A multidisciplinary approach to India’s plastic waste challenge
The winners of the India Sprint and the organising team
Twenty-four researchers. Two days of focused collaboration. Five proposals aimed at one urgent challenge: India’s plastic waste crisis.
The C-DICE India Research Sprint was held on 23–24 September 2025 at Symbiosis Institute of Technology (SIT) in Pune. Set on a hilltop campus, the venue offered a focused environment for two days of collaboration. Building on previous sprints in the UK, Nepal, and Rwanda, this event brought together around 24 researchers from the UK and India.
The challenge was critical: India generates over 3.4 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with nearly 40% of it unmanaged. Innovative solutions are urgently needed to support the country’s 2070 net-zero target.
The diversity was remarkable. Engineers collaborated with social scientists, environmental researchers with economists, and policy experts with materials scientists.
The international collaboration brought UK expertise together with deep local knowledge, creating five interdisciplinary proposals over two intense days of brainstorming, networking, and innovation. The energy was electric. Whiteboard sessions ran late, coffee breaks turned into impromptu collaborations, and researchers who arrived as strangers left as collaborators, already planning future projects.
Our expert panel: Dr Swathi Mukundan from C-DICE, Dr Sayali Apte from the Symbiosis Institute of Technology, and Dr Jyoti Chandirami, Director of the Symbiosis School of Economics, faced a tough decision. All five proposals were exceptional.
‘This collaboration represents exactly the kind of cross-border, innovative thinking we need to address the global plastic waste crisis.’
Dr Jyoti Chandirami
The winning team, led by Dr Mugdha Kshirsagar (SIU), Mihyun Kim (Loughborough University), and Sonal Waghmare (SIT), will tackle plastic waste in construction through their project “Circular Solutions for Plastic Waste in Pre and Post Construction of Buildings: Driving Net Zero Pathway.” Their plan includes stakeholder workshops in both the UK and India, developing scalable solutions that bridge developed and emerging economies.
What stands out most is how the teams continue to collaborate, refine their ideas, and build on the connections they formed. The sprint may have crowned a winner, but its real impact lies in the partnerships and momentum that are still unfolding beyond the event.
Special thanks to Dr Kirti Ruikar, Reader in Digital Construction at Loughborough University and University Special Envoy for India, whose connections and advocacy made this collaboration possible. We are deeply grateful to Dr Ketan Kotecha, Director of SIT, who was involved from the very first stages of planning and supported us in every way possible throughout the event.
Congratulations to the winning team and to the four very worthy finalists for their outstanding proposals. All who participated have earned the Developing Innovative Research Networks micro-credential. The sprint may be over, but the ideas and partnerships it sparked are already moving forward.
Photo (left to right):
Sarah Gomes, Skills Development Officer, C-DICE, Loughborough University, UK.
Dr Jyoti Chadiramani, Director, Symbiosis School of Economics, Symbiosis International University, Pune, India
Dr Sayali Apte, Assistant Professor, Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Symbiosis International University, Pune, India
Dr Mugdha Kshirsagar, Assistant Professor, Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Symbiosis International University, Pune, India
Dr Mihyun Kim, Research Officer in Spatial Data Science, Loughborough University, UK.
Sonal Waghmare, PhD student, Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Symbiosis International University, Pune, India
Dr Swathi Mukundan, Impact Hub Development Officer, C-DICE, Loughborough University, UK.
Karishma Joshi, Project Administrator and Skills Manager, C-DICE, Loughborough University, UK.