Today, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is transforming the world at a fast pace. While it has created an aspiration among many individuals to reap the benefits of technological development, the e-waste management sector often relies on outdated practices, and is in need of innovation.

‘Sanshodhan: An E-Waste Exchange’ is a digital platform available for corporates and society to directly transfer their electronic waste to government authorized, technically competent e-waste recyclers. “Smart, convenient, transparent, sustainable and economically valuable,” the platform aims to serve urban citizens and businesses that consume electronic and electrical equipment and to enable development of e-waste-free smart cities. E-Waste Exchange is based on the latest information technologies (IT), and seeks to foster environmental sustainability in the e-waste management sector in India and similar economies.

A startup, Sanshodhan: An E-Waste Exchange has been highlighted as a policy recommendation for India and similar economies by the EU’s Resource Efficiency Initiative (EU-REI) Project, implemented by a consortium led by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Confederation of the Indian Industry (CII) and adelphi.

The E-Waste Exchange partners with the Indian state Government of Telangana. Launching the platform on 7 February 2018, Jayesh Ranjan, Indian Administrative Service, Government of Telangana, highlighted the “immense value” of E-Waste Exchange as a “timely and topical” effort to organize waste management business, and its “tremendous social benefit.” In February – March 2018, E-Waste Exchange was successfully presented to the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and to UNIDO India in June 2018. In September 2018, E-Waste Exchange was showcased during the EU’s Circular Economy Mission to India where its contribution to managing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and circular economy was discussed.

E-Waste Exchange won the ‘Clean India Grand Challenge,’ and was lauded by the organizers as “a ray of hope to brighten the e-waste management sector.” The initiative’s efforts to contribute to e-waste-free smart cities were also recognized by regular citizens using the platform to dispose of e-waste: “It’s an outstanding idea and very helpful for the citizens who care about environmental protection for future generations.”

E-Waste Exchange, with the Global Institute for Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals, developed ‘RE-CIRCULATE,’ a circular economy model for e-waste management. The model is well suited for implementation by government departments, multi-location offices, corporates, multinationals and conglomerates who are keen to: enhance their green image; contribute to SDGs 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 13 (climate action); implement circular economy for e-waste and associated plastics; and aim to include the positives of e-waste management into sustainability reporting. E-Waste Exchange is looking forward to partnering with corporates and multinationals to support these goals.

Founded by a group of social development and technology experts, in consultation with government departments, industry associations and citizens, Sanshodhan: An E-Waste Exchange aims to find solutions to the e-waste problem, one of the biggest social, economic and environmental challenges of our time, by addressing its root causes.

* * *

This article was written by Shalini Sharma, Co-Founder and CEO, Sanshodhan: An E-Waste Exchange, T-Hub, Hyderabad, India.