Union environment, commerce ministers to attend recycling industry conference in Jaipur

Various issues including sustainability, climate change, energy storage and circular economy transitions will be discussed at the two-day International Material Recycling Conference and Exposition beginning in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav will attend the conference organised by the Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI), the apex body representing India's material recycling industry.

Experts will also address long-standing structural challenges such as the absence of formal industry status for recycling in India, regulatory clarity and market stability. MRAI president Sanjay Mehta said, ''International Material Recycling Conference 2026 is expected to serve as a critical policy and industry platform, as recyclers seek clearer frameworks to support scale, investment and compliance,'' he said.

Industry stakeholders, government officials and subject experts will attend the conference.

''Recycling in India is no longer a peripheral activity; it is central to resource security, climate commitments and manufacturing competitiveness. Yet, the industry continues to operate without formal industry status, fragmented by unorganised players and regulatory ambiguities,'' he said.

Mehta further said one of the central themes of the conference will be raw material security for Indian recyclers, particularly the availability of quality scrap.