New Delhi: The International Council for Circular Economy’s India Circular Economy Forum (ICEF 2022) saw the presence of Admiral RK Dhowan PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd) Chairman Society for Aerospace Maritime and Defense Studies, Former Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, Chairperson Society for Aerospace Maritime and Defense Studies as Guest of Honor at the India Habitat Center in New Delhi on its second day on June 3rd, 2022.
The Indian Circular Economy Forum (ICEF 2022) concluded with an award ceremony in New Delhi. The forum saw 60+ speakers deliberating on 5 diverse sectors, 3 cross-cutting issues, and areas of international importance. With the presence of national and international delegates, the forum was a platform to build collaborations and business opportunities in circularity in India.
The two-day forum was inaugurated by Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog on June 2, 2022. Mr. Kant said, “That Indian industry should take initiatives in making a transition from linear to circular business models. Mr Kant emphasized the importance of integrating system design thinking in the manufacturing processes. Appreciating the work of the council, Mr Kant said that the council has taken lead in doing wonderful work on education, innovation and inspiring a transition. We formed a committee and identified a developmental path from the transactional to the circular economy.”
Admiral RK Dhowan, guest of honor, emphasized the importance of maintaining the oceans and their biodiversity to meet the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. India is taking the lead in developing a Global Maritime Accord that will be instrumental in saving our oceans from waste and helping the planet.
Mr. Michael Bucki, Counsellor and Head of Section, Sustainable Modernization, Delegation of the European Union to India, emphasized the need for behavioral change to address and ensure safe and waste-free marine life to support SDG 14.
The council signed two MoUs during the forum. First one with Creduce, a pioneer in global carbon credit advisory services, to engage with states and industry to include C-credit in their strategic planning. The second MoU was with Norwegian company Circular Regions. This would help strengthen multi-lateral situations and knowledge sharing between the global North and South by bringing watermark and top-down circularity, said Cynthia Reynolds, Founder, Circular Regions.
Ms. Shalini Goyal Bhalla, MD, International Council for Circular Economy, concluded the forum by stating that the council will continue to work to build industry-academia connect to take lead in circularity. She also emphasized that India and EU can leverage from each other strength, to fasten the transition to meet our Net Zero targets.
India Circular Economy Forum (ICEF 2022) provides an opportunity to identify, highlight, and celebrate circular initiatives in India across various focus sectors. The forum provides a platform for stakeholders to share insights, network, and learn from other circular economy experts and practitioners, as well as a futuristic approach for stakeholders to build and scale up a circular economy.
