The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex automotive industry body, organised the second edition of the International Conference on Sustainable Circularity (ICSC) under its Circularity initiative. Themed “Towards Nature Positive Pathway: Embracing Circular Economies with Low Carbon Strategies,” the conference took place on the final day of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024. Aligned with the initiative's goal of promoting the circular economy, the event aimed to unite industry stakeholders and government representatives to deliberate on pathways to an automotive circular economy in India.
Inaugurated by the Hon’ble Chief Guest, Arvind Nautiyal, Joint Secretary and Member Secretary, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), along with other dignitaries, the conference unveiled the Context Paper titled “Gas Based Mobility: Fuelling India’s Economy.” This paper focuses on sustainable gas-based vehicular fuel Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) derived from recycling biomass/waste.
The inaugural session, themed “Vision for Fostering Nature Positive Circularity Principles in Automotive Sector: Policy and Regulatory Framework,” witnessed Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, welcoming the audience, expressing SIAM's dedication to building the nation responsibly and contributing to India's ambitious goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
The conference featured thematic presentations, discussions, and technical sessions. Technical Session 1, titled “Closing the Loop: Criticality of Extended Producer Responsibility in ELV Recycling,” focused on policy perspectives and recycling portal management. Technical Session 2, themed ‘Recycling Resources for a Sustainable Future: Power of Reduce-Reuse-Recycling (3Rs) Principle in the Automotive Sector,’ explored sustainable critical minerals, ELV handling and management policies, material recycling technologies, and more. Technical Session 3, themed ‘Innovative ELV Recycling for Sustainability: Resource Conservation and Green Growth,’ delved into operationalizing circular economy in ELV recycling units, sustainable materials recovery from ELVs, and implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) in the auto industry.
The successful organisation of the 2nd edition of ICSC showcased SIAM’s commitment to promoting circularity in the automotive sector to facilitate India’s move towards sustainable mobility. The event concluded on a high note, fostering a rich and insightful exchange of ideas, best practices, and strategies. SIAM also created a Circularity Pavilion at the expo alongside this conference.