As a fourth-generation member of the promoter family, Avantika Saraogi, Executive Director of Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd (BCML), was entrusted with the task of identifying a new business stream for the group when she joined the company five-and-a-half years ago.

Since BCML was already one of the country’s leading sugar manufacturers with a significant presence in ethanol and renewable energy production, Saraogi sought something related—a product or by-product of sugarcane. She zeroed in on polylactic acid (PLA), a bioplastic made from sugar that can replace petroleum-derived conventional plastic. At the time, no one in India was manufacturing PLA, and its production required a highly complex chemical process. Accessing the technology, bringing in partners, and building the right team posed significant challenges.

It took four-and-a-half years for Saraogi to get board approval for her project. In February 2025, BCML announced a ₹2,850-crore capex for the establishment of India’s first greenfield industrial PLA biopolymer plant, with an annual production capacity of 80,000 tonnes.

“We are now going from a sugar and ethanol manufacturing company to a specialty chemicals firm—a biomaterials company,” says Saraogi, who also led the launch of BCML’s ‘Bioyug On Wheels’ campaign, a nationwide initiative to raise awareness about bioplastics.