SIAM Seminar Promotes Circular Economy through EPR

Jun 08, 2024

The seminar witnessed the active participation of distinguished speakers from various sectors, including senior government officials, industry leaders, and automotive experts. These stakeholders gathered to discuss ways to strengthen their commitment to sustainable practices, reduce environmental impact, and support the nation’s vision for self-reliance and circularity in the automotive sector.

The inaugural session, themed “EPR- A Key Tool for Low-Carbon Transition in the Automotive Industry,” was graced by Chief Guest Dr. Hanif Qureshi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries. Alongside him were Shrikant Deshmukh, Chairperson, SIAM Recycling Group, and General Manager, Product Homologation – Certification and Regulations at Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd., Harjeet Singh, Executive Advisor- Technology, Hero Motocorp Ltd., and Urmila Bhargava, Chairperson, IFP Petro.

Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, welcomed the participants on behalf of the automobile industry, stating that EPR is an integral part of the Government of India’s vision for a circular economy. He highlighted the industry’s commitment to sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint, emphasizing the opportunity to turn industry waste into valuable assets.

In his address, Dr. Hanif Qureshi spoke about the government’s vision for a sustainable, integrated, and circular economy. He praised the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) program, which has supported sustainable operations in industries. Dr. Qureshi urged collaboration with the automotive sector to achieve recycling and reuse objectives and realize India’s sustainability goals.

Shrikant Deshmukh stressed the importance of adhering to EPR to create a sustainable future. He applauded the Indian motor industry’s consistent support for government efforts to promote circular economy principles.

Urmila Bhargava, a veteran industry leader, encouraged participants to work swiftly towards creating a robust ecosystem for circular economy growth. She emphasized the significance of collecting used oil and recycling it to support sustainable practices.

Thematic Session 1, titled “ERP Regime for Battery and E-waste Management,” was chaired by Vijay Prakash Yadav, Director CPCB. The session included presentations on challenges in achieving sustainable battery waste management targets, an AI-driven platform for enhancing ESG performance in automotive battery circularity, and the role of ERP in fostering decarbonization, circular economy, and sustainable mobility.

Thematic Session 2, themed “ERP Regime for Used Oil and Plastic Waste Management,” was chaired by Sudhir Kumar, Ex-Niti Aayog, and moderated by Prabhjot Sodhi, Senior Program Director-Circular Economy, Centre for Environment Education (CEE) India. The session covered topics such as sustainable recycling of used oil, challenges in achieving ERP targets for plastic waste management, opportunities, and challenges for plastic recyclers, and ERP’s role in sustainable plastic waste management.

Thematic Session 3, themed ‘ERP Regime for Tyre Waste & ELV Management,” was moderated by Anand Kumar, Director, CPCB. The session focused on the challenges of EPR implementation for waste tyres and strategies for closing the loop of circularity in tyre waste management.

The thematic sessions were followed by a panel discussion on “Extended Producer Responsibility Fostering SDG 2030,” where industry leaders shared insights on how effective EPR implementation will facilitate the attainment of SDG goals by 2030. Throughout the seminar, speakers stressed the need to adopt sustainability and circularity principles early in the product design stage to achieve circularity effectively.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is a not-for-profit apex national body representing all major vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India. SIAM works towards supporting the sustainable development of the Indian Automobile Industry with the vision that India emerges as the destination of choice in the world for the design and manufacture of automobiles. It also works towards facilitating the enhancement of the competitiveness of the Indian Automobile Industry, reducing the cost of vehicles, increasing productivity, and achieving global standards of quality.

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