NNA |
Updated: June 09, 2022 11:03 p.m. STI

New Delhi [India], Jun 09 (ANI): Indian Federation of Reverse Logistics (IFRL) held a seminar to discuss draft rules for e-waste management in India. During the seminar, stakeholders emphasized a seamless collection, channeling and separation mechanism.
A total of 77 PROs and more than 400 dismantlers have started up in India since the 2016 e-waste management rules came into effect. The proposed draft e-waste rule 2022 does not address the roles and responsibilities of dismantlers or PROs.
“Extended producer responsibility” has currently been defined in the draft e-waste rules to meet recycling targets only through a registered recycler; it is deduced that it is necessary to maintain the integrated reverse value chain including consumers, PROs, collection centers, dismantles to support producers, importers, brand owners and recyclers with quality supply and a better collection mechanism across the country – only then will be “better recyclability”
The Reverse Logistics Federation of India was featured in a media interaction event during its inauguration at the India International Center in Delhi. The organization is a federation of companies active in the field of reverse logistics that seek to develop a green supply chain across the country to facilitate the collection and channeling of electronic waste and help create a circular economy.
It is widely recognized that reverse logistics plays a central role in the development of a green supply chain to enable the collection and channeling of e-waste from the informal sector and end consumers for environmentally sound disposal; especially through the integration of the informal sector (supported by the hub-and-spoke model), the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework and the facilitation of innovation.

The Reverse Logistics Federation of India in the presence of different stakeholders deliberated on the current scenario and the future of PROs, waste management agencies and dismantlers with respect to existing value chains and operational practices through the prism of the new electronic waste management rules. 2022 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change – Government of India.
It has been observed that the proposed new guidelines under the e-waste management rules waive responsibilities or definitions of PROs, collection centers, dismantlers and consumers, among others. Also, the new guidelines seem to consider only recyclers. This does not take into account the efforts and investments of organizations engaged in the development of a network of structured and formal collection and dismantling centres.
Creating a circular economy requires setting up a collection and disposal mechanism that includes the various actors in the value chain, including those in the informal sector, PROs and dismantlers. PROs can continue to act as catalysts in the e-waste value chain and help make the collection mechanism developed much more robust and integrated into the reverse value chain, in addition to supporting SPCBs and CPCBs in the e-waste data inventory, capacity building exercises to promote collections from residential settlements, resellers, retailers, large consumers, households, office clusters and the informal sector.
Dr Vijai Singhal, Ret. EEC, RPCB honored the occasion and said: “The rapid increase in the quantities of electronic waste poses a significant threat to human health and the environment, and requires urgent measures towards a circular economy. Building a circular economy depends on several aspects, the key being the reduction of the depletion, consumption and disposal of natural resources, the efficient use of existing resources, the inclusion of various stakeholders to creating a green value chain and ensuring that activities aimed at stimulating the circular economy become major drivers of job creation and economic growth. With regard to the field of electronics, these aspects could contribute to creating new opportunities in the processing, repair and remanufacturing of secondary materials, the service sector and the circular economy as a whole. »
Nisha Banth, spokesperson for the Reverse Logistics Federation of India, said: “A combination of effective regulations and responsible behavior on the part of society could go a long way in reducing the threat of e-waste and creating a circular economy. Regulations are the basis for the development of a circular economy, setting clear guidelines for responsibilities and modes of action in the field. The set of regulatory standards aims to define and regulate societal and commercial relations in terms of circular economy.
She added, “With the steady depletion of natural resources and the challenge of current consumption patterns, laws are increasingly called upon to create a circular economic model that promotes sustainable economic development. As many nations across the world are committed to the development of a circular economy through confirmation also seeks to modernize legislation to foster the circular economy, but it is important to consider the efforts and investments of bodies such as PROs engaged in the development of a network of structured and formal collection and dismantling centres, and regulation should seek to support these bodies so that they can help producer organizations fulfill their responsibilities and facilitate the process of managing electronic waste. ” (ANI)