BW Businessworld and BW SustainabilityWorld’s awards recognise the contributions and work of the changemakers in the recycling industry, providing a platform for insightful panel discussions

The 2^nd edition of the Recycling For A Greener Tomorrow Conclave & Awards concluded on the 30^th of January 2024 at India International Centre, New Delhi recognising the stalwarts and budding entrepreneurs of the recycling industry. BW Businessworld organised the event to gauge the opinions of a diverse group of industry experts, start-ups, government officials, non-governmental organisations, and United Nations representatives to embark on a path to a ‘Zero-Waste Nation’, which was the theme of this edition.

The event held multiple panel discussions on topics spanning from waste management, circular economy, influencing consumer behaviour towards responsible consumption, innovations for managing plastic waste, and more.

Some of the important discussions were; ‘ESG in Waste Management: Aligning Environmental, Social, and Governance Practices’ had panellists such as Gauri Sarin, Founder, Making Model Gurugram- Bhumijaa & Living without Medicine, Avinash Kumar, Executive Director, Earthood Services, B K Soni, CMD, Eco Recycling, Varun Chopra, Executive Chairman, Gemini Equipment and Rentals; and Gayatri Chauhan, Founder and CEO, BuzzOnEarth talked about the role of ESG in waste management and India’s commitment to becoming net zero by 2070.

‘Harmonizing Energy and Resources: A Sustainable Approach to Waste’ had panellists such as Bineesha Payattati, MRAI and Executive Director, International Institute of Waste Management, Rohit Kumar Maskara, Project Manager, Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Onkar Siddeshwar, Engineering Lead & Founding Member, Craste, Tanya Singhal, Founder, Mynzo Carbon & Solararise, and Babu Padmanabhan, Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer, STEER World who stressed “If you want to make this world a better place, we must worry about harnessing energy and resources correctly” driving the audience to the meaning of sustainability – the capacity to sustain or continue a process over an extended period of time.

‘From Production to Recycling: Unveiling Effective EPR Strategies’ had panellists such as Sanchita Jindal, Former Adviser (Scientist G), Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Nikeeta N Jaiin, CEO, Vardhaman Auto Recycling, Hitesh Sharma, South Asia Lead- Sustainable Impact & Compliance, APJ Region Domain Lead- Circular Economy, HP Inc., Ashish Jain, Director, Indian Pollution Control Association who talked about how companies are embracing their environmental responsibilities and working towards a more sustainable future by employing EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility (strategies).

‘Beyond Recycling: Circular Innovations for a Sustainable Waste Future’ had panellists such as Dr. Suneel Pandey, Director- Environment & Waste Management, TERI, Sonia Nain, Head-Sustainability Projects, The Kabadiwala, Sudhir Singh Pundir, COO, 3R Zero Waste, Shalini Goyal Bhalla, Managing Director, International Council for Circular Economy, S R Pejavar, CEO, Zecomy who talked about waste mapping, price discovery, and integration into clients’ designs for sustainable practices, promising case studies on industries adopting these principles and emphasised genuine collaboration in adopting circular practices, moving beyond mere greenwashing.

‘Plastic Waste Reduction Strategies: From Packaging to Consumer Behaviour’ had panellists such as Sudhir Mishra, Founder & Managing Partner, Trust Legal, Angad Khanna, Waste Warrior, Waste Warriors Society, N. Raghuram, Co-Founder and Director, Green Recykloplast Solutions, Nitin Agarwal, Chief Strategy Officer, Pashupati Group, Sharang Ambadkar, Founder & Managing Partner, FeelGood EcoNurture LLP who shed light on the imperative requirement for collaboration among stakeholders to address the escalating concerns surrounding plastic pollution.

‘Urban Mining: From Waste to Resource’ had panellists such as Ashutosh Joshi, CEO, Glasspower Recycling & Glasspower Group, Shobha Raghavan, Chief Operating Officer, Saahas Zero Waste, Dr Harveen Kaur, Environment Consultant (Specializes in E-waste), Utkarsh Singh, Co-founder, and CEO, BatX Energies, Manish Agarwal, CEO, Vrindavan Plastics Industries who stressed the urgency of urban mining for sustainable resource management, emphasising responsible consumption.

The event also saw three special addresses by Dr. Sandip Chatterjee, Scientist ‘G’ & Senior Director, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, Dr. Sameer Joshi, Vice-Chairman, Indian Plastics Institute, Acclaimed Polymer Technologist and Expert in Plastic Recycling, and Divya Datt, Deputy Head, United Nations Environment Programme.

Stressing on ‘Transforming E-Waste: India’s Digital Revolution Sustainability Drive’, Dr Chatterjee said, “India is going to become a USD 7 trillion economy, as Finance Minister stated recently, and 25 per cent of this is going to be digital economy. And, the digital economy is not possible without electronics.”

Addressing the audience, Dr Joshi spoke about ‘Global Plastic Treaty and the Plastic Industry: What’s Next?’ and said, “The treaty is set to be activated when the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) reconvenes in 2025, marking a crucial milestone in global efforts to tackle plastic pollution”.

Marking a closure to the conclave, Ms Datt addressed the need for collective action for tackling waste and stressed the need for joint efforts in addressing the triple planetary crisis and invited industry representatives to engage in UNEP’s stakeholder consultations. She affirmed, “There is no silver bullet to addressing plastics,” emphasising the significance of collective action.

The day concluded with the Award ceremony recognising the experts, big corporations, start-ups, and individuals Under 30 and Under 40 for their remarkable contributions in the recycling space. The winners were facilitated by Dr Annurag Batra, Chairman & Editor In Chief, BW Businessworld and Founder, Exchange4media; Gauri Sarin, Founder, Making Model Gurugram- Bhumijaa & Living without Medicine; Ashutosh Joshi, CEO, Glasspower Recycling & Glasspower Group; and Divya Datt, Deputy Head, United Nations Environment Programme.