Premium

Pune Inc: How the Shroff sisters broke a glass ceiling while helping build a green future

Ankita Shroff Sarda and Pranati Shroff Munot founded Sustain and Save, which offers services such as green building certification, environmental product declaration, and carbon footprint analysis.

4 min readDec 2, 2025 04:53 PM IST

Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Namrata Dhamankar , Ankita Sarda and Pranati Munot

Growing up in a business family, Ankita Shroff Sarda would ask her older sister Pranati Shroff Munot, “Why do we have Tata Sons and Kirloskar Brothers but so few women leaders making waves in any industry? Why can’t we have the Shrff sisters?”

As 2025 comes to a close, the sisters can look back at their childhood prattle with fondness. The Shroff sisters, along with Namrata Dhamankar, have been working on sustainable practices in the built environment for more than 15 years.

They are now founders and leaders of an environmental consultancy firm, Sustain and Save. The firm offers services, such as green building certification, life cycle analysis, environmental product declaration and carbon footprint analysis.

Pranati, an architect, is a green building consultant who had another startup that has been merged into Sustain and Save. Ankita, an engineer with an MBA, founded a chemical startup and sold it in 2019. Both have a fellowship in sustainable businesses and responsible leadership from the Swedish Institute under their belts.

“Inspired by the Swedish sustainability story, we wanted to make an impact and work purely on Sustainability,” says Pranati. People have asked us if we wanted to carry the family legacy, but building something along with it gives us more of a fire in the belly,” says Ankita.

Significantly, the sisters entered the field when there was little concern about climate change. “We noticed that, after Covid, people have become really conscious, from the developers to the consumers. The government, too, is implementing several laws,” says Pranati.

Ensuring compliance

The construction industry is expanding across the country, as Pune is only too aware. The United Nations Environment Programme says that “the buildings and construction sector is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for a staggering 37 per cent of global emissions”.

Story continues below this ad

Sustain and Save spent much of 2025 test-driving an innovative technology. Two months ago, they launched the platform, Staq, to solve the incessant problem in the real estate industry: mounds of paperwork and the need to collect documents and data before one can begin calculating whether a project is green.

On the app, one can upload photos and other data to get an assessment of whether the project is meeting safety compliance or site efficiency regulations, among others. “There is real-time monitoring of the progress of the site. Among the features is that one can capture data, get a dashboard that allows a CEO or project manager, wherever in the world they are sitting, to get an update, whether it is about the consumption of energy or its savings,” says Dhamankar.

The app focuses on ensuring that, from the inception of a project through its completion and into its operations, the entire life cycle can be monitored. A builder or any other authority can understand the total savings or consumptions at different levels.

“What we realise is that everybody wants to go the sustainable way but don’t always have the knowledge about what is the green quotient,” says Pranati.

Story continues below this ad

“If a builder is working on a sewage treatment Plant, they need to know how much water will be recycled in the particular society, how much energy will be saved by bringing in renewable energy to the project, or what must be done to reduce waste or recycle waste on site.”

Complementing each other

While Pranati is technically sound, Ankita is good with numbers. “It feels great to be heading a startup together. This was our dream,” says Pranati.

They talk business, thinking about how to grow and be better together. Pranati will wake Ankita up at 5 am with a list of things still left to do.

“We complement each other very well. Obviously, we have our fights. It’s very normal,” says Ankita. Heading into the new year, Pranati says, “Our target is to have 200 projects on the platform as a starting point for 2026.”

Dipanita Nath

Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life. Professional Background Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint. Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series). Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season: 1. Climate & Environment "Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week. "How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site. "Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner. 2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage "Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle. "Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport. "The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle. 3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc" "Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema. "Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups. "How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor. Signature Style Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune. X (Twitter): @dipanitanath ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Loading Taboola...