Author: Ankitt Y, November 14, 2026 – India’s circular-economy and waste-management sector has attracted a prominent new investor. Former Indian cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar has invested in Hyderabad-based Recykal, joining the company as a strategic investor and extending its previously announced $23 million bridge funding round.
- Why Sachin Tendulkar Invested in Recykal
- What Recykal Does: Technology for Waste Collection and Recycling
- Recykal Expands Deposit Return Systems Across India
- Recykal Financial Performance: FY26 Revenue Grows 53.2%
- Inside Recykal’s $23 Million Bridge Funding Round
- Why India’s EPR Framework Creates Opportunities for Recykal
- Why Sachin Tendulkar’s Recykal Investment Matters for India’s ESG Ecosystem
- What to Watch Next
- Conclusion: Can Technology Transform India’s Waste Management Sector?
Founded in 2015, Recykal uses digital technology to connect businesses, waste collectors, aggregators and recycling companies. Its platform focuses on improving waste collection, recycling traceability and compliance with India’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework.
Tendulkar’s investment comes at an important stage in the company’s growth. Recykal reported gross revenue of ₹1,498 crore in FY26, representing an increase of 53.2% over the previous financial year. It is also expanding its Deposit Return System (DRS) initiatives, which encourage consumers to return packaging and beverage containers for recovery and recycling.
The development brings greater attention to the role of technology, consumer participation and private investment in strengthening India’s waste-management infrastructure.
Why Sachin Tendulkar Invested in Recykal
Tendulkar’s investment reflects an interest in technology-led solutions to everyday environmental challenges, particularly the collection and recovery of waste.
Recykal’s business model combines digital marketplaces, recycling networks and technology-enabled collection systems. Rather than focusing exclusively on waste processing, the company works across different stages of the recycling value chain.
The platform connects brands and producers with recyclers, aggregators and waste collectors, helping businesses track waste recovery and meet their regulatory responsibilities.
Tendulkar has highlighted the potential of technology to address everyday problems, while Recykal co-founder and CEO Abhay Deshpande has emphasised the importance of combining technology, logistics and behavioural change to improve packaging recovery.
The investment also adds a high-profile public figure to India’s growing circular-economy ecosystem.
What Recykal Does: Technology for Waste Collection and Recycling
Recykal operates a digital platform designed to make waste management more organised, traceable and efficient.
Its services support companies dealing with Extended Producer Responsibility requirements, particularly in plastic packaging and electronic waste.
Under EPR regulations, obligated producers and brand owners must meet prescribed waste collection and recycling responsibilities. Technology platforms can help businesses connect with authorised waste-management partners and maintain records of recovery and recycling activities.
Recykal’s network includes:
- More than 650 enterprise brand partners, including Hindustan Unilever, Samsung and BMW.
- Over 5,000 aggregators and recyclers.
- More than 3 million metric tonnes of waste channelled through its network, according to the company.
The platform aims to create a more connected waste-management ecosystem by bringing together businesses, recycling operators and collection networks.
Its technology infrastructure also supports traceability and documentation, which are increasingly important for companies seeking to demonstrate compliance with environmental regulations.
Recykal Expands Deposit Return Systems Across India
One of Recykal’s important growth areas is its Deposit Return System, or DRS.
Under this model, consumers pay a refundable deposit when purchasing a packaged product. They receive the deposit back when they return the empty container through an eligible collection point.
The approach creates a direct financial incentive for consumers to return packaging instead of disposing of it as general waste.
Recykal has expanded its deposit-return initiatives across several Indian states, including:
- Goa
- Himachal Pradesh
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
The company has also undertaken a pilot initiative in Bhutan and operates a bottle-return unit with liquor retailer TASMAC in Chennai.
Recykal manufactures AI-enabled reverse vending machines in India to support automated collection and recovery. These systems can help make packaging returns more convenient and improve the efficiency of collection operations.
The wider objective is to strengthen the connection between consumer behaviour, packaging recovery and recycling infrastructure.
Recykal Financial Performance: FY26 Revenue Grows 53.2%
The company’s financial performance provides further context for Tendulkar’s investment.
Recykal recorded gross revenue of ₹1,498 crore in FY26, compared with ₹978 crore in FY25, representing growth of 53.2%.
