SIAM concludes sustainability week with global meet on material compliance

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) concluded its sustainability week 2026 on Thursday with the first International Conference on Automotive Material Compliance & Sustainability (AMCS), urging faster adoption of circular economy practices, digital traceability and stronger end-of-life vehicle (ELV) compliance across the automotive value chain.Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, said compliance with the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Rules, 2025 would strengthen structured scrappage, recycling efficiency and resource recovery. As the world’s third-largest automobile industry, India must align material stewardship and decarbonisation with global benchmarks, he said.During the inaugural session, SIAM released a context paper titled “Strengthening Automotive Material Compliance Across the Vehicle Value Chain”, outlining the need for deeper policy alignment and supply chain accountability.Jaywant Hardikar, Senior Advisor at ICAT, emphasised the importance of linking vehicle end-of-life processes with reuse and recycling. He called for measurable sustainability tools such as digital product passports and sustainability indices to quantify carbon footprint and material compliance.

Policy push for green mobility

Sanjeev Jain, Director–Purchase at Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, said India’s transition to green mobility is being accelerated by policy measures including Extended Producer Responsibility mandates, scrappage norms and CAFE standards. He added that clean technologies such as EVs, flex fuels, green hydrogen and sustainable logistics will underpin the next phase of growth.

Experts also highlighted the need to move towards environmentally benign materials and stricter compliance with global chemical management frameworks.

Digital platforms drive transparency

Digital transformation in supply chains emerged as a key theme. Frank Nottebom of DXC Technology noted the sharp rise in Indian users of the International Material Data System (IMDS), reflecting growing focus on ESG compliance and transparent data exchange.

Hanno Focken of Catena-X underscored the importance of open, industry-governed digital ecosystems to manage complex global automotive value chains, as India integrates more deeply into global manufacturing networks.