THE EU-INDIA RESOURCE Efficiency AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY PARTNERSHIP
Supported by the European Union India – Resource Efficiency Circular Economy Initiative (EUI-RECEI)
India
Launch of Indian Resource Panel
Resource efficiency is gaining traction as a potential strategy in India and in order to foster its spread, the Government of India set up the Indian Resource Panel (InRP) (November 2015).
The InRP, consisting of various experts, was established with the aim of supporting the Government of India to elaborate an evidence-based strategy and policy on resource efficiency within the Indian industry that does justice to both public and private interests.
Strategy Paper on Resource Efficiency
There is a global commitment to achieving resource efficiency in order to establish sustainable consumption and production patterns. This is also a priority for the Government of India, and is reflected in various policies/programme announcements like Make in India, Zero Effect-Zero Defect Scheme, Smart Cities, Swach Bharat, and Ganga Rejuvenation Mission.
NITI Aayog and EU Delegation to India release the First ever Resource Efficiency (RE) Strategy for India in November 2017. It discusses the context and relevance of resource efficiency for abiotic materials in selected sectors. It has inter-alia recommended an action plan for achieving the goals of resource efficiency and sustainable development.
European Union
The EU launched in 2011 a Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe. The Roadmap outlines how we can transform Europe’s economy into a sustainable one by 2050. It proposes ways to increase resource productivity and decouple economic growth from resource use and its environmental impact. It illustrates how policies interrelate and build on each other. The experiences and successful case studies which were gained in the EU the past 6 years shall be shared with Indian policy makers and stakeholders from the public and private sector. The EU and India together can jointly be trend setters and set new trends and standards, apply innovative RE technologies and demonstrate how economic growth can be decoupled from material consumption.
The European Commission adopted its Circular Economy package in December 2015, consisting on legislative proposals on waste and an action plan covering the whole life of products and materials. It is a key contribution to the Commission’s 10 priorities and to the broader agenda of the European Union for jobs and growth. It is also closely linked with the energy and climate policies and it contributes to the implementation of the Agenda 2030 on sustainable development adopted by the United Nations in September 2015. The EU is also very much supporting the IRP by providing technical expertise, dissemination of the results of the studies elaborated by members of the IRP. But the EU also benefits of the work of the IRP by incorporating recommendations of the IRP into its directives and programmes.
In May 2018, EU Council approved the EU’s Circular Economy Package (CEP) including an EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy in Brussels. A set of revised waste directives were given the seal of approval by the European Parliament. The new legislation makes it obligator for EU member states to reach a 55 per cent municipal recycling rate by 2025, 60 percent by 20035. Targets for packaging for 2030 are also included and specifies 70 percent for all packaging, 55 per cent for plastics, 30 percent for wood, 80 percent for ferrous metals, 60 per cent for aluminium, 75 percent for glass, and 85 per cent for paper and cardboard. In addition to these targets, member states are expected to set up by 2025 separate collection systems for textile waste and hazardous waste from households and until December 2023 to ensure that biowaste is collected separately or recycled at source.