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Research and Informed Policy
Grounded Evidence. Community Insight. Scalable Impact.
Conserve India provides specialised research and policy consulting services that integrate scientific rigour with contextual, field-based insights. Our expertise spans circular economy, sustainable waste systems, climate resilience, and inclusive livelihoods. We work closely with governments, development agencies, academic institutions, and private sector entities to generate actionable evidence and deliver strategic guidance that informs effective programmatic and policy decisions.
Our distinct approach combines the analytical depth of a research organisation with the practical knowledge of an implementation partner—ensuring that our solutions are both technically sound and operationally viable.
Our Approach
- Decentralized Processing Technologies
Development of accessible, small-scale recycling and upcycling equipment (e.g., solar-powered carding and scouring machines) tailored to rural, remote, or under-resourced contexts. - Material Innovation
Creation of sustainable materials from post-consumer and industrial waste—including upcycled plastic, textiles, and indigenous wool—to reduce environmental impact and promote circular value chains. - Inclusive Product Design
Co-creation of high-value products with waste workers, artisans, and entrepreneurs, using participatory design methods and blending traditional craftsmanship with modern sustainability principles. - Waste-to-Wealth Business Models
Development of circular micro-enterprise models that enable communities to build livelihoods around the recovery, transformation, and sale of waste-derived products. Application of Circular Thinking Across Sectors
From fashion to fisheries, we apply circular design principles to varied value chains, building contextual models for circularity in textiles, wool, plastics, and marine waste.
Why It Matters
In a time of growing urgency around climate change, sustainable development, and just transition, there is a critical need for research and policy design that is both evidence–driven and implementation–ready. Conserve India addresses this gap by offering clients comprehensive, interdisciplinary insights rooted in both scientific analysis and real-world application. Our work strengthens the foundation for informed decision-making, enabling effective planning, investment, and reform.
Our Projects
The Social Impact of Circular Strategies in the Apparel Value Chain (2020–2024) was a four-year international research collaboration led by Utrecht University, with Conserve India leading the India chapter.
Circular Handspun was a pioneering collaboration between Conserve India, Khadi London, Khamir, and Where Does It Come From?, supported by the British Council and University of the Arts London, that integrated circular economy principles into the India artisan sector.
Conserve India’s Wool Waste to Worth initiative is transforming underutilized indigenous wool in Kashmir and Ladakh into a valuable resource through circular, community-led solutions.
Conserve India’s fishing net recycling pilot, conducted in collaboration with Interface Flor, explored the technical and economic feasibility of recovering Nylon 6/6 from discarded fishing nets along India’s coastline.
PlastiSkul was a pioneering initiative by Conserve India that ran from 2022 to 2024, demonstrating how decentralized, community-led micro-factories could transform plastic waste into valuable, locally relevant products.
Conserve India, in collaboration with the Textile Sector Skill Council (TSC), developed a set of modular training programs to create green jobs in textile waste management, addressing the widespread lack of formal skills among informal workers in the sector.