Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) India has recently announced the launch of its flagship campaign “Clean to Green” in India. The campaign is focussed on spreading mass awareness and sensitizing consumers on how and where to dispose electronics in a responsible manner. The campaign has been launched in compliance with the stringent e-waste management rules which are set to come into effect in India and will seek to minimize the impact of substandard ways of e-waste disposal on the environment.
On the eve of the Clean to Green launch, RLG organized an enriching panel discussion on “Reimagining E-waste: Creating Sustainable Solutions for India”. The panel discussion with experts was aimed at analyzing the obligations under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislative frame and stressed on the need for a coherent multi-stakeholder cooperation to ensure the safe disposal of e-waste.
India is currently the fifth-largest producer of e-waste in the world. Unfortunately, a mere 1.5 per cent of the total e-waste produced in India is properly recycled. In India, approximately 18 lakh metric tons (MT) of e-waste is generated in India every year, which is estimated to grow up to 52 lakh (MT) by 2020. Electronics contain multitude of valuable recoverable materials such as gold, aluminium and copper as well as hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and cadmium. Proper and safe recycling of electronic waste not only keeps harmful toxins from polluting the air, soil, and water, but also reduces energy and water use associated with manufacturing new materials.
RLG India will manage and operate the Producer’s Responsibility Organization “Clean to Green’’ on behalf of producers to offer them a sustainable, reliable and efficient option to comply with their extended producer obligations. The specialized processes are completely funded by producers to enable consumers to recycle their electronic products free of charge.
Speaking at the launch, Patrick Wiedemann, Global CEO, RLG, said, said, “The electronic consumption is rising around the world, thus requiring a solution on handling the defective and no longer in use electronics. At RLG, we are committed to working towards creating a truly sustainable economy that works without waste, saves resources and is restorative by its circular design. We are bringing global expertise in recycling, technical standards and e-waste management techniques to address the need of the hour through the ‘Clean to Green’ campaign.”
Commenting on the launch of Clean to Green in India, Radhika Kalia, Managing Director, RLG India, said, “We are focussed on working towards the betterment of the environment and the wellbeing of the society. We will leverage our highly innovative, comprehensive return management solutions, which enable manufacturers and distributors to actively drive product returns and thus facilitate multiple cycles of use.”
A key element of this campaign will be the focus on creating large-scale awareness in society through the “I Agree – Clean to Green” pledge in India. During the launch, RLG will encourage 50 RWAs, 20 schools and 5 offices in Delhi NCR as a pilot project to be an active part of their “I Agree – Clean to Green” pledge and help sensitize them about the importance of responsible disposal of electronics for a healthy environment. RLG will further scale up and take the campaign to 10 cities between 2018 and 2019. The pledge will also be extended to modern trade centres.
All partners undergo an approval process and their downstream processing chain is continuously reviewed to ensure that all materials are properly processed and recycled. The campaign tracks the mass flow of all materials collected and processed through a specially developed IT-based mass flow management system. In addition to return and disposal services, RLG’s services include reporting to the relevant authorities.
