Bhupender Yadav Seeks Joint Push on Circular Economy at CII

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav addressed the Circular Economy Conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi on 22 October 2026. He asked the government, industry and urban local bodies to work together to carry India's circular economy forward, and said policy intent was being turned into real action through clear rules, regulatory reform, digital compliance systems and a whole-of-government approach.

Nine waste streams now have their own rules

The minister said the legal framework on waste management had been progressively strengthened with sector-specific rules for nine waste streams: plastic waste, battery waste, electronic waste, waste tyres, used oil, end-of-life vehicles, construction and demolition waste, non-ferrous scrap metal and solid waste. These rules work across the life of a product, covering prevention of waste, recycling, reuse, remanufacturing and the recovery of resources.

The figures on processing and registration

As on date, nearly 499.60 lakh metric tonnes of waste has been processed across the regulated streams. Under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, more than 86,043 producers and 4,880 recyclers stand registered. EPR requires producers, importers and brand owners to see that their products are managed in an environmentally sound way once their useful life is over, and the transfer of EPR certificates gives recyclers a financial incentive to expand capacity and adopt better technology.

Rules alone are not enough

Shri Yadav was clear that regulation by itself cannot create a circular economy, and pointed to the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) initiative, which asks people to use resources mindfully instead of consuming them destructively. On industry's concerns about digital compliance, EPR market operations and transaction timelines, he invited stakeholders to keep raising practical problems and said the government was working towards a market-based approach. On plastic waste he sought closer coordination between producers and recyclers so that recyclable material and recycling capacity are both available.

Solid waste and critical minerals

Turning to the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, the minister stressed technology adoption, capacity building, online monitoring, accountability and the financial soundness of urban local bodies. He underlined four-stream segregation of solid waste, namely wet, dry, sanitary and special-care waste, along with public participation, and said effective implementation would help control legacy waste. He also called for stronger recovery of critical minerals from electronic waste and batteries and for industry to help build secondary raw-material markets and supply-chain traceability.