DoT, UNDP call for circular economy in India’s telecom sector

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), convened a national workshop in New Delhi titled “Advancing Circular Economy in the Telecom Sector: Enabling Policy & Practice” to accelerate the adoption of circular economy principles across India’s telecom industry. The event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, technology providers, academia, international organisations and value-chain stakeholders to chart practical pathways for embedding sustainability across the telecom ecosystem.

The workshop focused on integrating circularity throughout the telecom value chain, including sustainable product design, efficient resource utilisation, lifecycle management, digital solutions and innovative financing mechanisms. Emphasis was placed on aligning policy frameworks, industry practices and technology interventions to enhance long-term sustainability and sectoral resilience.

The inaugural session was moderated by Dr Shilpi Karmakar, Project Manager at UNDP, with opening remarks by Dr Ashish Chaturvedi, Head–ACE, UNDP. Key addresses were delivered by Sunita Verma, Scientist ‘G’ at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; Kamendra Kumar, former Director of TCIL and Chairman of Tamil Nadu Telecom Limited; and Dr Angela Lusigi, UNDP Resident Representative, all of whom underscored the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Delivering the keynote address, R N Palai, Member (Technology), Digital Communications Commission, described sustainability and circularity as strategic imperatives for the telecom sector. While telecom contributes less than two per cent of India’s greenhouse gas emissions, he noted that its reach to nearly 1.2 billion users places a responsibility on the sector to lead by example.

Palai highlighted telecom’s role as critical infrastructure enabling efficiency and emissions reduction across the economy, while stressing that sustainability must extend beyond renewable energy adoption to cover e-waste management, right-to-repair and sustainable product design.

Dr Angela Lusigi highlighted UNDP’s support to the government in advancing circular economy transitions, including assistance to DoT in developing a Circular Economy Plan for the telecom sector. She called for a time-bound roadmap backed by clear policies, industry commitment, innovation and accountability.

A key highlight was a presentation by Arun Agarwal, Deputy Director General (Satellite), DoT, outlining the Circular Economy Action Plan for telecom. Panel discussions explored circular supply chains, sustainable procurement and digital tools such as blockchain, AI and IoT to improve traceability, material recovery and extended producer responsibility. The workshop concluded with a collective commitment to move from dialogue to implementation through coordinated, ecosystem-wide action.