Blog
Login
Bombay Chamber’s annual Sustainability Conclave 2025 held yesterday at the St Regis Hotel Mumbai, focused on Closing the Loop: Circular Pathways to Business.
With a line-up of eminent leaders in the field, the Conclave touched upon the current scenario in circularity and the challenges within. Panelists were in agreement that policy interventions were the need of the hour to incentivise players who have entered the field.
In his theme setting address, Anirban Ghosh, Head – Centre for Sustainability, Mahindra University and chairperson Sustainability Committee, Bombay Chamber said, “Our societal norms often encourage uncontrolled consumption and waste, which harms the environment. This is where the concept of a circular economy comes in – a system that promotes sustainability and efficient use of resources. The need for a circular economy is urgent, as there’s no Planet B to fall back on.
To achieve this, we need to adopt pathways like reducing the use of virgin materials and increasing the lifespan of materials in use. Research in circular economy is gaining momentum, focusing on: Circular materials and bio-based polymers and urban mining and e-waste recovery.”
He observed that the potential value from waste management is substantial. “Just a few years ago, the value was negligible, but now it’s over ₹100 crores. This shift highlights the importance of embracing a circular economy and rethinking our relationship with resources, “he said.
This was followed by a panel discussion on Beyond Compliance: Leveraging EPR for Business Sustainability. The panel was moderated by Abhishek Deshpande – Co-Founder & COO, Recykal and the panelists included Alok Chandra – Chief HSE & Sustainability Officer, Tata Chemicals; Ramnath Vaidyanathan – Head – Environmental Sustainability Godrej Industries Group; Prabodha Acharya – Chief Sustainability Officer, JSW Group and Abhinay Lakhmapure, Chief Business Officer – Sustainability, The Shakti Plastic Industries.
This was followed by a Fireside Chat on Collaboration Across Value Chains: Building Ecosystems for Circular Growth between Prof. Vikram Vishal, Professor and Convener, National Centre of Excellence in CCUS, IIT Bombay, Co-founder and CEO, UrjanovaC and Sumit Issar, MD & CEO, Mahindra Accelo Ltd. and Mahindra Steel Service Centre Ltd.; Director, CERO (Mahindra MSTC Recycling Pvt. Ltd.); Board Member, Mahindra Auto Steel Pvt. Ltd., Mahindra Middle East, and PT Mahindra Auto Steel Indonesia. Issar outlined the purpose of setting up CERO – to bring the hassle-free vehicle recycling experience to every doorstep and help everyone contribute towards a greener future. Prof Vishal spoke about the initiatives IIT Bombay is doing in the field of circularity.
The second panel discussion was on Design to Disposal: Product Innovation, Data and Material Efficiency. The session was moderated by Sandeep Kumar Mohanty, PwC, Partner – Sustainability Transformation, iBT, One Consulting and the panel members were Surya Valluri – Chief Sustainability Officer, Grasim Industries; Dr. Neeru Bansal – Chief Sustainability Officer, Cement Business, Adani Group; Pratibha Dewett – Chief Sustainability Officer, Lucro Plastecycle and Nishtha Gupta– Group Head – Sustainability & ESG, Suzlon Energy. The panel deliberated on how it is necessary for organisations to move from compliance to competitiveness and design products sustainable by nature. They agreed that scalability brings competitiveness and this will come only when consumers are aware of it. Brands and value chains need to brand around circularity which is not the scenario at the moment. They also discussed how digitalization can help move the needle on circularity.
