Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, called for a fundamental reframing of India's circular economy approach, arguing that true circularity must begin at the product design and consumption stage — not at the recycling plant. Speaking at the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2026 in Gandhinagar, he urged citizens and policymakers alike to embrace a 'repair before replace' ethos as a national habit.

The Core Message: Circularity Starts at Home

Yadav drew a direct line between India's traditional frugality and modern sustainability policy. 'Repair before replace, reuse before discard, and recover before waste,' he said, framing circularity not as a foreign concept but as a formalisation of age-old Indian practice. 'For India, the circular economy is not a new destination; it is a new way of looking at an old wisdom,' the minister added.

He was emphatic that circular economy policy could not be reduced to waste disposal. It must cover the entire life cycle of resources — from product design and manufacturing through consumption, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, and eventual recovery.

EPR Frameworks and Digital Compliance Progress

The minister cited regulatory milestones to underline India's institutional progress. As of August 2026, more than 83,000 producers and 4,802 recyclers were registered under various Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks, with nearly 482.24 lakh metric tonnes of waste processed across regulated waste streams. These mechanisms cover sectors including plastic, e-waste, and batteries.

Yadav credited digital compliance systems with making this scale possible, while noting that regulation alone could not complete the transition. 'A circular economy cannot be built only at the recycling plant,' he stressed, adding that circularity had to 'begin in the marketplace, continue in homes and eventually become a daily habit.'

LiFE Initiative and Redefining Waste

The minister linked the circular economy agenda to the Centre's Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) initiative, arguing that responsible consumption was essential to easing pressure on natural resources. He also challenged the conventional perception of waste itself. 'Waste should no longer be seen as the end of a product's journey, but as the beginning of another resource cycle,' Yadav said.

He proposed a new benchmark for measuring circularity's success — one focused on value preservation rather than volume of recycling. 'The true measure of a circular economy will not be how much waste we recycle, but how little value we allow to be wasted,' he argued.

India's International Circular Economy Push

Yadav underscored that the transition to circularity required coordinated global action. He highlighted India's Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition, launched during its G20 Presidency, and noted that circular economy priorities had also featured during India's BRICS chairship. 'Countries cannot close the loop independently,' he said, signalling that India intends to position itself as a leader in shaping global circular economy norms.

The WCEF 2026 gathering in Gandhinagar comes at a moment when India is deepening its regulatory infrastructure around sustainable resource use, and the minister's address signals that the government's ambition extends well beyond compliance metrics to behavioural and cultural change.