Hyderabad: After working in the telecom industry for five years before taking a 15-year break, the 48-year-old Aruna Dara did not shy away from setting up her own business, Apna Green Products, which deals with sustainable sanitary napkins.
Aruna chanced upon this idea when she and her friend were researching the hazardous use of plastic sanitary napkins and their environmental effects. They came up with the idea of using biodegradable sanitary napkins and thus started Apna Green Products in 2019.
“We both first started gaining knowledge about the environmental hazards that the existing plastic sanitary napkins cause. And when we spoke to many girls in tier-2 and 3 cities, we realised that there is a lack of awareness in using these napkins. That is when we thought of solving two problems with one solution. While our sanitary napkins are chemical-free and plastic-free, the units that we have are run by women of the local community and we are supporting many sick units,” Aruna was quoted by Telangana Today.
Apna Green Products currently has three branches spread across Telangana – Wanaparthy, Siddipet and Nirmal. It also has a branch in Jharkhand.
Apart from rejuvenating sick units in Telangana and collaborating with over 20 NGOs, the company has tie-ups with various schools where they provide biodegradable napkins to students.
Aruna says that her company which is an SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) is also a part of the international giant Walmart’s Vriddhi programme. This has helped her get access to the e-commerce market and inputs on supply chains and logistics. A proud Aruna says, “I have registered my company on Flipkart and e-commerce gets 10 percent of the interest.”
What is Walmart’s Vriddhi programme:
The programme was launched in 2019. It aims at providing free direct training to 50,000 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The training involves business skills necessary to succeed as a supplier to Walmart, Flipkart, and other global marketplace platforms.
