Legrand India partners Maharashtra Government for biodegradable packaging challenge

INDIA – Group Legrand India has partnered with the Maharashtra government and two universities on the HiiVE Legrand Innovation Challenge, tasking students, researchers and startups with developing a Made-in-India packaging substitute exceeding 90 percent biodegradability.

The programme operates under Legrand’s corporate social responsibility framework and will be delivered by IICARE Foundation and the Environmental Forum of India. 

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere, and Shivaji University, Kolhapur, provide academic support. 

Participants drawn from student bodies, research institutions and early-stage ventures will work on packaging concepts intended to displace single-use plastics across industrial applications, with Legrand acting as industrial anchor for the wider HiiVE ecosystem. 

The platform is designed to connect laboratory research with commercial partners capable of scaling viable concepts, giving innovators access to industrial testing and market feedback that standalone academic projects rarely secure.

Joint Declaration Commits Partners to Commercialisation Path

A Joint Declaration of Cooperation signed at the formal launch by DBATU, Group Legrand India, IICARE Foundation, Lonere and Shivaji University, Kolhapur, establishes a framework for continued cooperation across research, innovation, incubation and commercialisation.

The agreement signals that outputs are expected to progress beyond concept stage toward market-ready formats, addressing a recurring weakness in sustainability hackathons where promising prototypes rarely advance to production. 

By formalising commitments across academic, philanthropic and industrial participants, the declaration creates accountability mechanisms that informal collaborations typically lack, including defined roles for incubation support and commercialisation pathways.

Government Official Cites Scalable Market-Ready Outcomes

Santosh Bhosale, joint secretary in the Maharashtra deputy chief minister’s office, said the challenge demonstrated how industry, academia and government could combine to translate ideas and research into impactful, scalable and market-ready solutions creating value for society, industry and the environment.

Electrical Packaging Poses Demanding Substitution Test

Tony Berland, chief executive and managing director of Group Legrand India, said sustainability was embedded in the company’s purpose and innovation approach. 

He added that the challenge aimed to unite industry expertise, academic research and entrepreneurial thinking behind practical alternatives to single-use plastics. 

For electrical equipment makers, packaging must protect cables, switches and fittings through transport and warehousing while remaining cost-competitive and compatible with automated handling. 

Achieving over 90 percent biodegradability without sacrificing structural performance represents a meaningful technical hurdle, and one that Legrand intends to solve through external innovation rather than in-house development alone.

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