New Delhi: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized the 7th edition of the International Conference on Waste to Worth on 30 November 2022 in New Delhi in its endeavor to encourage a circular economy.
The event was organized under the aegis of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) with the theme of ‘Moving Towards a Circular Economy Through Innovative 3R Approaches’. The Ministry of Environment & Forest & Climate Change, Govt. of India also supported the initiative, and Norway was selected as the partner country for the conference.
Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman of, Rajiv Gandhi Science & Technology Commission, Former Chairman of, Atomic Energy Commission was the Chair of the CII 3R Awards 2022. He declared Green Worms as the winner under the category of Excellence in Innovative solutions by Start-ups.
On receiving the award, Jabir Karat, CEO of Green Worms stated, “Waste management has an important role in every sector. We need to make it circular, ensure that the waste has been collected, recycled, and returns into the economy, but not into the oceans. We are glad our work is being recognized where we are creating dignified jobs while ensuring 100% traceability & disposal of waste. Creating a positive social, economic & environmental impact.”
Green Worms Waste Management Pvt Limited is a Circular & Social Impact startup based in India. It started in 2014 with the mission to create dignified jobs through a circular economy to eradicate both plastic pollution and poverty in India. The organization operates in vulnerable islands and coastal villages with community work at the center of its operations. Green Worms operates in 48 coastal villages of Kerala, Lakshadweep Islands, and Andaman, providing end-to-end waste management services to local self-governments so as to create local women collectives to implement waste management systems in villages. At the same time, the organization works with brands and corporates to meet EPR and Compliance which in turn helps in achieving circularity goals by ethically sourcing waste as raw materials instead of virgin materials.
The organization has been successful in driving positive changes and has created 344 direct jobs as well as 1200 shared-mission jobs through women collectives. Today, it has become an emerging company and a go-to service for brands who are planning to make a transition to Circular Economy. Green Worms is not only pioneering the ethical sourcing of waste as a raw material with traceability but also promoting meeting all the compliances like extended producer responsibility for child labour etc. to drive grass root level changes.
