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Repositioning the “Informal Economy”: The Hidden Potential for a New Circular Economy in India’s Electronic Waste Industry

In: Untapped Knowledge in India’s E-Waste Industry

Author

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  • T. S. Krishnan

Abstract

80% of India’s e-waste is recycled by its so-called informal processors, the highly-functional network of specialists who have been handling specialized waste for centuries. In the year 2010, responding to global policy trends and suggestions given by international NGOs, India’s government introduced e-waste legislation to regulate the preexisting e-waste processing industry that was naturally structured to create value from e-waste. The push to formalize the informal processors through the e-waste law undermined a functional system. The flaws in this system become clear through an overview of the formalization process, the obstacles that formalization introduces, and the unanticipated challenges of formalization policies. A closer look at their practices and processes demonstrates that informal e-waste processors have long embodied traits that we associate with a thriving circular economy. The narrative that emerges offers a counterpoint to mainstream arguments that dismiss the value of informal processors.

Suggested Citation

  • T. S. Krishnan, 2023. "Repositioning the “Informal Economy”: The Hidden Potential for a New Circular Economy in India’s Electronic Waste Industry," Palgrave Advances in Economics of Innovation and Technology, in: Untapped Knowledge in India’s E-Waste Industry, chapter 0, pages 1-22, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:paiecp:978-3-031-50296-5_1
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-50296-5_1
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