Circular Economy of Plastics in India: Assessing Achievements and Challenges (08:30 UTC)
Session Organiser: Zeenat Niazi
Institution: Development Alternatives Group
Location/Local Time: New Delhi (2 - 3pm)
Abstract:
In 2023, six organizations three each from India and Australia, convened by CSIRO launched a landmarked report - the “National Circular Economy Roadmap for Reducing Plastic Waste,” This report, a product of a three-year research collaboration between India and Australia aimed at guiding India’s transition to a circular plastics economy. The roadmap envisioned phasing out single-use plastics, boosting recycling rates from 13% to 67%, and reducing landfill waste by 30% by 2035. It also targeted tracking over 80% of currently unmanaged waste and driving large-scale behavioural shifts across households and businesses.
The roadmap had outlined four critical enablers of a circular plastic economy — (i) supporting infrastructure, (ii) consistent compliance, (iii) commercial viability, and (iv) awareness and readiness. Two years after the launch of the road map, it would be useful to assess the integration of the key enablers into national strategies and local action and enhance circularity across the plastics value chain.
There are encouraging reports of progress made in reducing plastic wastes in the economy. Initiatives like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), investment in recovery facilities, recycled-content standards, and stakeholder engagement indicate a movement towards waste reduction at the source, retention of material value, and resource conservation.
Against this backdrop, Development Alternatives and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) come together to reflect on how the policy landscape, institutional mechanisms, and industrial ecosystem have evolved the last two years. Panellists at the session will reflect on:
― Progress and Gaps - Progress made so far, identify persistent challenges, and propose actionable strategies to deepen circularity across the plastics value chain.
― Innovation Across the Chain - emerging innovations in material substitution, waste tracking technologies, collection systems, and recycling processes that are reshaping the sector.
― Citizen Engagement - Changing consumer behaviors around plastic use, disposal, and participation in circular initiatives that reflect the social dynamics driving the transition.
― Policy and Partnerships - Early outcomes from current policies, regulations, and partnerships, assessing their role in enabling systemic change and scaling circular solutions.
Facilitator: Zeenat Niazi (Chief Advisor Climate Resilience and Circular Economy Programmes, Development Alternatives)
Panellists:
- Souvik Bhattacharjya (Associate Director and Sr. Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute India) § Simran Talwar (Program Lead & Research Director at UTS Institute For Sustainable Futures) - tbc
- Anirban Ghosh (Head of Micro-Factories, UNSW, Australia) - tbc
- Wilma Rodrigues (Founder and Chief Transformation Officer, Sahaas Zero Waste) - - tbc
- Abhay Deshpande / Abhishek Deshpande (Founders Recykal Digital Solutions for Plastic Waste Management) - tbc
- Ashish Jain (Founder Director, Indian Pollution Control Association) - tbc
Join us for an insightful conversation between the researchers of the report and policy analysts and practitioners of plastic waste management in India.
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