From Engineering Dreams to Sustainable Enterprise

Every entrepreneur has a defining moment – one that shapes their vision for the future. For Nishank Shah, that moment came when his robotic arm project broke on jury day. What could have been a failure instead became his first lesson in resilience and risk-taking. Guided by his father’s words, “Be a lion or a sheep in the herd”, Nishank chose the path of courage, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

After completing his degree in Mechanical Engineering at Indus University, he pursued entrepreneurship at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India and began exploring multiple business ideas. One of his early ventures was trading imported plastic granules. While it gave him practical exposure to running a business, Nishank quickly realized that true success lies in building models with strong potential to scale, something this venture lacked. This insight pushed him to keep developing and testing different business models, from farm-fresh deliveries to ready-to-eat food ventures.

An internship at Sintex Industries, where he worked on waste management projects, gave him hands-on field exposure. It allowed him to visit sites, interact with rag pickers, and engage with informal waste managers, experiences that revealed the sheer scale and complexity of India’s waste management challenge. It was here that Nishank identified a glaring systemic gap: wet waste was being neglected, while dry waste found resale value.

This observation planted the seed for what would eventually become Duro Green Waste Management Pvt.Ltd.

The Birth Of Duro Green

On 22 March 2019, Duro Green was incorporated with a bold mission: to create structured, decentralized, and scalable solutions for wet waste management,  a problem that few dared to tackle.

Most players in the waste industry focus on dry waste like plastic, paper, and metals, because these materials hold resale value and can be stored for longer periods. Wet waste, by contrast, offers very little economic return. It is perishable, dirty, and time-sensitive, requiring immediate collection and processing. These operational challenges are the primary reason why many companies stay away from it.

Duro Green chose a differentiated path. Instead of avoiding wet waste, it built a model that:

• Provides on-site composting solutions supported by trained operators.
• Uses ERP-driven systems to ensure transparency, compliance, and accountability.
• Formalises an informal sector by offering structured waste solutions to industries, restaurants, food courts, residential societies, hospitals, and even large-scale events, helping bulk waste generators manage their food waste responsibly. 

This model not only addresses pressing urban challenges but also ensures that clients remain fully compliant with environmental regulations. Durogreen supports these missions, including the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and the Swach Sarvekshan, as well as initiatives targeting bulk waste generators.

Importantly, Duro Green today caters to both mandated markets (where compliance with waste rules is compulsory) and non-mandated markets (forward-looking organisations that adopt sustainable practices voluntarily). This dual approach allows the company to build scale while creating impact across different sectors.

The Journey

Duro Green is a product of extensive research, development, experimentation, and innovation.

• 2019-2020: Extensive pilots were conducted in residential societies, university campuses, and commercial spaces. Different composting technologies were adopted to achieve consistency in compost quality and ease customer experience. While several methods failed, it laid a foundation enabling Duro Green to process large quantities of food waste.
  
  – Some profits accrued and spent on advisors for creating the right foundation.
  – Investing 20 lacs and developing a new product from drawing with the help of a product designer
  – Understood the Importance of co-foundership and a good team.
  – worked with 150+ clients.
  
  
• 2020-2021: An extensive mapping of stakeholders helped Duro Green to identify its niche customer segment. A unique, asset-light model was designed, enabling multistakeholder participation. This led to an expansion into larger institutional setups and collaborations with municipalities, especially a foot in the door of  Surat and Ahmedabad.
  – Did a detailed business model of Durogreen.
  – understood how ventures are scaled.
  – During the COVID period, the business was operational, and the actual tests of this business happened. They made profits even in this period of lockdown, which helped them understand their own business better.
  – Worked with 250+ clients.
   
• Today, Duro Green collaborates with the local municipal corporation and helps them implement policies for bulk waste generators, reducing their burden of waste management and supporting the industries and commercial establishments in fulfilling their environmental compliance by processing food waste. Having achieved authorization from corporations across Gujarat, Duro Green serves industries, PSUs, builders, societies, and food outlets. Duro Green has worked with 400+ clients across India.

The company has already installed composting machines with capacities ranging from 50 to 1,000 kg/day and built SOP-driven systems that make wet waste management transparent, efficient, and scalable.

Services & Business Offerings

Duro Green’s portfolio of services is designed to address diverse client needs:

• Operation & Maintenance (O&M): Providing expertise, knowledge, and trained staff for on-site waste management and machine upkeep.

• Composting Machines: Installation and supply of shredders and OWC units.

• Mobile Waste Management: Centralized waste management systems for industries and institutions.

• Compost & Manure Sales: An upcoming vertical to promote circular economy products.

For clients, this means outsourcing operational burdens while ensuring compliance and contributing to sustainability goals.

Impact That Matters

Since its inception, Duro Green has delivered measurable environmental and social impact:

• 12,775 MT of waste diverted from landfills.
• 10.67 lakh kg methane emissions avoided.
• 70+ green jobs created.

Recognition includes:

• Certificate of Recognition by the Governor of Gujarat.
• Swachchta Mission Prashansapatra from Surat Municipal Corporation.
• Runner-Up at Tiecon Vadodara 2023.
• Featured by the World Economic Forum.

A notable case study was the Ambaji Bhadarvi Poonam Fair 2025, where Duro Green managed 57 tons of food waste generated by 40.4 lakh pilgrims during a 7-day event. Beyond handling massive volumes of waste efficiently, the company also created 25 local green jobs, setting a benchmark for sustainable event management in India. 

Challenges & Learnings

Like every startup, Duro Green faced significant challenges:

• Mindset Barrier: Convincing clients to pay for proper waste handling.
• Talent Acquisition: Finding skilled and accountable team members.
• Funding: Securing capital for experimentation and scaling.
• Operational Consistency: Maintaining service quality across multiple cities.

Key entrepreneurial lessons Nishank highlights are:

• Don’t overthink – leap and adapt quickly.
• Mentorship can redefine your journey.
• Success demands patience, persistence, and adaptability.

Vision & Future Roadmap

Looking ahead, Duro Green has set ambitious goals:

• Commissioning its first Bio-CNG plant.
• Launching commercial compost verticals.
• Expanding operations to seven new cities across India.
• Offering real-time dashboards for clients to track waste diversion.
• Targeting Rs 100 crore revenue and preparing for an IPO within three years.

This vision positions Duro Green not just as a waste management company but as a pioneer of sustainable business ecosystems.

A Message to Entrepreneurs & Society

“Drive your business with profits at the core. A sustainable business needs both impact and profitability. Focus on quality, keep innovating, even small improvements can create big change. Stay patient, persistent, and never stop moving forward.” – Nishank Shah

Its journey proves that the strongest businesses of tomorrow will be those that align profitability with environmental and social impact.

At Gujprenuer, we celebrate entrepreneurs who are not just building businesses but also building a better future. Duro Green exemplifies how Gujarat’s entrepreneurial spirit is driving sustainability at scale.