Shakti Plastics: Enabling A Circular Plastics Value Chain

In February 2021, the managing director of The Shakti Plastics Industries (Shakti) was facing challenges related to the Indian government’s announcement of a complete ban by 2022 on single-use plastic—a key item that Shakti had been recycling through technological innovations over the previous few decades. The company was eager to support the government’s vision of enabling a circular plastics economy. However, changes in the regulatory landscape were likely to impact millions of people who were directly or indirectly employed in the unorganized Indian plastic waste sector. The time frame for plastic waste processors and manufacturers to adapt to the changes was short, particularly during the pandemic-induced resurgence of single-use plastic in the form of medical waste. Moreover, there were several other challenges, including price volatility of plastic waste, influenced by disruptive intermediaries in the supply chain; low awareness levels among consumers about waste segregation at the source; and a lack of eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastic. Shakti needed to make decisions to maintain and advance its competitiveness in the plastic waste recycling sector, in line with the government’s proposed vision for a circular plastic economy.

This case is best suited for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses on management, public policy, and sustainability studies. It is well-positioned for programs that have a core focus on business sustainability. It will enable students to deliberate on the concept of the circular economy and see how this could be applied to the plastic waste industry. They can learn about the ecological footprint of plastics and understand the barriers to implementation of government policies and the large-scale implications of policies on the larger ecosystem of plastic recycling and waste management. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<ul><li>Discuss policy implications for the waste management sector.</li><li>Illustrate the concept of circular economy through the process of plastic waste recycling.</li><li>Highlight the barriers to implementation of plastic waste regulations in India.</li><li>Discuss how plastic pollution impacts progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).</li><li>Discuss the growing consumerism and its contribution to the plastic waste crisis.</li></ul>

• circular economy
• waste management