Earth Day 2025: Indian Industry Calls For Circular Economy Shift

On this Earth Day, with conversations on sustainability thriving, business leaders across India are calling for an urgent transition away from linear consumption and toward circular systems. Simply put, at every point—from treating waste not as waste but as a resource, through conscious consumption, to making sustainability a core component of business strategy—the message is clear: sustainability is not just an environmental issue, it is very much a strategic and economic one. The following voices portray how Indian industry sees itself rewriting the rule book in defining a cleaner and more resilient future.

With India generating around eight million tonnes of hazardous waste annually, Summit Salunke emphasises the need for circularity to be central to industrial operations. He states that responsible recycling and sustainability are not only ethical considerations but also potential business strategies. 

"Earth Day is a powerful reminder that sustainability is not an option; it is a necessity. The transition to a circular economy is not a distant ideal but an urgent imperative, and industries ought to take the lead through the adoption of recycled resources and minimisation of waste enabling sustainable production processes.". A significant portion of waste ends up in landfills," says Summit Salunke, Vice Chairman, Sumeet Group Enterprises.

This whole argument has to do with placing sustainability at the core of the industrial process. By utilizing resource-efficient technologies, waste-reducing initiatives, and eco-friendly materials, a substantial reduction in the carbon footprint shall be achieved. This not only would ensure cleaner, greener surroundings but would also pave the way for sustainable environments, he adds.

"Recycling, more than a waste management option, is one of the key measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions; conserve nature," says Salunke. "Indeed, one of the very few potential causes of climate change." He, therefore, asserts that this industry cannot please its conscience with compliance only, but must proactively encourage and support policy campaigns aiming toward putting in place a culture that eventually embraces sustainable solutions.. A thriving recycling ecosystem demands effective collaboration between governments, businesses, and communities in building ethical production and responsible consumption.

Emphasising recycling, Salunke says it has the potential to fuel economic growth while conserving the environment if adopted widely. "This Earth Day we renew our commitment to closing the waste loop, investing in cutting-edge recycling technologies, and making the shift towards a truly circular economy.

Thinking in terms of consumer patterns and regulatory changes arising from the above, Ankit Mathur, Co-founder and CEO, Greenway Rural, declares how sustainability is fast becoming a part of corporate social responsibility and consumer expectation. He indicates the changes that the industry is witnessing through green packaging efforts, energy-efficient efforts, and responsible sourcing programs.

Mathur says, "There has been some significant transition in the consumer industry towards sustainability over the past few years due to increasing environmental awareness and consumer consciousness. Consumer behavior is impacted by changing environmental regulations, for example, single-use plastic bans, extended producer responsibility, and renewable purchase obligations. Most of these include recyclability, lesser use of packaging with specific focus on energy-efficient methods, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, along with reduced consumption of fresh water. Some of the best are using renewable energy sources, making sustainable sourcing strategies, and creating farm-to-table initiatives."

Abhishek Agashe, Co-founder & CEO, Elima, calls for structural change to unlock the circular economy in India. He proposes policy tools like a Recycling-Linked Incentive (RLI) scheme and a robust Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework as the way forward, urging a shift from the “use-and-dispose” mindset to one that regenerates.

Agashe says, "This World Earth Day, as India accelerates toward the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, it is crucial to place circularity at the heart of our economic and environmental agenda. With over 3.5 million tonnes of waste generated daily, and only 25–30% effectively recycled in India, we are sitting on a goldmine of untapped resources. We’re not short of waste, but we are short of systems that can turn that waste into value.

To power circularity at scale, India needs to go beyond just awareness and invest in structural change—through policy, innovation, and incentives. A Recycling-Linked Incentive (RLI) scheme, akin to the PLI model, could unlock massive private sector participation in recycling infrastructure. At once, making it obligatory to consume secondary raw materials—like recycled plastics, metals, and glass—through mainstream supply chains creates guaranteed demand, ceilings-on-emissions and dependency on virgin extraction, explains Agashe.

He also says how one of the strongest levers which could help close this gap is an effective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework. "EPR brings the chain of responsibility into the producer/brand level and stretches itself to the disposal side of the lifecycle touching upon all aspects of the product life cycle from the design phase stage through to last disposal stage. An efficient application of EPR can lead to sustainable product design, facilitate traceability of materials, and finance end-of-life recovery systems transitioning waste to value, says Agashe.

While putting pressure on circularity, he adds that circularity encompasses many more things other than waste management: reinterpreting production, consumption, and regeneration. It is about designing industries to mimic nature: none wasted, all reused. If India is to become global leaders in sustainability, circular systems should be-they-have-got-to-be the deal. "If we want a truly developed India by 2047, we must transformation from a 'use-and-dispose' attitude to a 'recover-and-regenerate' mindset."

Jagannath Prasad, CEO, Runaya Recycling Business, shares a similar perspective, he says, "The future of sustainability lies in reimagining waste as a resource. In high-impact sectors like mining and metals, innovation must take the lead. At Runaya, we reclaim valuable materials from industrial by-products and reintegrate them into the supply chain. This not only reduces waste but drives systemic transformation. For us, the circular economy is not a distant vision—it’s a present-day solution powering responsible industrial growth.”

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