will eventually listen."

Triple-Bottom-Line Impact

Phool's mission intersects three major challenges:

• Manual Scavenging: Providing dignified employment to women once forced into dehumanising caste-based labour.
• River Pollution: Preventing pesticide-laden temple waste from contaminating water bodies.
• Toxic Leather Industry: Offering Fleather—a plant-based alternative to chemically-intensive animal leather.

Their flagship incense line, natural, certified, and toxin-free, has redefined India’s home fragrance market. Meanwhile, leather is attracting global attention as a sustainable material for fashion and accessories.

Growing from Ritual Waste to National Impact

With a growing customer base of environmentally conscious consumers, premium fragrance buyers, and B2B partners, Phool operates across online and offline channels, including Amazon, Blinkit, and its website. The startup has deliberately avoided discount-driven sales, focusing instead on product excellence and trust.

What began with just two women and two kilos of discarded flowers in Kanpur has now grown into a vibrant, multi-city operation. Phool currently flowercycles across five major temple towns—Kanpur, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Bodh Gaya, and Badrinath—sustaining nearly 100% year-on-year growth. 

The scale of impact is impressive: over 42,300 tons of floral waste have been diverted from rivers, preventing the release of more than 4,230 kilograms of harmful pesticides. The enterprise has also provided dignified employment to more than 300 women and enabled the education of over 67 children from their communities.

Recognition and Road Ahead

Phool's work has earned accolades from the United Nations, Forbes 30 Under 30, Fast Company, and the Earthshot Prize (Finalist, 2022). It has secured funding across Seed to Series A rounds, with investors ranging from Sixth Sense Ventures and IAN Fund to Alia Bhatt.

Its biggest challenge now is to continue outpacing legacy players in a traditionally commoditised incense market. With over six patents and 52 trademarks, Phool's innovation pipeline is deep—and its ambition deeper.