“The contribution of the MSME sector in the recycling industry would be important as it forms one of the pillars of the next growth phase. India is expected to generate more than 1.5 million green jobs by 2030, and MSMEs would be among the highest job generators,” says Ashish Agarwal, secretary, Recycle India Foundation.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, said in 2019 that the e-waste sector alone would create 4.5 lakh direct jobs by 2025. In addition, 1.8 lakh jobs would be created in the allied sectors of transportation and manufacturing, according to the global body.
Rajat Verma, CEO & Founder, Lohum Cleantech, says, “By empowering MSMEs engaged in repair, recycling and refurbishment, we can unlock significant opportunities for green employment, converging sustainability, community, and innovation. Building a green workforce will enable India to build industry-wide ecosystems primarily driven by regenerated raw materials, mitigating waste, preventing CO2, and stamping out pollution. Fostering a domestic abundance of skilled green-economy workers will accelerate India’s efforts to become a global pioneer in waste-to-value.”
According to a 2020 report by Global E-waste Monitor, 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste were dumped around the world in 2019. Of this, only 17.4% was recycled. China was the leading contributor with 10.1 million tonnes, and the US followed with 6.9 million tonnes. India was third in 2019, with 3.2 million tonnes.
Around 75 million tonnes of e-waste is expected to be created globally by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).Right to Repair
The government is developing Right to Repair under its Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) movement, which focuses on sustainable consumption.
The framework is expected to make manufacturers share the details of their products such as mobile phones, automobiles, farming equipment and consumer electronics, so that consumers can repair these goods themselves or get these repaired by third parties. It provides a big opportunity to MSMEs in the services sector.
“Green employment is experiencing significant growth. Demand in sustainability, renewable energy transition, waste management and green infrastructure profiles jumped by 80-100% from last year, according to experts. For instance, according to a report by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), the market for lithium-ion batteries in India is expected to grow from 5.8 GWh in 2020 to 50 GWh by 2025. Without proper management and manpower, the resulting growth in battery waste could have disastrous environmental and health consequences,” says Rajat.
Experts say that the country is seeing similar trends in various sectors, predicting a sizable growth in waste production. Most of the e-waste ecosystem in the country is still being driven by the unorganised sector. 95% of the e-waste in India is being recycled in the non-formal sector and only 5% of the e-waste volume is treated by the formal sector. This is where lies an opportunity for the MSME sector.
“A large MSME-driven green workforce across India is the need of the hour to bring the waste problem under control,” adds Rajat.
