Effective management of waste will not only improve the public health and environment but enhance the quality of life by generating jobs, creation of new products generate energy, finally leads to Swachh, Swasth, Sashakt, Sampann and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Towards encouraging the better waste management across the country, CII has been working towards policy and practices of waste management that combines protection of the environment and human health.

To take its efforts forward, a digital event on International Waste to Worth Conference was organised by CII in association with the Technology Development Board, Government of India and supported by Swachh Bharat Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India on October 30, 2020 and Exhibition from 30 October to 15 November 2020.

The conference and exhibition received an encouraging response with Czech Republic as Partner Country this year. Around 40 exhibitors from five countries had showcased their strength in waste management, water management, technologies etc.

Further, the day-long conference on October 30, 2020 witnessed the series of engaging discussions by industry stalwarts on various topics revolving around the theme of ??chieving circular economy through innovative 3R techniques??

Prof K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India delivered the Inaugural Address during the conference. During his Inaugural speech, he stated that while scientific and technological solutions are available, people have come together in a dramatic way during the pandemic, and in a similar fashion fundamentally, there is a need to change the attitude towards our environment to deal with waste in our country.

He congratulated the winners of the CII 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Awards. He mentioned some of the incredible work done by them in setting standards and exemplars on how to deal with waste.

In most parts of the world and, in particular, in India, we are habituated to degradation of our environment and the waste that surrounds us. A wake-up call for the common purpose would help in tackling this at a micro, meso and macro scale and in the next 2-5 years would see some extraordinary solutions.

Martina Tauberov?, ??Deputy Minister, EU Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ministry of Industry and Trade, The Czech Republic said the conference demonstrates how a circular economy is closely intertwined with waste management. ??et me assure you that the Czech Republic also recognises its importance and has developed a sound waste management framework. Over the next 15 days, we will be showcasing Czech companies that are operating in waste recycling.??/p>

Dr Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Grand Jury, CII 3R Awards and Chairman, Rajiv Gandhi Science & Technology Commission said, ??f you do a lifecycle analysis, investments in technological innovation will payback much better than what we can possibly imagine and waste to wealth will become a way of life. The 3R awards, can be leveraged to motivate the industry and create a movement. Collective action is essential to achieve our goal for a Clean India.??/p>

Highlighting the importance of promoting waste management technologies in India, Dr Neeraj Sharma ??Secretary, Technology Development Board, GoI reminded participants of the challenges facing India in the waste management sector. ??bout 78 million tonnes of waste are produced in urban Indian while 97 tonne is produced in rural India each year ??but only 15 percent is being treated. The Technology Development Board has funded a few companies within the sector, and we want to encourage more start-ups to take our support. This conference will help us potentially identify such companies, which we can support in our mission for a clean India.??/p>

Attended by over 1,000 delegates, the virtual conference recognised 08 leading Indian companies with CII 3R Awards. The Awards are designed to recognise the efforts of companies which have set benchmarks in three areas: 1) managing waste generated by the industry due to their own activities; 2) creating mechanisms or products to ensure minimal waste at the user end; and 3) managing solid waste and other urban waste across the cities and towns of India. The winners of each categories are:

Winners of CII 3R Awards 2020

Additionally, CII developed the two (02) compendium- CII 3R Awards compendium and Compendium of Companies- Waste Management Technologies. Both the compendiums were released during the inaugural session of the conference.

CII 3R Awards compendium: The CII 3R Awards compendium briefly presents waste management process & best practices of leading 08 companies which are winners of the CII 3R Awards 2020. It also presents the waste management process & best practices of other 57 companies which have participated in the CII 3R Awards 2020.

It is expected to be a reference document for industry to learn and understand best waste management practices and ecosys?tem that is embraced and practised by the leading companies in India.

Compendium on waste management technologies: The compendium, provides the details about technologies, being developed by some of the Indian companies to manage waste.

In addition to One days International Conference, some focused sessions- Country session, Industry session and Start-ups would be organised by CII during the month of November and December 2020.

An exclusive Country Session with Czech Republic on ??o-operation with Czech Republic on the Waste Management: Green Technology Solutions & Best Practices??to explore Partnerships with Czech companies offering innovative solutions would be organised on 06 November 2020. Further, an exclusive Industry session on ??ircular Economy in Plastics Management: News Products, Rules & Policies??would be organised on Nov 11, 2020.

The following exhibitors have participated to showcase their strength in waste management, water management, Technologies etc

For further information:

Rachna Jindal, Director, Confederation of Indian Industry.

Email: rachna.jindal@cii.in