Jaipur: India on Monday said there should be a new global platform that will accelerate the adoption of a circular economy by connecting cities, academia and tech innovators.
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the Cities Coalition for Circularity (C3) platform could be in line with the spirit of the Jaipur declaration, to be adopted on the closing day of the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in the Asia and the Pacific that began on Monday.
The event on the theme “Realising Circular Societies Towards Achieving SDGs and Carbon Neutrality in Asia-Pacific” was inaugurated by Khattar in the presence of Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
“Today, from this platform, India proposes a global alliance that will speed up circular acceleration by connecting cities, academia and tech innovators. I invite everyone to discuss and collaborate on this initiative, which will strengthen partnerships and generate impactful solutions,” Khattar said at the inaugural ceremony.
“To take forward the prime minister’s vision, I propose a new … Cities Coalition for Circularity (C3) platform. We are working on 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recylce). Now, we will work on C3, which is a multi-stakeholder, multi-national alliance for sharing knowledge, technical expertise and best practices,” he said.
Khattar urged the participants to discuss how to improve the proposed platform to benefit cities and other stakeholders.
A circular economy or circularity is an economic model based on reusing and recycling products and materials to reduce waste and maximise resource efficiency.
Khattar said, “India will present C3 as a major digital platform which will promote city to city collaboration, technical institutions, partnerships and such initiatives. It is proposed that a working group of interested voluntary member nations be formed which will finalise the architecture and working principles of the alliance.”
With support from industry, academia and policymakers, the platform will emerge as a catalyst to promote resource efficiency and a low carbon economy in the Asia-Pacific region, he added.
Khattar also said the 3R circular economy had become a necessity not only for environmental responsibility but also for sustainable development.
He said industrialisation and consumerism had made mass production a necessity.
“As a result, a disposable culture has emerged, promoting a ‘use-and-throw’ mentality. This culture has led to an overwhelming accumulation of waste,” he said.
With the rapid evolution of technology, waste is increasing at an alarming rate, he added.
Now, it is time to bring innovation into traditional practices, Khattar said. “By merging modern technology with age-old customs, we can revitalise systems and promote efficient recycling as well as environmental responsibility. This will contribute to the improvement of our environment.”
The Centre has identified 11 key sectors, including liquid waste management and lithium battery recycling, to maximise resource utilisation and reduce waste.
Chief Minister Sharma said industrialisation was having a significant impact on the environment, leading to shrinking forests, mountains and rivers.
“To protect these natural resources, we must continue working towards their conservation,” he said.
A system needs to be established to effectively handle waste, he said.
“By finding solutions to waste disposal, we can ensure that the atmosphere remains clean. The Indian government has taken several steps to address this issue. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is one of the major initiatives and the Rajasthan government is playing a leading role in this mission,” Sharma said.
More than 1,000 delegates, including policymakers, industry leaders and representatives from international organizations from Asia-Pacific countries, are participating in the three-day forum. The participants.
Launched by the United Nations Centre for Regional Development in 2009, the forum aims to provide strategic policy inputs to government authorities in the Asia-Pacific region for mainstreaming 3R and circularity.
