5 June 2025
The New Indian Express
Interviews
Globally,
around 90 billion tonnes of natural resources are extracted annually,
equivalent to more than 12 tonnes per person. Only a fraction of this is cycled
back...
What does it truly mean to grow, if growth comes at the cost of the very systems that sustain us?
As the world reflects on the mounting threat of plastic pollution this World Environment Day, we must also examine the deeper architecture of waste that underpins our economies—one that extends far beyond plastic into the very way we produce, consume, and discard resources.
Globally, around 90 billion tonnes of natural resources are extracted annually, equivalent to more than 12 tonnes per person. Yet, only 7.2% of materials are cycled back into productive use after their first life. If we persist with our current "take-make-waste" economic model, this figure could double by 2050, pushing environmental thresholds and leaving a trail of unmanageable waste.
The answer to this challenge lies in the transition from linear growth models to circularity. And what makes it more than a solution to an environmental concern is the economic opportunity it presents. Globally, the transition towards a circular economy represents a USD 4.5 trillion growth opportunity by 2030.
For a country like India, transitioning to a circular economy could unlock a market value of over $2 trillion by 2050 and create nearly 10 million new jobs, especially in materials recovery, repair services, and circular manufacturing. In a nation navigating both rising consumption and growing inequality, circularity offers a bridge between sustainability and inclusive development.
India has made promising early moves in this direction. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework and the E-Waste (Management) Rules reflect policy intent. NITI Aayog's strategy for a circular economy outlines sectoral plans for 11 industries. More recently, the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC), launched during India's G20 presidency, signalled the intent to mainstream circularity in industrial ecosystems. The Swachh Bharat Mission has also already been mobilising a behavioural shift around waste in the country.
But, as we make progress, the challenge of balancing growth with sustainability must be addressed with approaches tailored to respective sectors. To take the example of the renewable energy sector, which I have had the opportunity to witness and be a part of for over a decade now, a critical question remains underexplored: Is our renewable energy transition circular by design?
India's ambition to install 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 is a national imperative, and with ~220 GW capacity achieved, we are well on our way to this target, supported by a conducive policy environment. But this scale of growth also comes with material consequences.
As per data, India could generate over 340,000 tonnes of cumulative solar PV waste by 2030. Globally, more than 90% of decommissioned solar panels end up in landfills today. Without urgent intervention, we may be solving one problem—carbon emissions—while inadvertently creating another.
One overlooked aspect is the role of plastics in the solar PV value chain. From polymer-based back sheets and encapsulants to junction boxes, plastics are embedded in every panel. Still, these components are rarely recycled due to a lack of separation technologies or material recovery incentives. The result? A growing stockpile of future e-waste.
How do we solve for this? India currently has fewer than 15 registered PV recycling units, and there is no dedicated regulation to manage solar waste. This is a space where more proactive planning and innovation can flourish.
I see three ways to do this:
1. Clear national
guidelines for the decommissioning of solar and wind assets, expanding the
Extended Producer Responsibility framework to cover renewable energy equipment,
and embedding circularity criteria into public procurement norms.
2. Targeted
investments in research and development are needed to improve material recovery
and to encourage innovation in modular, repairable system designs that extend
product life. Businesses, too, must operationalise this shift by adopting
service-based models like solar leasing that incentivise lifecycle
accountability, and by building partnerships with recyclers to create scalable
take-back schemes.
3. Finally, we need greater transparency and Traceability across the value chain, supported by an open digital registry of clean energy assets to track their lifecycle and manage end-of-life recovery.
Some encouraging signs are already emerging. There are companies around the world that have recovered up to 90% of materials from decommissioned panels.
Of course, circularity does not begin and end with industry.
The government can draw from global best practices, such as Japan's city-level circular districts or the Netherlands' procurement-led material innovation. It must also align fiscal and regulatory levers to reward circular behaviour. Citizens, too, play an important role by embracing shared, localised systems of energy access, advocating for sustainable choices, and participating in community-led reuse and repair initiatives.
A truly circular economy will require deep collaboration across disciplines and stakeholders. It will mean rethinking value, embracing restraint, and designing for longevity, not just convenience.
This World Environment Day, let us move beyond symbolic gestures. Let us commit to building systems that do not just reduce harm but actively regenerate. Because the time to rethink, redesign, and regenerate is not tomorrow, it is now.
(Vaishali Nigam Sinha is Co-founder and Chairperson, Sustainability, ReNew.)
