Re Sustainability Announces Mega Fund for Best Waste Management and Recycling Ideas; Soon Setup India’s Most Advanced Refinery for E-waste, Li-Ion Battery Recycling

Company reiterates commitment to the Earth this World Environment Day, solicits entries from within India and around the world

Re Sustainability Limited, a KKR-backed company that is Asia’s leading provider of comprehensive environment management services, has announced a mega Innovation Fund for the best waste management, recycling and circular economy ideas that have the potential to bring about transformative change.

With this, the company, on the occasion of World Environment Day, seeks to provide a platform for individuals or organizations who have innovative ideas, technologies, concepts or business models that can create sustainability impact at scale. The initiative seeks entries from around the world across 5 categories within a 30-day window.

Ideas will then be scrutinized and shortlisted by an Innovation Council made up of sustainability thought leaders and business leaders. The selected ideas will receive a financial support up to INR 5 crores and a customized incubation program including 1:1 mentoring, technology validation, go-to-market support, and where relevant, a longer-term partnership opportunity with the company.

Initial entries, in the form of a brief description of the idea, its impact potential and scalability, have to be mailed to innovation@resustainability.com on or before 05 July 2022. The relevant innovation themes include:

• Waste Segregation & Treatment Technologies
• Recycling & Resource Recovery Technologies.
• Social Inclusion & Community Engagement towards Circular Economy.
• Fuels and Energy from Waste.
• New Circular Economy and Decarbonization Business Models.

Following the first round of screening in July, up to 25 shortlisted entries will receive guidance and support from the Company towards second-level submissions and further detailing of the ideas. Up to five finally selected ideas will be taken through a structured “Innovation Funnel” approach, from Proof of Concept/ Pilot Scale onwards, eventually towards full-scale implementation.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, the Company also announced a number of landmark partnerships, including; a partnership with Uflex, a leading global packaging company towards recycling of Multi-Layer Plastics (MLP); and a partnership with Iris-Mec, a leading European recycling technology company for its pan-India network of ELV recycling facilities.

The company also announced that it will be shortly commissioning India’s most advanced and fully-integrated refinery for E-waste & Li-Ion battery recycling. This recycling plant has been built in Hyderabad in partnership with Reldan, a global leader in e-waste and precious metals recycling.

Masood Mallick, Joint Managing Director, Re Sustainability, commented, “At Re Sustainability, we recognize that we cannot re-imagine the future just by ourselves. Fostering an innovation ecosystem, including partnering with start-ups and incubating new ideas & technologies, is a significant enabler of environmental and social transformation. Given the sheer scale of global environmental challenges and the vulnerabilities emerging economies have towards impacts from climate change, we need to significantly accelerate our journey towards innovative environmental solutions that are faster, better and more cost-effective. The launch of the Re Sustainability Innovation Fund is a significant step towards tapping into the immense human capital and innovation potential that exists, which can potentially respond to these global-scale challenges. We look forward to working with these eco-innovators and change-agents of tomorrow.”

RLG India & GIZ India Announce Landmark E-waste Management Project ‘E-Safai’

Three-year public-private partnership project to build and spread awareness of transformative e-waste management techniques across India

November 11, 2020, New Delhi: RLG India, part of Munich-headquartered Reverse Logistics Group (RLG), a leading global service provider of comprehensive reverse logistics solutions, and GIZ India, a part of GIZ GmbH, a Germany-based development agency offering services in the field of international development cooperation, announced a joint e-waste management initiative “E-Safai” on November 10, 2020.

This three-year long Development Public Private Partnership Project, also known as “Setting Up Innovative Value Chain for e-waste management” is being supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The primary objective of this landmark program is to cultivate awareness regarding safe and sustainable handling of e-waste among various stakeholders, including Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), schools, retailers and bulk consumers. Additionally, the program will focus on the integration of the informal sector in formal e-waste management value chains through a series of online and on-ground campaigns in select cities starting with Delhi and Hyderabad over the next three years. The project is expected to provide strong support in channelizing e-waste for formal recycling and disposal with the involvement of the informal sector and strengthen the recycling and disposal infrastructure by capacity building of the informal sector and potential entrepreneurs. Lastly, the initiative is expected to provide policy advisory pertaining to enhancing the country’s e-waste management ecosystem.


During the tenure of the project, in the select cities, RLG India and GIZ India will aid in establishing two recycling plants, 90 e-waste bins, as well as four collection centers (two each in Delhi and Hyderabad). The companies expect generating 1,000+ employment opportunities across the collection, dismantling and recycling processes. E-Safai is expected to have an audience outreach of 0.3 million people through a series of online and on-ground campaigns.


Talking of this path-breaking collaboration at the virtual launch, Ms. Radhika Kalia, Managing Director, RLG India, said, “E-Safai is yet another step in our consistent and continuous efforts to create an efficient e-waste management ecosystem to deal with this growing global challenge. This initiative is an inclusive approach to work in a balanced manner with all the stakeholders such as producers, recyclers/dismantlers, consumers, and retailers. The idea is to support effective and safe e-waste recycling by actively engaging with the informal sector, and more importantly, absorbing/formalizing it in the formal e-waste value chain through capacity building.”

Dr. Ashish Chaturvedi, Director-Climate Change and Circular Economy, GIZ-India, shared deep insights into how this project is expected to change the e-waste management landscape in India. He elucidated, “The e-waste management sector has huge unrealized potential in terms of secondary resource recovery as the critical materials present in e-waste, if properly recovered, can be used for manufacturing new products in India, leading to a reduction in imports dependency. Furthermore, the formal recycling sector has the potential of generating significant number of employment opportunities, that can be further increased with the formalization of the informal segment. With support from all stakeholders, we are confident that E-Safai will be able to achieve its goals and contribute to strengthening the e-waste management ecosystem in India.”

Gracing the event, Dr. Sandip Chatterjee, Director and Scientist F, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), offered his wholehearted support for the ‘E-Safai‘ initiative. He spoke about the various initiatives relating to e-waste management undertaken by the ministry, Dr. Chatterjee mentioned, “The MEITY has successfully implemented a PAN India Awareness Programme during 2015-2020, across 31 identified states and Union territories, that apprised the public about the hazards of e-waste recycling in unorganized sector and alternate disposing methods.” He further emphasised that MEITY has also developed a low-cost recycling process and affordable machines for recyclers and a dedicated Centre of Excellence at the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), Hyderabad is engaged in disseminating this knowledge base to the start-ups.
Dr. Dharmendra Kumar Gupta, Scientist ‘F’, Senior Director, Hazardous Substances Management (HSM) Division, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, was the keynote speaker at the event. He elucidated on the serious health impacts of existing unscientific dismantling practices of e-waste handling in India. He also strongly emphasized the need for close collaborative efforts among Central Ministries, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), Civil Society Organisations, Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for successful implementation of the e-waste management rules and for spreading awareness about the relevance of this matter.


About RLG 

Munich-headquartered Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) is a 145 Million Euro global 4PL service provider specializing in the design and operation of tailored end-to-end solutions for all aspects of product take-back, returns management, legal compliance and process management systems. RLG has a global presence with offices across Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company provides services to customers in more than 80 countries, managing over 700 million assets per annum for some of the largest global OEM, e-commerce and retail organizations.


About RLG India

In India, RLG is committed to designing and operating sustainable, cost-effective and reliable solutions for take-back, and recycling electronic products enabling producers to fully comply with the legal requirements as given in the E-waste Management Rules of India; RLG India manages and operates the Producer’s Responsibility Organization and offers producers a sustainable, reliable and efficient option to comply with their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). RLG organises its Clean to GreenTM campaign to create awareness and sensitise consumers and other stakeholders about responsible disposal of electronics and safe practices.

About GIZ India:

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH or GIZ is a German development agency that provides services in the field of international development cooperation. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment promotion, energy and the environment, and peace and security. The diverse expertise of our federal enterprise is in demand around the globe – from the German Government, European Union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector and governments of other countries. GIZ works with businesses, civil society actors and research institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy fields and areas of activity.

RLG India’s Clean to Green Campaign Commences E-waste Collection Program in 5 New Cities this Year

Aims to connect with bulk consumers and dealers for collection of e-waste

Ms. Radhika Kalia, MD, RLG India, who drives the Clean to Green campaign, said, “Under this program, we acquire discarded and unwanted electronic products and recycle them to protect the environment. The e-waste can either be dropped by owners at our various collection centres, or, on request, collected by our team from homes.” 

In FY 2020-21, the Clean to Green campaign would carry out activities through its collection program across five major Indian cities and regions – Delhi, NCT, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad – touching several stakeholder segments including households, bulk consumers, offices, RWAs and dealers. The campaign commenced on July 15, 2020 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, with a training session for our team members from the five cities and regions, followed by the official collection vehicle ‘E – Waste Pick-up Truck’ flag off.

The vehicle, accompanied by a team of ‘Clean to Green E-champions,’ would undergo a month long pilot test in Noida; the Clean to Green E-champions would create awareness among the various stakeholder segments about responsible disposal of e-waste, and facilitate the E – Waste Pick-up Truck’s collection of e-waste. Additionally, if permitted by the COVID-19 lockdown rules, promotional activities such as awareness and collection canopies, fun games and interactive sessions with stakeholders might be organized. 

“Based on Noida city’s pilot-run outcome, we would replicate the process for the remaining cities in the country,” Ms. Kalia added.

About Clean to Green Collection Process

The Clean to Green collection program seeks to bring together the various stakeholder segments, including citizens, bulk consumers, manufacturers, retailers, junk dealers, and corporations to strive towards resource preservation and prevent harm to the environment through appropriate disposal of electronic waste. The process would enable stakeholders to dispose-off e-waste relatively easily through the E Waste Pick-up truck, dropping e-waste at the numerous collection points and centres set up as part of the program, or requesting a pick-up. 

Through a well-organized and systematic collection and recycling processes, the program seeks to streamline the unorganized e-waste sector and create better job opportunities and wealth for the growth of the Indian economy.

Apple To Sell Used iPhone In India And Samsung, Micromax Isn't Happy About It

With an increase in the economic strength of India, many companies are showing interest in expanding their business here. One of them being Apple. Recently, the number of smartphones in India has seen a drastic rise resulting as the third largest smartphone market in the world, behind China and the U.S. This has made India the nation with the second largest number of smart phones. Apple has seen the potential in India and is very eager to increase its presence in India. As of now there is no official retailer for Apple products in India, they sell using third party retailers like local electronic shops and other vendors. Apple has filed an application to get permission to open its own stores in the country to sell products directly.

Apart from this, Apple has another plan which includes selling used IPhones in the Indian market to increase its market share. The Apple phones are a little steeply priced and that is one area where Apple faces problems in India, but they are planning to overcome that by selling previously owned iPhones at a cheaper rate. This plan itself is facing a lot of resistance, especially from companies in the likes of Micromax and Samsung who are currently more popular in India.

Apple's initial application to sell refurbished iPhones or say used iPhones in India was rejected in 2015 by the environment ministry. The company's latest application has gone to "inter-ministerial discussion" and if it gets approved, India would be the first country with used iPhones to be sold directly from Apple.

At this same time, major smartphone makers in the Indian market including Samsung, Karbonn, Micromax and Intex are actively opposing Apple's move on environmental grounds as India is already struggling to deal with a massive e-waste problem.

The other core reason for protesting against this initiative of Apple is that this goes against the "Make In India" plan launched by Modi, which wants to promote more Indian brands. This plan will influence the market in a way that Indian brands will suffer because of this.

All of this is a result of the forecast by the IMF about the Indian economy. The IMF has predicted that the Indian market and economy is on the rise and will be for the next 2-3 years.

The opposition came in a letter sent to the Indian government by a lobbying group recently set up by India's Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA). In the letter, manufacturers argued that allowing the sale of used iPhones in India would not only negatively impact the environment, but it would also go against the country's importation policy.

Apple To Sell Used iPhone In India And Samsung, Micromax Isn't Happy About It

With an increase in the economic strength of India, many companies are showing interest in expanding their business here. One of them being Apple. Recently, the number of smartphones in India has seen a drastic rise resulting as the third largest smartphone market in the world, behind China and the U.S. This has made India the nation with the second largest number of smart phones. Apple has seen the potential in India and is very eager to increase its presence in India. As of now there is no official retailer for Apple products in India, they sell using third party retailers like local electronic shops and other vendors. Apple has filed an application to get permission to open its own stores in the country to sell products directly.

Apart from this, Apple has another plan which includes selling used IPhones in the Indian market to increase its market share. The Apple phones are a little steeply priced and that is one area where Apple faces problems in India, but they are planning to overcome that by selling previously owned iPhones at a cheaper rate. This plan itself is facing a lot of resistance, especially from companies in the likes of Micromax and Samsung who are currently more popular in India.

Apple's initial application to sell refurbished iPhones or say used iPhones in India was rejected in 2015 by the environment ministry. The company's latest application has gone to "inter-ministerial discussion" and if it gets approved, India would be the first country with used iPhones to be sold directly from Apple.

At this same time, major smartphone makers in the Indian market including Samsung, Karbonn, Micromax and Intex are actively opposing Apple's move on environmental grounds as India is already struggling to deal with a massive e-waste problem.

The other core reason for protesting against this initiative of Apple is that this goes against the "Make In India" plan launched by Modi, which wants to promote more Indian brands. This plan will influence the market in a way that Indian brands will suffer because of this.

All of this is a result of the forecast by the IMF about the Indian economy. The IMF has predicted that the Indian market and economy is on the rise and will be for the next 2-3 years.

The opposition came in a letter sent to the Indian government by a lobbying group recently set up by India's Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA). In the letter, manufacturers argued that allowing the sale of used iPhones in India would not only negatively impact the environment, but it would also go against the country's importation policy.