unWOOD

Satisfying several of the key mandates of circularity

1. Refuse – offer the functionalities but avoid use of virgin materials

2. Reduce – lower resource consumption and

3. Repurpose – upcycling from one function (packaging) to a different function (furniture). 

Each metric ton of unWOOD reuses around 500 kg of plastic waste and prevents the cutting of approximately 1.5 mature trees. In the past few months, unWOOD has saved equivalent of 43 Trees.

“My early work focused on complex mechanical systems, including contributions to the International Space Station for NASA.  I pioneered a concept called Fractional Conjugate Geometry, which became the foundation for designing energy-efficient, high-performance manufacturing systems that evolved into the Intelligent Compounding engine, a breakthrough that has allowed me to build STEER World into a global leader in advanced materials processing. But as the climate crisis deepened, I felt an urgent responsibility to redirect my over two decades of work on fundamental material science and flow manufacturing technology toward environmental and social challenges. This shift gave birth to enterprises like STEERLife, Phitons, and most recently, unWOOD, each using STEER’s platform to combat issues like plastic pollution, deforestation, microplastics, and malnutrition. With over 30 inventions and 150+ international patents, I remain driven by one simple goal: to help create a planet where future generations can truly thrive,” says Co-Founder Dr. Babu Padmanabhan.

Read the full story that first appeared in The New Indian Express dated August 3, 2025 here: