Danish Ambassador: Global sustainable development is not possible without India

The Parivartan Summit, organized by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) and Centre for Global Affairs & Public Policy (CGAPP), brought together over 200 representatives from MSMEs, start-ups, cleantech innovators, policy makers, investors, and OEMs from across India on World MSME Day. The summit, held in India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, featured discussions on three themes – circular economy, decarbonisation and tech innovations. 

Experts from around the world shared their views and experiences at the summit. Freddy Svane, Ambassador of Denmark to India, emphasized the importance of sustainable development in India and the role of MSMEs in this journey. He stated that "Global sustainable development is not possible without India. MSMEs are the backbone of the Indian industry. We cannot leave anyone behind in the green transition journey." Speaking at the session on driving circularity in waste management, former DG, Swacch Bharat Mission Mr. Akshay Rout emphasised the role of the community in waste management and the need to bring about transformational behaviour change, like that of the Swacch Bharat Mission.

CGAPP & ISC also launched two directories on the occasion. A circular economy directory, containing a list of solution providers addressing various aspects of circularity, and a Clean Tech directory, a sector wise list of Start-ups mapped against challenges related to sustainability and transition they are helping to address.The summit also saw participation from various countries and international organisations. Vishal Dev, Director WWF participated in the session on Clean Technology and Food systems. Dr. Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, Director of Research Strategy and Innovation
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN And East Asia shared his insights in the roundtable on sustainable supply chains, based on his experience in various Asian nations. From Indonesia, Dr I Kadek Dian Sutrisna, Chief Economist, Persero, participated in the panel discussion on Innovation through Clean Tech and shared views with Indian start-ups and policymakers. Mr. Calvin Chan from the Bangkok office of the International Telecommunications Union, also attended various sessions and engaged with participants on e-waste issues in India and other countries. A unique “carbon-dating” session was part of the summit, wherein Chief Sustainability Officers connected with promising start-ups aligned with their sustainability objectives. The Start-ups got an opportunity to showcase their solutions, highlighting the environmental impact and scalability for large companies.

The summit featured sessions on a range of topics including decarbonization, circularity, tech innovations, market-based mechanisms, clean technology, and food systems, accelerating e-mobility, decarbonizing MSME supply chains, harnessing solid waste and wastewater, and connecting investors to cleantech start-ups. These sessions were facilitated by organizations such as TIFAC, Redseer Strategy Consultants, KPMG, Mahindra & Mahindra, FluxGen, India Accelerator, FarMart, Social Alpha, Samvedanam, and Sustainability Mafia.