Keynote: Sustainable Consumption for Mumbai in 2047

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear guests and dignitaries,

Namaste ! Bonjour !

When Jérôme Chartier asked me to speak about Mumbai in 2047, I was driving my Indian sportscar, last summer. While driving, it took me about 2 nanoseconds to answer “Yes” !

Yes ! first, for the pleasure and immense honor of addressing you, dear friends.

Yes ! also, as the CEO of Circle Strategy, because it is our company purpose to craft strategies for bold and sustainable futures, for 2047 and beyond.

Yes ! because, as a former vice-president at Unilever, India taught me so much. At Unilever, we always said that our Indian business (Hindustan Lever) stood out for its excellence and leadership.

So, it is a real joy to be with you all today to speak about a fantastic topic and challenge.

Today, I will address a pressing concern for Mumbai:

A silent tsunami could impact the city in the coming years.

If left unchecked, it could become a challenge well before 2047.

I’m referring to the growing volume of waste that may overwhelm Mumbai’s infrastructure if we don’t take timely and effective measures.

It’s crucial that we explore practical solutions to address this enormous challenge now.

 

I – FIRST, LET ME PRESENT A FEW FACTS

Mumbai, as the most populated city of India, produces a significant amount of waste.

With 22 million residents, the city generates approximately 550g of waste per person per day,

amounting to around 12,000 tons of waste daily.

However, the real issue is not just the waste itself, but the low recycling rate.

Currently, only 7% of Mumbai waste is recycled. This leaves the remaining 93% to be sent to landfills or, worse, to end up in the sea.

For instance, Deonar Landfill is a striking example: It already reaches 37 meters in height.

So, from this current reality, what is the predictable situation for 2047 ?

By 2047, you will double the number of inhabitants, and you double per capita consumption.

Projections indicate the city could produce 40,000 tons of waste daily.

This is not the worst-case scenario, but rather the expected outcome if things continue as they are, without significant changes or interventions.

You can imagine the consequences without difficulty:

Increased pollution and severe impact for nature and human life.

Rise of methane emissions, which pollutes 80 times more than CO2.

And the aesthetic and olfactory damage to this beautiful city.

We are facing an unprecedented crisis:

By 2047, if no action is taken, Mumbai could struggle with this overwhelming silent tsunami.

So what can we do? Is it too late to act?

Certainly not! Let me share with you a possible way forward.

 

II – THE SOLUTION COULD BE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION

Let’s take a quick step back…

Various paths could be followed to counter the silent tsunami of waste.

The first path : like some activists say, we could advocate for de-consumption / zero-consumption.

I do not personally believe in this theory.

The problem lies not in the volume of consumption, but in responsible consumption.

The second path : We could also focus on recycling. But recycling deals with the problem downstream.

It requires energy and it produces emissions. And by the way, it’s not efficient in managing complex materials (for example, plastic bottle caps).

These 2 approaches are incomplete.

The ancient poem of the Mahabharata reveals a profound truth:

All beings are interconnected, every thought and every action reverberate.

This holistic view of the poem could be the key to our problem :

We have to consider all steps of the value chain of a product that is consumed.

All players of the ecosystem must collaborate.

Therefore… the only viable solution is Sustainable Consumption.
It is the third path, “la troisième voie.”

What is sustainable consumption ?

Sustainable consumption means using resources in a way that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

It involves circular production and consumption, minimizing waste, and changing habits.

It’s about rethinking how we live, produce, and consume.

 

III – NOW IS THE TIME OF MY PERSONAL CALL FOR ACTION :
MAKING MUMBAI THE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION LEADER BY 2047

The cost of doing nothing is colossal. We have to decide and act.

Each moment of inaction comes at a significant cost to Mumbai and could severely impact its future.

At Circle Strategy, we always ask ourselves:

How can we be bold in the face of a problem?

So why couldn’t Mumbai be the global leader in sustainable consumption in 2047?

It is bold, but not unrealistic.

Observe carefully, and you can see that India has sustainable consumption in its source code.

And Mumbai has so many competitive advantages to succeed in sustainable consumption, at least five!

I was told that in September, Prime Minister Modi reiterated the importance of the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Well, it’s perfect timing ! Achieving sustainable consumption requires to reduce both pollution and the energy used in production.

By making hydrogen a priority, Mumbai has the potential to become a leader in this area.

I’ve often heard people say that “Jugaad” is the Indian way of doing business.
For the French among us, it’s somewhat like our “Système D / la débrouille”.

While Jugaad has been internationally recognized as a form of frugal innovation, today, India is moving far beyond that.

The focus is now on real, transformative innovation that goes beyond just doing with less.

Such frugal innovation plays a key role in sustainable consumption, by optimizing the use of resources and leveraging local materials and knowledge.

Mumbai has the potential to lead the way by combining frugal practices with cutting-edge innovation and AI in the design of its products and services

I was told that in India, you are all entrepreneurs, my friends.

Well, that’s good news! Waste management could be the best industry to invest in today.

The India waste management market size is expected to reach 37 billion dollars by 2047.

Why not launch a business together to handle 40,000 tons of waste per day?

With your entrepreneurial spirit, coupled to one of the best digital infrastructures in the world, and the power of AI, nothing is impossible for Mumbai.

I’ve noticed that in India, businesses and public services often work well together.

This is a valuable approach. It doesn’t always happen in my country, as our distinguished French ministers, Amélie Oudéa Castera and Najat Vallaud Belkacem, know well.

Here in India it seems different, take Hindustan Lever, for example:

Since the Extended Producer Responsibility law in 2022, Hindustan Lever collect more plastic than it uses in the packaging of their products. In collaboration with the municipality of Mumbai, they implemented 5 centers of end-to-end waste management, and they organize pedagogic interventions in schools.

As I said earlier, sustainable consumption requires the collaboration of all players: Corporate action must complement government regulation.

Finally, I was told that the CIRCLE symbol is very meaningful in the Indian culture.

“Mandala” in Sanskrit means perfection, wholeness, harmony in the universe.

At Circle Strategy, we couldn’t agree more on this.

And this resonates perfectly with sustainable consumption goals.

Indeed, in order to reinvent our production and consumption models, we have to go from linear business models to circular business models.

Today, only 7% of the global economy operates on a circular model. This number must absolutely increase, and Mumbai could pave the way for India and for the world.

Indeed, Mumbai informal economy model is, by design, a perfect example of circular model, that can be leveraged, industrialized, and scaled.

Circle Strategy can of course help you address this question of circularity.

 

PLEASE LET ME CONCLUDE

 

My friends,

Mumbai has all the sustainable consumption components in its source code, it’s clear.

The few ideas I shared today will not solve the problem, nor will ten minutes of speech!

But these ten minutes were, I hope, a call to action.

Only by embracing the city’s ideas and your own imagination

can you make Mumbai a global leader of sustainable consumption,

and stop the silent tsunami of waste.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me finish with a short poem, to thank Mr. Godrej for his beautiful text.  My poem is about Mumbai 2047, the world leading city in sustainability.

In 2047, Mumbai’s skies will gleam,

A city reborn, chasing every dream.

Where once the tides met bustling streets,

Now green horizons and progress greet.

Namaste and “bonjour” merge in stride,

Bringing the world to the Arabian tide.

The hands of many men and women build what very few conceived,

A city of hope, where all dreams come true and believed.

I look forward to discussing sustainable consumption with you.

And, of course, let’s not wait for 2047 to meet again.

 

Thank you very much. Merci beaucoup.

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