changeadminNITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and India’s leading consumer goods company, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), have joined forces to launch a nationwide start-up acceleration programme aimed at advancing India’s transition to a circular economy.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) at NITI Aayog is the Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. It fosters innovation through national programs such as Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), Atal Incubation Centres (AICs), and others.
This initiative, under HUL’s flagship Project Circular Bharat, will identify and support 50 high-potential circular economy start-ups over the next three years.
The programme will prioritise start-ups innovating in plastics circularity with solutions for plastic recycling, reuse & refill models and next-generation packaging materials.
Beyond plastics, the programme will also support start-ups that tackle material recovery in other post-consumer waste streams, such as textiles and e-waste.
Start-ups selected under the programme will gain access to curated mentorship from business leaders, policy experts, and investors. Selected start-ups may also get grant funding, coupled with pilot opportunities for market validation.
HUL is one of India’s largest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods companies, with an extensive product range and a nationwide distribution network. In 2024, HUL launched Circular India, a first-of-its-kind awareness-to-action toolkit, in partnership with UNDP India and Xynteo.
The partnership brings together AIM and NITI Aayog’s policy and innovation nurturing expertise, HUL’s extensive industry network, and Xynteo’s strategic expertise to accelerate breakthrough solutions that drive India’s shift toward a circular economy.
BP Biddappa, Executive Director and Chief People, Transformation and Sustainability Officer, HUL, added, “This partnership between NITI Aayog and HUL is a significant step in building India’s circular economy for plastics. It reflects our firm belief that what is good for India is good for HUL. By combining the strengths of government, industry expertise and entrepreneurial energy, we aim to empower next-generation sustainability startups and scale practical solutions at speed”.
Dr Deepak Bagla – Mission Director, AIM, NITI Aayog, said, ‘This collaboration builds on the ethos and vision articulated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, who has affirmed that “For us, sustainable development is not just a slogan; it is a commitment.”
Earlier this year, at the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific, India’s Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav, said the ‘circular economy’ may be about to drive one of the most significant transformations in business since the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago, with potential to generate a market value of over $2 trillion and create close to 10 million jobs by 2050 in India.
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