Understanding India’s plastic circular economy: Waste management & recycling

Global corporations are increasingly recognizing the importance of sustainable practices, even in emerging markets like India. India’s plastic management market is being driven by factors such as increasing urbanization, rising incomes, and growing awareness of environmental issues.

When a leading British multinational in the energy and petrochemical sector embarked on a mission to gain a comprehensive understanding of the country’s waste management ecosystem, they partnered with Netscribes. Delve into their journey, objectives, and strategies as they navigated the complexities of India’s plastic circular economy. From meticulous waste assessments to evaluating waste handling agencies, this exploration sheds light on their pursuit of insights and the strategic positioning that followed.

Objective and challenges

In a bid to strengthen its presence and make informed decisions within the Indian market, a renowned British multinational operating in the energy and petrochemical sector embarked on a mission to acquire a comprehensive understanding of India’s waste management landscape. The key objective was to gain profound insights into the intricacies of waste management practices, challenges, and opportunities prevailing in this rapidly evolving and complex ecosystem.

Approach and solution

To address the stalwart’s market insights needs, we took the following route

• Waste assessment: Conducted waste assessment in 11 Indian cities, recording data on plastic waste generation, quality, disposal volume, and processing quantity.
• In-depth analysis: Performed in-depth analysis on waste handling practices, collection efficiency, waste characterization, end use of plastic waste, value chain, and registered recyclers in each city.
• Company profiling: Identified and assessed waste handling agencies in India, examining organization history, financials, services, operations, output, and end uses.

Results delivered

• We conducted a comprehensive waste assessment in each city, carefully accumulating, collecting, sorting, and disposing of waste through landfilling. This provided valuable insights into waste generation, segregated plastic amounts, and potential raw material for pyrolysis.
• Additionally, we evaluated the quantity of waste produced by each city and assessed their current waste handling capacity. We identified proposed dumping grounds and those no longer in use due to reaching full capacity.
• Through our thorough analysis of the waste management value chain, we provided the client with insights into key stakeholders involved in the ecosystem, pricing structures for each stakeholder, waste flow within cities, and associated costs of segregation and transportation.
• Furthermore, we detailed the cost breakdown based on the type of plastic waste, highlighting financially rewarding waste types and those considered least valuable or unwanted.
• Regarding pricing we assisted the client in understanding the cost analysis for every stakeholder within each city and cost differentiation based on the specific type of plastic, details of unwanted waste with zero pricing, and variable costs as per volume and key drivers and variability in pricing.

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