In his address at the CII’s 9th International Conference on Waste to Worth, Shri Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of India, stated that while we focus on Viksit Bharat, we need to also focus on Green and Sustainable Bharat. A circular economy aims to minimize waste by focusing on recycling, reusing, and reducing waste at every stage — from product design to end-of-life management. The goal is to achieve “zero waste” and ensure eco-friendly production. We need to create such a skilled workforce which will help in processing, recycling technology, and eco-friendly product design. He also called not to treat waste as a burden but as a resource.
He further highlighted several Government policies related to Waste to Worth including Plastic Waste Management Rules, Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, Battery Waste Management Rules, E-Waste Management Rules, Ash Utilization notification, Motor Vehicle Registration and Scrap Policy etc. He further emphasized that effective waste management is important for economic resilience, environment sustainability and social security.
In his message at the Inaugural Session, Shri Tokhan Sahu, Hon’ble Minister of State for Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs called for focussing on turning adversity into opportunity through the principles of waste to worth. He further stated that the Government is taking significant initiative and policies for fast tracking development of cities and states. Waste scrap is an important medium to transform cities into smart cities and the National Circular Framework developed by CII is a step in this direction.
While addressing the gathering at the Inaugural Session, Shri Baldeo Purusharth, Joint Secretary (ISD), Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India stated that India is making significant progress in achieving a circular economy and addressing plastic waste through global collaboration and innovative initiatives. He further emphasized a need to have a system in place to recognise waste to worth solutions identified by children, by people who do not have formal degrees, experience, or knowledge. Through the collective efforts of the government, industry, and citizens, we can position India as a global leader in sustainable development initiatives.
In his address, Mr Masood Mallick, Chairman, CII National Committee on Waste to Worth Technologies, Managing Director & CEO, Re Sustainability stated that renewable energy alone cannot achieve our net zero goals, as over 40% of our carbon footprint is embedded in materials such as steel, glass, wood, concrete, and plastics. To bridge this gap, we must focus on decarbonizing these materials through innovative recycling and resource recovery practices, transforming waste into valuable inputs for a sustainable future.
The Conference witnessed the release of the second edition of the National Circular Economy Framework (NCEF) that has been formulated by CII to provide guidance on developing new business models of waste management. NCEF emphasizes life cycle assessment to strengthen understanding of circular principles and promote innovation. In his message for NCEF, Prof Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India mentions NCEF as playing a valuable role in advancing our national commitment to a resource-efficient future and offering a clear pathway and actionable strategies for stakeholders across sectors. The first edition of the NCEF was released by CII last year in its endeavour towards promoting sustainability and circularity in waste management practices by the industries.
The 5th edition of CII 4R awards also took place with the winners felicitated during the Conference for their excellence in transforming waste to worth. Nearly 50 companies were recognized with awards. The Grand Award winners were Schindler India Pvt Ltd, Blue Planet Environmental Solutions India Pvt Ltd, EverEnviro Resource Management Pvt Ltd, Gencrest Bio Products Pvt Ltd, Ganesha Ecopet Pvt Ltd, Inclusive Recycling Foundation, and SRM University, Andhra Pradesh.
The conference attended by 300+ delegates had day-long engaging discussions led by industry and govt leaders, international experts, and academic stalwarts on various topics revolving around governance, circular economy transition, technologies and IP partnerships for sustainable growth, circular economics, practices, and opportunities in waste management. Nearly 10 companies also showcased their waste to worth technologies at the Conference.