The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) GreenCo Council has launched the CII GreenCo Circularity Guidelines – Pilot Version to help Indian manufacturing and process industries measure and improve their use of resources. The guidelines were unveiled at the 17th CII GreenCo Waste & Resource Management Summit 2026 in Chennai, held under the theme “Accelerating Circular Economy through Resource Efficiency & Innovation.”
The framework provides indices to assess circularity across key resource inputs, including raw materials, consumables and packaging. It is intended to help companies evaluate existing practices, identify areas for improvement and monitor progress towards more efficient and circular use of materials.
The initiative comes as industries look for ways to reduce waste, improve resource productivity and lower their environmental impact. The pilot version will allow companies to test the guidelines in their operations and provide feedback to support further development and wider adoption.
Padma Shri Dr Sharad P Kale, Special Advisor to the Chief Minister of Goa and former scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, said circularity required a change in how resources were managed. He stressed the importance of reducing waste at source, conserving resources and promoting responsible consumption across households and industrial operations.
George Menezes, Adviser – Sustainability at Godrej Enterprises Group, said Indian manufacturing and process industries needed a common framework to assess current practices and measure progress towards circular resource use. He encouraged companies to participate in the pilot and share feedback to improve the guidelines and strengthen the proposed certification mechanism.
KS Venkatagiri, Executive Director of CII Green Business Centre, said the new framework builds on CII GreenCo’s earlier initiatives, including the GreenCo Rating System, Zero Waste to Landfill and Zero Liquid Discharge certifications. He invited manufacturing and process industries to trial the guidelines and contribute to their development.
The summit also examined opportunities to build a circular manufacturing ecosystem by recovering value from waste, promoting industrial symbiosis and improving product and process design. Discussions covered advanced recycling methods, including mechanical, chemical, biological and thermal processes, along with biogas, Bio-CNG, compressed biogas, waste-to-energy, e-waste recycling and battery circularity. Another session explored the use of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, smart sensors, automation and digital traceability to improve waste collection, segregation, recycling and resource recovery.
CII GreenCo said industry participation would be essential to ensure the guidelines remain practical and relevant to the varied requirements of Indian manufacturing and process industries. Companies are being invited to apply the framework, assess its effectiveness and submit feedback to help establish measurable benchmarks for circularity. The launch marks a further step in CII GreenCo’s efforts to encourage resource conservation and embed circular economy practices across industrial operations.
