Proklean Technologies Pvt Ltd, which makes probiotic products to replace chemicals in a variety of industries, including leather, textile, paper and pulp processing, has made an online foray into consumer products with floor cleaners (Proklean Deep Impact) and liquid detergent (Proklean Profab).

Vishwadeep Kuila, Director, Marketing, says the new products are non-toxic and 100 per cent biodegradable. “Most cleaning products are made from surfactants that are by-products of petroleum and are not readily biodegradable leading to pollution from home cleaning. In contrast, Proklean’s products are all made from bio-based compounds making them not only very safe for users, but also very friendly for the environment,” he explains.

Circular approach

Proklean’s technology adopts a circular approach making products sustainable by using raw materials from renewable sources, processing them with very low energy and makes them readily biodegradable, he says.

Proklean Technologies started its journey in 2012 through sustainable industrial products that replaced toxic chemicals used in the processing of leather and in the hospitality sector and over the years has added textile and paper and pulp sectors too. It already has several clients in all these sectors and is selling its products internationally. Its patented technology, it claims, is unique and highly sustainable, reducing chemical usage and also water saving.

Proklean's consumer products are effective because of its ability to slow down re-deposition of dirt and grime and its ability to break down odour-causing compounds thereby giving clean and fresh smelling surfaces and clothes, explains Kuila. All these products have global certifications and are safe for infants and pets. “Proklean Products are just at a 15-20 per cent premium to the more popular detergents in the market,” he adds.

The products are targeted at the environment and health conscious consumers.

“There is a strong revival of demand for natural and eco-friendly products which cuts across income class. So it is more about targeting consumers with certain mindset rather than income category or geographical segments,” explains Kuila.

Other products on the anvil

Currently, Proklean’s floor cleaner and fabric detergent, are now available on Amazon. It will also soon launch a glass cleaner, dish washing liquid, kitchen degreaser, toilet cleaner and more such products are on the anvil.

Proklean has an exclusive licence from SCD Probiotics, USA, for using its certified mother culture to manufacture and market the probiotic products. All the products are bio-based, non-toxic and fully bio-degradable that replace certain chemicals being used in industrial processes. Proklean’s production facility in a Chennai suburb has a capacity of 250 tonnes a month.

The detergent market is large at ₹20,000 crore-plus while liquid detergents is just about 3-4 per cent of that currently. However, this market is growing at a much faster pace than powder detergents due to its ease of use and gentle nature. “We expect liquid detergents, when combined with the eco-friendly benefit, to aid conversion rapidly,” says Kuila.

Branded floor cleaners

On the other hand, the market for branded floor cleaners is very small at about ₹750 crore. Even today a majority of households use phenyl for cleaning the floor. “However, with a heightened concern on health post-pandemic and products like ours which are not only non-toxic to humans and pets but also have antimicrobial properties, will find good traction,” he expects.

The company was founded in 2012 by Sivaram Pillai, 65, a PhD in biochemistry, B Chandrasekhar, 58, and Vishwadeep Kuila, 55, both engineers and MBAs from IIM Ahmedabad. Proklean has raised ₹16 crore in two rounds of funding, from the Chennai Angels, a network of angel investors, and Infuse Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund set up by the Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship at IIMA, which invests in sustainability and clean energy sectors. Siana Capital came in in November 2019. Proklean, which had revenues of ₹13 crore last year, expects to hit revenues of ₹20 crore in FY 20-21.

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