You can buy a product instantly, then why is disposal difficult?

The climate and sustainability sessions threw up compelling questions that look ed at the progressive thinking and action on the ground.

“India’s Waste to Energy success story is that every drop of petrol produced is blended with 20per cent ethanol, much of which comes from agri waste. This has saved us Rs 1.1 trillion on crude imports and helped mitigate 544 lakh metric tonnes of CO2,” said SSV Ramakumar of AM Green.

Wilma Rodrigues, of Saahas zero waste said: “60per cent of dry waste is low-value plastic that ends up in landfills. When properly sorted, it can be sent to W2E plants (as feedstock).” Pranshu Singhal of Karo Sambhav said while schemes such as the extended producer responsibility were sound, the question of financing waste collection and recycling remained unresolved. “You can buy a product instantly, why is disposal difficult?”

Public policy can’t be implemented without investment, said Srestha Banerjee of iFOREST. Policy support and financial resource mobilisation are both needed to develop capacity to scale sustainable solutions, she said.
“Philanthropy can fund experimental climate solutions. As innovative capital, it fills the space between govt and business,” said Radha Goenka of RPG Foundation, whose organisation supported the transformation of a public garden into an urban forest called The Nest in Mumbai, and plans to use it as a prototype to create a green corridor in the city.

While sustainable solutions need govt and corporate support, communities are no less capable of driving change, said Bipin Odhekar of Marico adding: “What’s important is to build conviction in stakeholder communities.”
Aarti Khosla of Climate trends, said: “There’s a lopsided focus on mitigation. We need adaptive solutions to changing weather and to address declining agricultural production due to rising heat, for instance.”

Conventional thinking around environment versus development needs to be challenged, insisted Geetanjoy Sahu, Dean of TISS. Shilpashree Muniswamappa of Colgate-Palmolive India, said, “People don’t necessarily buy to benefit the planet; they buy what saves them money.”, adding that consumers shouldn’t have to pay a premium for sustainable products.