24-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Bengaluru's circular future: New report reimagines waste as engine for inclusive innovation
BENGALURU: 'Despite the vibrancy of Bengaluru's startup ecosystem, upstream circularity, innovations that prevent waste before it's created, remains largely untapped', said Bjarke Kovshøj, Strategic Programmes Manager, Climate KIC--Europe's leading climate innovation agency and community.
He spoke after releasing a new report by Climate KIC titled 'How Strong Innovation Ecosystems Can Create Inclusive Circular Economies,' here on May 22. The report draws in-depth insights from Circular Economy Innovation Clusters (a joint initiative by Climate KIC, GrowthAfrica, and SecondMuse, funded by the IKEA Foundation) operating in Bengaluru and Nairobi.
'Like many Indian metropolises, Bengaluru is grappling with an accelerating waste crisis—landfills nearing capacity, growing pressure on informal waste workers, and increasing threats to health and the environment that is compounded by the shifting climate changes. Yet the report reframes this challenge as a generational opportunity: to build a city where waste is no longer a problem to manage, but a resource to design out of the system altogether', he said.
'This report demonstrates how localised, inclusive innovation clusters can unlock scalable solutions that don't just manage waste but prevent it', he added.
