NITI Aayog Organises National Policy Dialogue On Plastic-Free Cities And Oceans

Given the pressing need for combating plastic pollution, NITI Aayog organised a National Policy Dialogue on Friday (22 October) on ‘Plastic Free Cities and Oceans.’

The conference was conducted under the Chairmanship of Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, with Cyrill Gutsch, founder and CEO of ‘Parley for the Oceans.’

Cyrill Gutsch has developed and patented an eco-innovative alternative, ‘Parley Ocean Plastic’ – a game-changing fibre from intercepted and upcycled marine plastic debris, and has collaborated with brands like Adidas, Stella McCartney, American Express and Corona to set up new industry standards.

The dialogue discussed recycling and reuse of plastic products, research and innovation to replace single-use plastics, institutional strengthening, public awareness, continued review and improvement of activities and implementation of regulations at regional, national, and international levels.

“In his insightful presentation, Gutsch highlighted the need for greater participation of large corporations and innovators to achieve results in this area. He put forward the concept of material redesigning for making a clean break from future use of virgin plastics,” NITI Aayog said.

CEO of NITI Aayog expressed that plastic is the classic example of boon turned bane in society. He said that India is a pioneering country for pledging to phase out single-use plastic by 2022. He highlighted that in the age of technological advancement, innovations shall be the way ahead and should be promoted while taking care of the varied needs of the country.

It must be noted that on World Environment Day in 2018, the Prime Minister had committed to eliminating 100 per cent single-use plastic by 2022. Since then, India has taken several regulatory interventions to attain the set targets, including bans and prohibitions.