Raji Ajwani

Bio

(2021) My current research interests lie at the intersection of policy, technology and circular economy. I have spent the past three years studying the processes involved in municipal solid waste collection by spending a lot of time speaking with and understanding the challenges faced by generators, waste pickers (in India there are nearly 5 million waste pickers who are mostly women and young children – the Ted Talk covers this issue), policy makers, brand owners. By connecting the existing policy guidelines with theory, we have tried to present some approaches that can:

• generate data ( missing at the moment),
• allow the implementation of extended producer responsibility and
• make brand owners accountable for the waste generated by their brands, incentivize good practices

Since April-May 2020, I am working on a Project called " Mission IBPs" ( IBPs= Industrial By-Products) . These are huge pollutants and are generated in millions of tonnes . Currently there is no policy in place to direct their disposal and management in India.

1) TedX Talk : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m_3JXjlmNM

Publications

Peer-reviewed articles and book chapters

1. Towards a circular economy for packaging waste by using new technologies: The case of large multinationals in emerging economies Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 281, 25 January 2021.
2. Enhancing the circular and modified linear economy: The importance of blockchain for developing economies Journal: Resources, Conservation & Recycling. Volume 168, May 2021.
   This discusses the issue of soiled sanitary napkins / pads and the issues and challenges involved in disposing this type of bio waste. In India nearly 1 billion soiled sanitary pads are discarded every month. Each pad takes nearly 500-800 years ( approx) to break down into microplastics which pollute common pool resources. Each sanitary pad contains equivalent of 3-4 plastic bags worth of plastic. Waste pickers routinely come in contact with soiled sanitary pads and diapers ( which contain human discharge and body fluids). These women have no access to medical care, no minimum income, benefits and Covid has made this situation worse.
3. The Role of Microfinance in Women's Empowerment: A Comparative Study of Rural & Urban Groups in India (with paywall)
4. Sustainable Rural Livelihood Security in the Backward Districts of Maharashtra Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 133, 15 May 2014, Pages 265-278.
5. Catch-up as a Survival Strategy in the Solar Power Industry Journal of International Management, Volume 24, Issue 2, June 2018, Pages 179-194
6. Revisiting the Base of the Pyramid: An Inclusive Model Based on Gandhi's Ideology. Prajnan . Jul-Sep 2013, Vol. 42 Issue 2, p131-161. 31p.
7. Connecting the Base of the Pyramid to Global Markets Through E-commerce: A Case Study of BAIF (India). International Business Strategy pp 441-465 (2016)

Other publications

1. Fruits of our Labour : Organic mango cultivation by tribals ( adivasis) in Gujarat ( India)
2. Buds of Hope : Organic Jasmine cultivation by tribals in Maharashtra
3. Banking on Themselves: Self-Help Groups Empower Poor Rural Women September 10, 2012.
4. Disposable Sanitary Napkins: A Case of Single Use Plastic? January 20, 2020
5. Covid Crisis could worsen until Waste workers get PPE and Insurance 01 Jun 2020

1. Meet Padma Bombale an onion farmer from Maharashtra , fighting the odds
2. https://www.magzter.com/stories/Science/Down-To-Earth/PURE-TRASH

Videos

1. Interview with women ragpickers
2. Meeting Proceedings of a self help group in Maharashtra (India)

More Information

1. https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/raji-ajwani-ramchandani-20b07715
2. https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/people/raji-ajwani
3. https://www.cps.iitb.ac.in/people/raji-ajwani-ramchandani/ ( I completed my Post Doc on Jan 11 2021)