Its reported net loss stood at ₹60 crore in FY26. However, the loss as a proportion of gross revenue declined to 4%, compared with 5.7% in the previous financial year.
| Financial metric | FY26 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue | ₹1,498 crore | ₹978 crore |
| Revenue growth | 53.2% | — |
| Net loss | ₹60 crore | Not specified |
| Loss as a share of gross revenue | 4% | 5.7% |
The figures indicate that revenue has expanded while the company’s loss ratio has narrowed.
For a business operating across waste collection, recycling networks and technology infrastructure, continued growth will depend on managing operating costs while expanding its geographical reach and transaction volumes.
The ability to improve profitability as the business scales will remain an important indicator for investors.
Inside Recykal’s $23 Million Bridge Funding Round
Tendulkar’s investment extends a $23 million bridge round that was completed in June 2026.
The funding round comprised two components:
- $17.6 million in primary equity: Capital raised by the company.
- $5.4 million in secondary share sales: Transactions involving existing shareholders.
The round included participation from existing institutional investors and new family offices.
Recykal had previously raised ₹110 crore in a pre-Series B funding round from 360 ONE Asset Management in April 2024. Its earlier investors also included funds managed by Morgan Stanley India.
The June 2026 transaction also enabled climate-focused investor Circulate Capital to exit its position. Reports cited in the supplied source material indicate that the exit generated a return of close to five times its original investment.
The extended funding round highlights investor interest in businesses that combine environmental objectives with technology-enabled commercial operations.
Why India’s EPR Framework Creates Opportunities for Recykal
India’s Extended Producer Responsibility framework has increased the importance of organised waste collection, recycling and compliance tracking.
Companies responsible for plastic packaging and electronic products have regulatory obligations relating to the collection and recycling of waste generated by their products.
Meeting these requirements involves more than simply arranging waste disposal. Businesses need reliable collection networks, recycling partners and documentation that demonstrates how waste is being processed.
This creates demand for digital platforms that can connect different participants in the waste-management value chain.
Recykal operates within this emerging market by providing technology and network infrastructure to support waste recovery and compliance-related activities.
Its Deposit Return System initiatives take the approach further by encouraging consumers to participate directly in the collection process.
While EPR creates obligations for producers, deposit-return models can help create incentives for consumers. Together, these approaches can support stronger packaging recovery systems.
Why Sachin Tendulkar’s Recykal Investment Matters for India’s ESG Ecosystem
Tendulkar’s investment is significant not only because of his public profile but also because it draws attention to the commercial potential of India’s circular-economy sector.
Waste management is increasingly becoming a technology and infrastructure opportunity. Digital traceability, automated collection, reverse vending machines and organised recycling networks can help improve the efficiency of packaging recovery.
Recykal’s growth also highlights the role of private capital in developing solutions that connect environmental compliance with scalable business models.
For companies managing large packaging volumes, reliable waste recovery systems can become an important part of their sustainability and regulatory strategies.
For consumers, Deposit Return Systems offer a practical way to participate in recycling through financial incentives and accessible return points.
The next challenge will be expanding these systems, improving collection-point density and ensuring that recovered materials reach appropriate recycling facilities.
What to Watch Next
Recykal’s future progress will depend on how effectively it expands its operations and improves its financial performance.
1. Expansion of Deposit Return Systems
The geographical reach of its deposit-return initiatives will be important in determining how widely the model can be adopted across India’s retail and consumer markets.
2. Growth in EPR compliance services
Increasing demand for traceable recycling and waste-recovery documentation could create further opportunities for the company’s digital platform.
3. Financial performance in FY27
Investors will be watching whether revenue growth continues and the loss-to-revenue ratio declines further.
4. Consumer participation
Deposit-return systems depend on convenient collection infrastructure and consistent consumer participation. Their success will require both.
5. Technology-led waste recovery
The deployment of AI-enabled reverse vending machines and improved digital tracking could strengthen the company’s operating model.
Conclusion: Can Technology Transform India’s Waste Management Sector?
Sachin Tendulkar’s investment in Recykal brings fresh attention to India’s expanding waste-management technology market.
The company’s 53.2% revenue growth in FY26, its network of enterprise partners and its expansion into Deposit Return Systems illustrate how technology can support more organised waste recovery and recycling.
However, the long-term opportunity will depend on the ability to scale collection infrastructure, increase consumer participation and move towards sustainable profitability.
As India strengthens its circular-economy ambitions, businesses that can connect producers, consumers, recyclers and waste collectors through reliable technology platforms could play an increasingly important role.
The larger question is whether technology-led platforms such as Recykal can help turn India’s waste-management challenges into scalable circular-economy opportunities.
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