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Institutional Framework

Thematic Vision

"To catalyze a global paradigm shift where sustainability is not an afterthought of innovation, but its foundational architectural principle. SustainX 2026 bridges the gap between disruptive technology and ecological stewardship through the lens of circularity."

The School of Sustainability at IIT Madras presents a rigorous inquiry into the critical infrastructure of our future. This framework moves beyond incrementalism toward radical systemic redesign.

Pillar I

AI-Driven Circular Systems

High-contrast macro photography of a silicon wafer mesh overlapping with translucent botanical structures

Context

The rapid expansion of Large Language Models and generative AI has triggered an unprecedented surge in data center energy consumption, threatening global carbon neutrality targets. As AI scales, its environmental footprint has become a central concern for sustainability science.

The Problem

Computational "brute force" scaling laws are ecologically unsustainable. Current training regimes prioritize accuracy over energy-per-inference metrics, creating a massive digital carbon footprint. Hardware supply chains for GPUs and TPUs rely on rare-earth extraction with limited recovery pathways.

Emerging Solutions

Research directions include federated learning architectures that reduce centralized compute loads, neuromorphic chips that mirror biological efficiency, and model pruning techniques that minimize joules per inference. In parallel, AI is being deployed as an optimization tool for circular supply chains and lifecycle analysis.

Circular Solution Pathway

"Developing neuromorphic hardware and algorithmic pruning techniques that mirror biological efficiency, minimizing the joules per operation and repurposing data center waste heat for urban agriculture and district heating."

Context

Hydrological cycles are decoupling from historical predictability, placing urban centers and industrial corridors at critical risk of water exhaustion. Global freshwater stress will affect 52% of the world's population by 2050, making water circularity a foundational infrastructure priority.

The Problem

The linear water use model of extract, consume, and discharge treats wastewater as a liability rather than a nutrient-rich feedstock, leading to groundwater depletion and marine eutrophication. Industrial effluent treatment technologies remain energy-intensive and produce secondary waste streams.

Emerging Solutions

Forward osmosis membranes, electrocoagulation systems, and modular biological treatment units are enabling decentralized water circularity. Resource recovery from wastewater, including phosphorus, nitrogen, and biogas, is transforming treatment plants into resource recovery facilities.

Circular Solution Pathway

"Zero Liquid Discharge systems integrated with decentralized atmospheric water generation and modular treatment technologies that restore local aquifers while extracting mineral value from concentrated brine streams."

Pillar II

Circular Water Technologies

Microscopic view of water droplets on a hydrophobic surface
Pillar III

Circular Energy Systems

Aerial view of a concentrated solar power plant with mirrors reflecting golden light

Context

The global shift to renewables requires more than just installation capacity; it demands a fundamental rethinking of grid architecture, industrial thermal requirements, and energy storage at multiple timescales. India's ambitious renewable targets place the nation at the frontier of this transition.

The Problem

Intermittency and low energy density of current solar and wind solutions create a gap in baseload requirements for heavy industry sectors such as cement, steel, and chemicals, which still rely on coal-fired thermal processes. The renewable energy transition has not yet addressed process heat decarbonization.

Emerging Solutions

Green hydrogen as a seasonal storage vector, industrial symbiosis networks for waste-heat cascading, and concentrated solar thermal systems for process heat are emerging as viable pathways. Grid-edge intelligence using AI is enabling demand-response optimization.

Circular Solution Pathway

"Implementation of Green Hydrogen as a seasonal storage medium and the development of high-temperature thermal batteries that repurpose industrial fly-ash as thermal storage media, closing the loop on industrial waste while decarbonizing process heat."

Context

Electrification of transport and grid-scale energy storage is the linchpin of the net-zero transition, necessitating a massive scale-up in battery production. India's stated goal of 500 GW renewable capacity by 2030 will require commensurate storage infrastructure.

The Problem

Current lithium-ion chemistries rely on ethically and ecologically problematic mineral extraction, including cobalt from the DRC and lithium from Atacama brine, with limited and energy-intensive end-of-life recovery protocols. Battery waste is projected to reach 11 million tonnes annually by 2030.

Emerging Solutions

Sodium-ion and solid-state chemistries utilizing earth-abundant materials are approaching commercial viability. Direct recycling methodologies that preserve cathode structure, combined with Digital Battery Passports tracking composition and health, are enabling closed-loop material flows.

Circular Solution Pathway

"Sodium-ion and solid-state alternatives utilizing earth-abundant materials, coupled with 'Digital Battery Passports' to enable 100% material recovery through automated hydrometallurgy and direct cathode regeneration."

Pillar IV

Battery Industry Circularity

Macro shot of crystalline structures in a solid-state battery cell
Pillar V

Circular Plastics Economy

Artistic macro of biopolymer strands weaving together, translucent and organic texture

Context

Plastics are indispensable to modern medicine, food safety, and logistics infrastructure, yet their persistence across the entire biosphere, from Arctic sea ice to deep oceanic trenches, has created a planetary-scale contamination crisis that now enters the human food chain via microplastics.

The Problem

Mechanical recycling degrades polymer quality with each cycle, and mixed-waste streams are currently impossible to process efficiently at scale, leading to mass incineration and landfilling. Less than 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled.

Emerging Solutions

Enzymatic depolymerization of PET at ambient temperatures, catalytic pyrolysis of mixed polyolefins to fuel-grade hydrocarbons, and solvent-based dissolution-reprecipitation processes are enabling true molecular recycling that restores virgin-equivalent polymer quality.

Circular Solution Pathway

"Chemical upcycling via catalytic pyrolysis that breaks down complex polymers into their original monomer building blocks, creating a truly closed-loop material economy where no polymer is ever downgraded."

Context

Modern industrial systems operate in siloed linear models where raw material extraction, manufacturing, and disposal are treated as separate, unconnected stages. The discipline of Industrial Ecology demonstrates that industries, like natural ecosystems, can organically exchange material and energy flows to eliminate the concept of waste altogether, creating symbiotic value from what would otherwise be costly liabilities.

The Problem

Global supply chains account for over 80% of greenhouse gas emissions from consumer goods, yet most corporations lack visibility beyond their Tier 1 suppliers. Scope 3 emissions remain largely unmeasured, creating a systemic blind spot in decarbonization strategies. Industrial zones continue to treat effluents, thermal discharges, and solid waste as separate liability streams rather than inputs for neighboring industries, foregoing enormous resource recovery potential.

Emerging Solutions

Industrial Symbiosis networks, modeled on the Kalundborg Symbiosis in Denmark, enable neighboring industries to exchange waste streams, including steam, fly ash, sulfur, and treated water, creating closed material loops at the regional level. Life Cycle Assessment tools integrated with real-time supply chain data are enabling Scope 3 emission tracking, circular procurement mandates, and verified green supplier certification frameworks.

Circular Solution Pathway

"Designing certified Industrial Symbiosis Networks anchored by Green Supply Chain Management frameworks that mandate closed-loop procurement, where every waste output from one industrial actor becomes a verified input for another, eliminating the concept of industrial waste within certified eco-industrial parks."

Pillar VI

Sustainable Industrial Ecosystems & Green Supply Chains

Aerial view of an eco-industrial park with interconnected facilities and green corridors between factories

Call for Research Abstracts

We invite researchers, engineers, and industrial designers to submit original work aligned with these six pillars.

Submission Deadline May 20, 2026
Submit Your Abstract
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