Reflecting on the Past to Rebuild an Industry
Shriti Pandey standing in front of a building made with Strawcture's agro-bio materials

Reflecting on the Past to Rebuild an Industry

Reimagining new systems requires the knowledge to understand what problems you want to solve and the curiosity to know what approaches haven’t worked in the past.  As the Earth’s climate crisis looms toward ultimatum, Shriti Pandey is determined to reimagine and rebuild a construction industry that currently is responsible for nearly 40% of carbon emissions. The frame of moral imagination is a powerful point on the moral compass to help her do just that.

Shriti, wearing wire-rimmed glasses, her dark hair cut to a blunt edge, has always pursued unconventional dreams. Born a triplet and raised in the hills of Eastern India, Shriti grew up wanting to work in construction. After graduating to earn her first degree, Shriti worked in the industry for a few years and then traveled to earn a Master’s degree from New York University in construction management. And upon graduation, she found a prestigious job in the industry.

And then she got the itch: was this enough? Or was there something else to purpose?

As with everything, Shriti was determined to find out. She knew she had much to learn. Once she made the leap to seeking purpose, she also would soon discover how much she had to unlearn.

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Shriti and her team inside an interior being built with Strawcture's materials

In 2016 Shriti applied to – and won – a fellowship with the State Bank of India. A few months later, she was assigned to live for 13 months without holidays or breaks in a tribal area and given a vague remit to do something useful. 

There she faced just a few problems: Shriti didn’t speak the local language, so she couldn’t explain to people why she was there in the first place; even more important, her construction skills and passion for the craft turned out to be, Shriti said, “of little use to people I’d signed up to serve…So, I just paid attention and learned all I could.” She added humbly, “I did what the women needed me to do.”

This is the power of immersion: to see the world as it is and not impose our own ideals, prejudices or petty assumptions. Without a mandate to work in her area of expertise, Shriti became free to see the world from the perspective of community members, not herself. In other words, her moral imagination was ignited.

Shriti paid attention to what was around her. Each harvest, when farmers cleared their fields, a few inches of straw would remain sprouting from the earth from their wheat, paddy and sugarcane crops. The cheapest way to clear the waste was to burn it, leaving a thick blanket of polluting, unhealthy smoke over the village. Shriti wondered whether there might instead be an application for the straw. 

Meanwhile, her immersion also gave her time to be fascinated by the houses, most of which were constructed out of mud or straw. 

What if, she dared ask, she could make a strong, beautiful building material from the straw?

An image of Strawcture's agro-bio materials

From moral imagination to courage: Shriti identified a Czech company that was already manufacturing agro-bio bricks, particle boards and plywood. Using money saved while in New York, she traveled to see the company and brought back a container of straw, understanding she would be dealing with a hotter, more humid climate in India, yet not wanting the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

Shriti started small, experimented, failed and repeated until she had built a single guesthouse on her father’s land. The result? Success for everything but the concrete foundation and steel beams (and, of course, windows). Moreover, her construction materials created a net reduction in carbon. If commercialized, Shriti’s building materials could help revolutionize a critical but outdated industry in an interdependent, fragile world.

In 2019, Shriti’s company Strawcture Eco began manufacturing fiber panels made of agri-residue (straw) from rice husk, wheat, sugarcane and coconut for use in walls, doors, furniture and flooring.  As of the end of 2021, the company had served 50 customers across 11 states, installing a million square feet of materials to build schools, hospitals, and community centers. This year, Strawcture is on track to deliver more than 3 million square feet. And this is from just one small factory that purchases from 150 smallholder farmers. In the future, Shriti plans to install 10 factories, each one close to farmers to reduce transport costs, minimize carbon and enhance profit margins.

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This type of new economy company Strawcture is creating impacts all stakeholders. The earth sees carbon removed (3.6 kg for every square foot of material). Farmers gain 25% more than in previous years. Shareholders will see ample profits (with minimal equity, the company already operates profitably). And all of this is possible because a young woman, highly skilled and seeking a purpose greater than herself, dared to immerse in an environment wholly foreign to herself. 

Strawcture is the story of a young entrepreneurial leader who turned challenge into opportunity, saw the world around her anew–and took a risk to create a company that just might change an industry for good.


About Acumen

Acumen is changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas. We invest patient capital in businesses whose products and services are enabling the poor to transform their lives. Follow Jacqueline on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

Rebecca Caroe

B2B | Marketing | Fractional CMO

1y

I love reading these stories. Keep 'em coming please

Like
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Dee Doheny

Developing Community-Centric Nature Based Programs in West Africa Advisory Board Member @ IJBR | MBA, Project Management

1y

Excellent. An application for bamboo as well, I imagine.

Loved hearing about Shriti's journey when we visited her in Delhi this year. She demonstrates fearlessness and humility, expertise and curiosity. I came away so inspired by her and by her work!

Atima Chaturvedi

Business Consultant | Procurement Consultant | Engagement Lead | Aranca

1y

Great going sis Shriti - Amazing narrative capturing the essence of your inspiring journey 😍👍

Sue Heatherington

a way of seeing in a few good words 🌿

1y

Having the curiosity and humility to see the world anew and then the courage to try and do something with that sight. Thank you for the inspiration, encouragement and provocation Shriti Pandey and Jacqueline Novogratz 🌿

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