Mr Darshan Parekh did his education in Australia and came back to India to join his family business. Mr Darshan Parekh is the company's third generation owner. The business was established by his grandfather. They were in the business of gasket, sealing and insulation products.

Asbestos-based gaskets were used back then to create a tight seal between pipes or pieces of machinery in engines and heavy industry.

Mr Darshan Parekh conducted extensive research on the negative effects of using asbestos-based products. His awareness of asbestos-related diseases compelled him to seek alternatives to the toxic material.

Asbestos has been used for centuries because it is cheap and long-lasting. Finding a substitute and turning it into a commercial success was not an easy task for a small business. This involved huge investments, educating buyers, and a shift in behavior and culture.

Mr Darshan Parekh was driven by a sense of purpose. In 2014 he went ahead and established a Non-Asbestos Policy across his company. He started the customer and government reach outs.

He became a strong voice in the industry and against the usage of asbestos based products.

He worked with a European company to bring cutting-edge technology to India. He established a new 7000-square-feett manufacturing facility in Thane, a Mumbai suburb.

In the next 2-3 years he made continuous investments in upgrading his facilities. All of these had a huge impact on the finances but it slowly started to payoff.

Today PGE Industries makes a wide range of non-asbestos based sealing and insulation products that includes Rubber sheets, PTFE moulded items, welding blanket, spiral wound gaskets, Furnax insulation, Graphite Sheets, Ceramic Insulation, Cut Gasket etc.

It is generally perceived that business owners' decisions are driven by self interest or pure profit motive.

Here, Mr Darshan Parekh completely reinvented his business keeping in mind a higher purpose of manufacturing environmentally friendly substitutes. He aimed to make India Asbestos-Free. He put a lot on the line in order to give society a safe product.

Mr Darshan Parekh's journey exemplifies the intersection of purpose and profit.