Tata Group all set to cash in on electronic waste
Financial Express — June 13, 2007

The Tata Group has identified environment management as one of the key viable business opportunities that needs to be tapped. To start off, the Group has identified a technology through which renewable resources like copper, lead, zinc and noble metals can be extracted from electronics waste.

"Business opportunities are created primarily by three major things — shortages in an economy, major changes in demographics and global disruptions. What might appear unthinkable today might emerge as commercially viable businesses in the next 5-7 years. And we believe environment management clearly has a huge potential," Kishor A Chaukar, managing director, Tata Industries, told FE.

The Group believes that innovation is the key to sustainability and Tata Industries is playing the lead role of a catalyst for the introduction of new businesses within the group in high-technology areas.

India is likely to emerge as the largest generator of electronics waste over the next 10 years, due to its exponential growth in the computers segment. "Latest demographic analysis shows that by 2015, India's urban population will be greater than its rural population. This will trigger off demand for new products, that will create tremendous opportunities and make perfect business sense. We need to think in advance and be prepared for those demands," said Chaukar.

Globally, though there are several consultants helping companies to manage their waste, there are apparently very few companies who are looking at environment management as a pure play business currently.

There seems to be a steady endeavor from the group to venture into relatively unexplored vistas, at least in the Indian context. Apart from environment management, biotechnology for human application and genetic engineering are some of the areas that the group is exploring, informed Chaukar.

The Tata Group has already invested in drug discovery through Advinus Theapeutics. Also, another Group company, Tata Chemicals, is also venturing to the bio-diesel and bio-ethanol, as well as looking at developing products in the bio-nano space. The group has also forayed into solar technology through Tata BP Solar.