From floral waste to fragrant sticks

New Delhi: Flowers are an essential part of divine rituals in India, whether at a temple, a gurdwara, or a mosque, and almost all of the flowers are discarded as waste in landfills or rivers. Rivers are vital to Indian culture and play an important role in the country. There is an ongoing need to clean the rivers and revitalise the flowers used in rituals.

Mysore Deep Perfumery House (MDPH) has inked a deal with HelpUsGreen, a pioneer in flower recycling technology, to launch "Nature Flower" fragrant incense sticks made from recycled flowers under its flagship brand Zed Black, which is among the top three agarbatti manufacturers in the country. From floral waste to scented sticks, the Zed Black Nature Flower Incense Sticks are launched in four natural fragrances, Sandal, Mogra, Kasturi, Rose across the country. The joint project aims to impact the lives of over 1000 indigenous women workforce.

HelpUsGreen are the forerunners in starting the movement to clean the rivers and places of worship by using pioneering flower recycling technology and establishing a first-of-its-kind Circular Economic model in India. As a result, future generations will benefit from a clean holy environment, as pollutants will be reduced and the country's carbon footprint will be reduced.

The team is already working with approximately 25 places of worship in Kanpur, including temples and gurudwaras, and has impacted the lives of hundreds of people while catering to over 230 tonnes of flower waste. MDPH and HelpUsGreen worked with Shri Anandeshwar Mandir, Kali Mathiya, Shanidev Mandir, Bhairav Mandir, Panki Mandir, Jogeshwar Mandir, Siddhnath Mandir, Gumti Gurudwara, and many other temples and mosques in Kanpur.

"Joining hands with HelpUsGreen, a pioneer in flower recycling technology, and creating the agarbatti brand "Nature Flower" is our small contribution in reducing floral waste from the country's holy places," Ankit Agrawal, Managing Partner Mysore Deep Perfumery House (Zed Black), added. We are also working to create a clean environment for both tourists and locals. Aside from working with temples, we are in talks with various municipal corporations about collecting daily floral waste and wilted flowers and repurposing them into fragrant incense sticks under the MDPH brand "Nature Flower."

"The MOU with MDPH is vital as a popular National brand is thinking about waste management and making sure that this cause reaches the masses in the best way possible," said Karan Rastogi, Founder and Director of HelpUsGreen. Aside from preserving rivers and keeping holy places clean, we will work to create a circular economy around temple waste, thereby creating job opportunities. We will soon begin producing lifestyle products in India by upcycling monumental temple waste and making it sustainable."

"The plan is not only to recycle discarded flowers, but also to provide job opportunities." We will establish various collection centres across the country in order to create more employment opportunities for underprivileged women and have a positive impact on their lives. "The mission at hand is to have an impact on the lives of over 1000 people by the end of 2022," he added.

According to Anshul Agrawal, Managing Partner of Mysore Deep Perfumery House (Zed Black), "Zed Black has always provided innovative products to its customers, and this collaboration with Help Us Green is definitely a step in the right direction." With this new range of Nature Flower Incense Sticks & Dhoop Sticks made by Flower Recycling Technology, and at such a low price, it's an obvious choice for our customers who care about the environment."

The "Nature Flower" range is available in 4 natural fragrances, Sandal, Mogra, Kasturi, Rose and is available on leading ecommerce portals.