Waste management startup Blue Planet secures $25m from Japan’s Nomura

By the end of 2030, Asia will account for more than half of the world’s middle-class consumption. Managing solid waste, particularly plastic and organic waste, is becoming a key challenge for the developing nations in the region, Singapore-based waste management company Blue Planet Environmental Solutions said.

Blue Planet today announced that it has raised US$25 million from Japanese investment bank Nomura to invest more in sustainable solutions.

Photo credit: Blue Planet Environmental Solutions

The company, which was established in 2017, uses technology and IP-based end-to-end waste management solutions to separate and upcycle waste into commercially valuable products.

Blue Planet’s services include converting organic waste into energy and compost, converting single-use plastics to fuel oil, recycling geopolymer concrete blocks made from inert waste, and recovering precious metals from electronic waste using a non-hazardous chemical process.

It does all of these with the help of companies it has acquired in the past 17 months. These include Malaysia-based Globecycle Holding for industrial waste, Rudra Environmental Solutions for plastic waste, Yasasu Environmental Management Services for mixed municipal waste, India-based Xeon Waste Managers for organic waste, Virtus Concrete Solutions for inert waste, and UK-based Smart Creative Technologies for electronic waste.

“The recent investment by Nomura will help Blue Planet expand our products and services and provide circular economy solutions for sustainable waste management,” said Madhujeet Chimni, co-founder of Blue Planet.

Aadit Seshasayee, head of Nomura Loans and Principal Investments in Asia, said that the investment is in line with Nomura’s focus on environmental, social, and governance opportunities.

According to the United Nations, Asia is falling behind in three key sustainable development goals, namely clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, and responsible consumption and production. Blue Planet aims to help organizations and countries improve in these areas.

The company previously received investments from Malaysia-based OSK Ventures and private equity Neev Fund, which is backed by the State Bank of India and the UK’s Department for International Development.

Blue Planet has offices in India, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the UK.