Opening Remarks

Eric Solheim, Former Executive Director, UNEP

Eric Solheim was Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme. His career focused on the environment and development in government and international organizations. Prior to joining the UN Environment, Solheim was the chair of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Satya Tripathi, Secretary-General, Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet

Satya Tripathi is Secretary General of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet. He is the Chancellor of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, which is the world’s largest academic institution dedicated exclusively to indigenous people and cultures. He is also a Senior Distinguished Fellow on Innovative Finance at the World Agroforestry Centre.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog

Dr. Rajiv Kumar is an Indian economist who had served as the second vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog. He is the founding Director and Chairman of Pahle India Foundation, a public policy think-tank facilitating policy change in India based in New Delhi. He has also served as an independent director on the central boards of the Reserve Bank of India and the State Bank of India.

Fireside Chat

Unlocking the Economic Potential of the Circular Economy

The circular economy is based on the idea of “reduce, reuse, recycle and recover.” It is a fundamentally different way of thinking about our relationship with resources, and it has the potential to unlock significant economic benefits. The circular economy has the potential to unlock significant economic benefits. In this session our panelists discussed over the change coming in the market where people consider waste as a resource. How companies are addressing waste management sector as one of the growing sectors. Getting insights about companies’ strategies who are working in the sector of waste management, the way they are bringing innovations and change in the market.

Panelists:

Meeta Narsinghani, Associate Partner, Circulate Capital

Meeta is an Associate Partner for Circulate Capital, who leads their investments in India. She is responsible for market landscaping, identifying optimal opportunities for investment and building relationships with companies in the plastic recycling and waste management sectors.

Sumeet Singh, Managing Partner, Climate Angel

Sumeet Singh has over 15 years of experience in finance & fundraising. Though initially focused on private equity and structured finance, he has spent the last 5 years as an entrepreneur and raising venture capital.

Panel Discussion

India’s Evolving Waste Management Landscape

According to the World Bank, India generates about 62 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) every year, and only about 20% of this waste is recycled or composted. The rest is either landfilled or burned, which can have serious environmental and health consequences. India’s waste management landscape is evolving rapidly. But there still exists various challenges in the way.

Panelists:

Mahesh Babu, MD, IL&FS Environment

Mahesh Babu is the Managing Director of IL&FS Environment, a leading waste management company in India. He has over 20 years of experience in the waste management sector, and has held senior positions at a number of companies. Under his leadership, IL&FS Environment has developed an Integrated Waste Management model aimed at deriving value from all waste streams. IL&FS Environment is focused on building financially sustainable models in Waste processing and is amongst the first to mainstream Carbon financing in Waste Management. The Company also has extensive experience in the advisory business related to Environmental Management, Green House Gas Mitigation, Energy Efficiency and Geo-spatial Solutions.

Pratibha Dewett, Chief Sustainability Officer, Lucro Plastecycle

Pratibha Dewett is the Chief Sustainable Officer of Lucro Plastecycle. Prior to this she has worked at Armadillo Merino as a Marketing Communication Strategist. Lucro Plastecycle is a waste management company based in Mumbai, India. They are a pioneer in the circular economy for plastic, and their mission is to create a sustainable future for plastic by closing the loop on plastic waste. Lucro Plastecycle has a number of innovative technologies that they use to recycle plastic waste.

Shailesh Vickram Singh, Founder, Massive Mobility

Shailesh Vickram Singh is the founder of Massive Mobility. He has over 15 years of experience in investing in private equity/venture capital investing, and in business operations and entrepreneurship. He has worked with 2i Capital, Unit Trust of India and Gujrat Venture Finance Limited and was involved with investments in logistics, technology, telecommunications, media and internet companies.

Closing Remarks

Cyrill Gutsch, Founder, Parley for the Oceans

Cyrill Gutsch is the founder of Parley for the Oceans. He is a German born designer and brand developer based in New York. He has worked as a designer for companies including Lufthansa, BMW and Adidas. Parley for the Oceans is the global environmental organization and network where creators, thinkers and leaders come together to raise awareness for the beauty and fragility of the oceans and collaborate on projects that can end their destruction.