Rymbal at PU Tech 2025: Mission to Redefine Material Science

In a world deeply focused on sustainability, innovations most of the time lie at the junction of industrial advancement and environmental responsibility. At the recent PU Tech 2025, held at the India Expo Centre in Greater Noida. Where industry giants gathered to unveil tomorrow's technologies. One innovation emerged from the house of Rymbal—a name glowing in India's polyurethane landscape. I had the opportunity to have a frank discussion with the co-founder and director of Rymbal, Mr. Neeraj Garg. The conversation delves deeper into the company's groundbreaking introduction of Fluid X—a 100% recyclable polyurethane system—and how Rymbal is redefining material science with eco-conscious engineering. The interesting part of the conversation was not only about materials but about the mindsets—it's about a company that is converting polyurethane waste as an opportunity by generating commercial value from it.

Here are the edited excerpts:

Q1. What is Rymbal all about? What market gap are you trying to fill? 

Mr. Neeraj: We started Rymbal in 2019, just before COVID. And we started with a small idea to make sustainable products because most polymers are toxic, non-recyclable, and heavily petroleum-based products, which contain benzene. We first planned to remove toxins from the formulas, then we began recycling. Last year, we completed the entire R&D work and commercialized this product under the brand name of Renew, which means the products come from recycled raw materials. Today, no feedstock goes to waste, whether it is processed waste or post-consumer waste. We have also designed bio-based polymers, where the feedstock is derived from plants. Where raw materials are extracted from the plant source, and then we make the polymers. 

And recently, we launched a product at this exhibition called FluideX. It is a fully recyclable polymer that can be recycled in any factory, meaning anyone can recycle it without external reliance. I mean that current conventional polymers are, firstly, non-recyclable. Those can be recycled using very special technology, which we have developed, but there is a dependency on us. We can only recycle that product. But the new technology that we have developed is fully recyclable. Anyone can recycle this product in their factory.

Q2. We have observed that Rymbal has often exhibited its R&D efforts. Can you share some innovations that set your product apart?

Mr. Neeraj: Okay. So there are two kinds of innovation that we are doing. One is that whatever India is consuming in terms of polythene is not designed for India. The companies that are making polythene are largely European and American. They designed this product for the European market. And India being a smaller market, they sell whatever they are selling in Europe; they are selling in India as well. But these products are not designed to work in the hot and humid climate conditions of India. So we design a product that can work in Indian climate conditions, which is for Indian consumers, and that can work in humidity, high temperature, low temperature, all the heat waves and heat cycles, and cold cycles.

So the products are designed to work in any climatic condition. Secondly, we design the product for better comfort, like one of our products, which we designed. It's giving a 60% rebound. And more rebound means more comfort. I mean, if you are walking and the rebound is lower, then you will have a lot of fatigue. Mean, your current footwear will not have more than 30% rebound. So, 30 to 40% is the average that we are giving. Even the best-branded sports shoe can give up to 50%, but not more than that. We have designed the product for a 60-65 % rebound. That is unique. The second part is that we designed the product for recyclability, which can be easily recycled. We designed a bio-based product that emits a lower carbon footprint. So if you know that the Earth's temperature is rising. And it is rising because of an excess of CO₂, carbon dioxide.

So, these global greenhouse gases, which are being emitted by the industry, especially the chemical and polymer industry, are rising. And that's why our stress temperature is rising, which is giving a lot of trouble, especially heat cycles, cold cycles, and weather unpredictability. So we have designed polymers that come from plant-based raw materials. Those will have carbon fluid lower as low as only 20 or 30% of what conventional pollutants give. So there's a scope of lower ozone depletion. And then the potential of global warming is lower, then lower toxins and better soil quality. So this is what we are innovating and delivering to our customers. 

Q3. You have highlighted how your product is effective for the ongoing climate conditions. Your company converts polyurethane waste for commercial use. How does this process work? 

Mr. Neeraj: What we have done is we have signed an MOU with our customer. They give us the waste, their process waste, or they collect the post-consumer waste from the market. They give to us. We recycle the waste by using our technology and extracting the raw materials. And from those raw materials, we make the new version of polyurethane, which we supply to our customers, and they make the shoes out of it. They don't need to invest anything in their plant. The same mould, the same machinery, and the same infrastructure can be used for making footwear with recycled materials. And the performance of recycled materials is better, at least the same, or sometimes even better.

Q4. How does Rymbal plan to stay ahead in a market dominated by large global players?

Mr. Neeraj: What we have done already sets us apart and far ahead. One is technology, in that what we are selling is ahead of what our competition is offering. That is one. Second, customised products that are designed for Indian climate conditions and Indian customers. Then, the third is what we have designed. For the European market, we have designed a product that is for the European market. But those we have not commercialized yet, we are commercializing now. And fourth is the speed. Our speed of innovation is very fast. So that set us apart. 

Q5. I will wrap up this conversation with the final question: as you are the co-founder of this company, in this highly technical and competitive world, what are the challenges that don't let you sleep at night? 

You know, I feel bad about what people are doing. Companies that are responsible for saving their environment are spoiling it. Sailing means reducing the cost; they are cutting down on their products and technology, and selling very cheap and bad stuff in the market. I think changing the mindset of the customer is the biggest challenge. And, you know, our fight is with ourselves—that we keep on upgrading our product, our technology, and we make ourselves so sharp that we stay ahead of the market. So I think that is the biggest challenge that we have, and although it is a challenge, it gives us the energy to do more. 

Conclusion

As there is a buzz for greener alternatives in the industries, Rymbal is trying to stand at the forefront of India's material revolution, where sustainability meets performance. The company's innovative advancements, like FluidX and Renew, are trying to address India's unique climatic conditions by redefining the lifecycle of polyurethane products. In an era where profit often overshadows environmental accountability, Mr. Neeraj Garg's vision dares to lead the future of material science, which is not about what we create, but how consciously we create it.