Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA), the apex Industry Chamber for the Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances Industry in India, conducted a seminar on ‘Impending challenges on e-waste’ to deliberate upon the draft E- Waste rules and identify solutions to India’s mounting e-waste problem. The seminar was an effort towards evaluating e-waste rules and their environmental and socio-economic repercussions.
Electronic waste has recently become India’s fastest growing waste component. It is estimated that the National Capital Region (NCR) of India generates over 11,000 tonnes of E-waste annually, where only 10% is recycled. The high rate of e-waste accumulation in India is caused by short product life-cycles, the increasing affordability of electronics, and lack of awareness. Present at the seminar Dr. Niloufer Shroff, Sr. Director, Department of Electronics & IT views on the role of Govt. in e-waste rules and Mr. Amit Jain, Managing Director, IRG Systems deliberated on the draft notification of e-waste rules.
The seminar also conducted a panel discussion on ‘Re-coursing the syllabus: Impending challenges on e-waste’ which was moderated by, Ms. Priti Mahesh, Chief Program Coordinator, Toxics Link. The panel discussion addressed the implications of the new e-waste rules in the country through a collective participation from eminent panelists like Dr. (Ms.) Shruti Rai Bhardwaj, Joint Director, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Mr. Anand Kumar, Sr. Environmental Engineer, Central Pollution Control Board, Mr. K. K. Saraf, Asst. Vice President - Godrej Appliance Division, Ms. Shagufta Kamran, Deputy Director, MAIT, Mr. B. K. Soni, Chairman & MD, Eco Reco, Mr. Guha Jayaram, Tes-Amm.
The panel discussed about the new e-waste rules which have been introduced earlier this month. As per the newly introduced norms, e-waste rules now apply on manufacturers, producers, consumers, dealers, refurbishers, dismantler and recycler involved in manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, collection, storage and processing of e-waste. The panel also discussed the responsibilities of managing e-waste by each of these stakeholders..
Sharing his views on the initiative, Mr. Manish Sharma, President, CEAMA and Managing Director, Panasonic India and South Asia said, “With the current trend of increasing demands for electronics by the middle-class consumers in China and India, it is estimated that by 2017, the annual amount of E-waste generated would be 65m tonnes. We want to work towards creating an ecosystem of Recyclers, Producers, Collection Centres, Consumers and the Government. With the focus on the Make in India campaign, we look forward to an era of creating newer technologies in the Recycling Industry which will open collaboration with various International Partners for the same. ”He further added, “Considering the existing E-waste management ecosystem in India, the seminar will provide a road map and bridge the gap between the Government’s intent and industry’s commitment to reach a practical solution required to make India environmentally safe and free from the potential risks of E-waste, helping us contribute in a big way to the ‘Swachch Bharat’ campaign.”
As a part of the seminar, CEAMA also presented a white paper on “E- Waste in India” which highlighted the background of India’s E-waste management. The paper provides an analysis of the regulatory framework of E-waste Management and Handling Rules 2011; and Implementation Guidelines, current E-waste management practices in India, global scenario, comparison with best international practices and recommendations to the government in response to the amendments to the rules proposed by MoEF.
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