Date: 7–11 April 2025
Location: Oslo & Fredrikstad, Norway
A high-level Indian delegation visited Norway from 7 to 11 April 2025 to explore Norway’s policies, innovations, and institutional approaches in plastic waste management and the circular economy. The Indian delegation was led by Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar (Additional Secretary, MoEFCC), and included officials from MoEFCC, CPCB, and Municipal Commissioners of Ajmer, Delhi, Vijayawada. The exposure visit facilitated rich exchanges between Indian and Norwegian government agencies, municipalities, research institutions, and industries.
Key Objectives:
- Understand Norway’s integrated circular economy and waste management systems
- Explore Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) models and sustainable packaging solutions
- Enable government-to-government and city-level knowledge exchange
- Visit on-ground facilities to observe technologies and innovations in action
Key Organizations Engaged:
- Ministry of Climate and Environment (Norway)
- Oslo Municipality Agency for Urban Environment
- Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund
- Green Dot Norway
- TOMRA & Infinitum (Deposit Return System)
- Sirkel (Glass recycling)
- Norsk Gjenvinning (Plastic recycling)
- Borg Havn (Circular logistics)
- NIVA (Water research and plastic monitoring)
- WWF Norway
Notable Highlights:
- Strategic policy dialogues at the Ministry of Climate and Environment on EPR, sustainable product design, and India-Norway marine litter collaboration
- City-to-city learning with Oslo Municipality on plastic waste reduction and EPR enforcement
- Visits to world-class facilities showcasing material recovery, reverse vending, and glass recycling
- Demonstration of drone technology for river and marine litter clean-up
- Industry interactions on market-driven recycling, traceability, and compliance models
- Field insights into how ports and logistics infrastructure support circular economy goals
This visit deepened Indo-Norwegian cooperation and offered actionable lessons for strengthening India’s plastic waste management ecosystem through policy coherence, innovation, and stakeholder collaboration.