From scrapped mobiles into precious metals: How Hindalco is transforming India’s e-waste landscape

Hindalco has reaffirmed its commitment to circularity through its ₹2000Cr investment in India’s first-ever e-waste and copper scrap recycling facility.

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world, affecting both human health and the environment. Globally, the annual generation of e-waste is rising by 2.6 million tonnes, with a projected reach of 82 million tonnes by 2030, a further 33% increase from the 2022 figure, as reported in UN's fourth Global E-waste Monitor report. The billions of dollars’ worth of strategically valuable resources that go into manufacturing electronics are being dumped and squandered, with a mere 1% of rare earth element demand met by recycling. In India, increased urbanisation, disposable income and tech adoption over the last decade has propelled a 100% surge in e-waste generation, with 3.5 million tonnes produced in FY2024 alone, third only to China and the U.S.A.

Transforming E-Waste to Wealth

Across Aditya Birla Group, businesses are adopting the 'Waste to Wealth' approach that drives circularity by conserving resources and reducing environmental impact. The focus is on extending product life, minimising waste, adopting advanced technologies and building strategic collaborations to accelerate circularity. In particular, Hindalco – the Group’s metals flagship, is spearheading the integration of green-tech innovation in waste re-use and metal recycling across all its India operations. 

Highlight: Hindalco recycled 85% of hazardous and non-hazardous waste in 2024

The metals major’s latest testament to its commitment to circularity is a significant investment in a cutting-edge facility that will recycle copper scrap and e-waste into LME-grade copper and precious metals. The first-of-its-kind in India, the advanced recycling technology can process and recycle large volumes of e-waste into valuable metals domestically, doing away with the need for exports, reducing costs and creating an economically viable circular economy.     
 

More importantly, and beyond economic benefits, the new facility’s environmentally-friendly practices safely recycle the toxic additives or hazardous substances found in e-waste, such as mercury. If otherwise released in landfills, these toxins pose a severe threat to the environment and to human health, with the potential to damage the brain and co-ordination systems.

Top 1% in Global Sustainability 2025

Hindalco’s new e-waste and copper scrap recycling facility reinforces its position as sustainability and circularity leader even as its aluminium business secured an industry distinction of 87/100 in the S&P Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) 2024, earning a place in the prestigious Top 1% of the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2025. The industry disrupter is reshaping the metals landscape through sustainability and innovation, whether with its MetALmorphosis initiative – a revolutionary leap in aluminium manufacturing – or its bold new brand identity that marks its evolution from a materials manufacturer to an engineered solutions provider.  Hindalco continues to soar towards a greener future in alignment with global sustainability goals as well as Aditya Birla Group’s commitment to sustainability, innovation and corporate responsibility.