The Center for Circular Economy is the Teaching, Training and Research activities hub of Friend In Need India Trust. The Center comprises students, academics and professionals engaged in research projects, teaching programmes and knowledge sharing events.
Till recently, economic policies for growth and development were aligned with the ‘linear economy model’, wherein ‘waste’ was accepted as a negative externality generated by production and consumption patterns. However, worldwide, the perspective is moving away from the ‘linear economy model’ and towards a ‘circular economy’ wherein production and consumption patterns minimise waste production without sacrificing the economic growth of countries. The circular economy aims to be regenerative by design, with minimum production of waste that cannot be recycled and maximal usage of products over time, along with optimal reuse, optimal refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling of products and materials. For all countries, and especially emerging economies like India, transitioning to a circular economy is challenging. In response the objective of this centre is to contribute to facilitating it through: Evidence based Policy/Strategy research, Multi-stakeholder forums/workshops and Certificate programs for students and professionals.
The themes of interest to the centre are:
- Transitions for urban sustainability
- Green Energy and Mobility Transitions
- WASH transitions (universal access to all of safe water, safe sanitation and hygienic environments)
- Synergizing urban-rural linkages for circular economy
- Learning from international experiences with focus on China, Japan and Europe
- Skills building for transitioning to circular economy
Within each theme the focus areas will be:
- Role of technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and governance
- Sectoral and national policies/initiatives
- Nudge strategies for behavioural change
- Cooperation between public, private and social sector actors