• More than 40% of internal armed conflicts over the last 60 years have been linked to natural resources.
• The world generates 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, and at least 33% of it is not managed in an environmentally safe manner.

• Circular economy strategies can help reduce global GHG emissions by 40% by 2050 as it is estimated to be worth $4.5 trillion globally by 2030.
• About 7% of energy sector across the GHG emission is attributed to iron and steel production.
• Transitioning towards a circular steel sector will help tackle steel sector emissions.

Resource Sharing

• It refers to the sharing of library resources by certain participating libraries among themselves on the basis of the principle of cooperation.
• It involves sharing of resources, human, financial and material, with other organisations and Local Government bodies.
• This is applicable in sharing documents, manpower, services, space, and equipment among others.

Circular Economy

• A circular economy or circularity is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products for a long time.
• It aims to tackle climate change and other global challenges like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution, by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources.

  Priority areas for India:

• There is a heightened recognition of resource efficiency and circular economy strategies within the G-20 community.
• India has embraced four priority areas for the circular economy during its G-20 presidency:
• Circularity in the steel sector;
• Extended producer responsibility (EPR);
• Circular bioeconomy  and establishing an industry-led resource efficiency;
• Circular economy industry coalition.

Moving to a circular steel sector:

• Transitioning towards a circular steel sector is a key strategy to tackle steel sector emissions.
• The presidency document for knowledge exchange on the ‘Circular Economy in Steel Sector’ is a potential blueprint for a net zero pathway for the steel industry.
• It can aid in reducing resource utilization and minimizing wastage.
• In order to ensure growing resource consumption in an environmentally responsible manner, there is a need to raise the current recycling rates of 15%-25%.
• Most G-20 member countries have committed to net zero ambitions and are working to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• The demand for steel is expected to grow in growing economies such as India.
• Achieving a circular steel sector requires:
• Improved material and process efficiency
• Increased steel recycling
• Adoption of renewable energy sources for steel production.
• India should ensure collaboration among the G-20 member countries for knowledge sharing, technology co-development and technology transfer.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):

• EPR is a policy tool that extends the producer’s financial and operational responsibility for a product and management of the post-consumer stage.
• Under India’s G-20 presidency, there is an emphasis on the significance of the EPR framework in integrating circularity throughout the value chain.

• Effective implementation of EPR plays a pivotal role in promoting the growth of the recycling infrastructure and establishing a streamlined waste collection system.
• The Indian government implemented EPR in 2012 to handle electronic waste.
• EPR was extended to plastic waste manufacturers by plastic waste management rules in 2016.
• In India, EPR promotes a circular economy by recycling waste generated by businesses.
• It is reused and not disposed of in landfills or pollutes the environment.
• The waste is to be collected, segregated, and recycled for reuse.
• India has one of the largest frameworks for EPR where Producers, Importers, Brand Owners (PIBOs) and plastic waste processors are registered on the centralized EPR portal.
• The combined EPR obligation of registered PIBOs has crossed 3.07 million tons.

Recycling- a bioeconomy and biofuels:

• Biowaste such as municipal and industrial waste and agricultural residue has become a global issue as it causes pollution, biodiversity loss, and global warming.
• The consumption of biological resources in G-20 member countries has risen by 2.5 times.
• Biowaste can serve as valuable primary raw materials and viable substitutes for mineral resources when it is combined with crops suitable for degraded lands.
• Adopting a circular bioeconomy approach will reduce the need for extracting virgin resources and provide an effective waste disposal solution.
• India has notified comprehensive rules for e-waste and battery waste management.

Industry coalition:

• The coalition will aim to achieve enhanced technological collaboration, build advanced capabilities across sectors, mobilise de-risked finance, and facilitate proactive private sector engagement.
• It can address problems affecting environmental and social sustainability with stakeholders.
• It can aid to find unique and powerful opportunities to help advance values in the larger economic and political system.

Government initiatives to adopt biofuel

Pradhan Mantri Jaiv Indhan Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran (JI-VAN) Yojana (2019):

• It provides financial support to integrated bio-ethanol projects to set up second-generation (2G) ethanol projects.
• 2G bioethanol technology produces bioethanol from waste feedstock such as crop residues and municipal solid waste that would otherwise have no value.
• India has made it mandatory for coal-burning thermal power plants to use 5% blend of biomass pellets along with coal.

The Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources (GOBAR) Dhan scheme (2018):

• It was launched to convert cattle dung and other organic waste into compost, biogas, and biofuels to promote sustainable agriculture and reduce pollution.
• The scheme has helped to create rural livelihoods and ensured improved sanitation with over 500 functional biogas plants.

The Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) Scheme (2018):

• It was launched to promote the use of Compressed bio-gas (CBG) as an alternative green transportation fuel.
• It has aided the bioenergy sector by accelerating the development of infrastructure for the production, storage, and distribution of CBG.

Global platforms such as the G-20 play an important role in addressing key issues and presenting solutions by adopting a collaborative approach. Resource efficiency and circular economy have emerged as key solutions in collective efforts in tackling triple planetary challenges- Climate Change, Air Pollution, and Biodiversity Loss. It can effectively minimize dependence on natural resources, curtail waste and encourage sustainable design practices. Decoupling resource utilization from economic growth is the key to ensure sustainable development and realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It is necessary to recognize the need to switch from the take-make-dispose to the reduce-reuse-recycle model. India’s G-20 presidency has focused extensively on these approaches which offer promising pathways towards a more sustainable and resilient future.