Cross-Sector Partnerships: Challenges and Opportunities of Partnering with the Informal Sector

Abstract

Hybridized cross-sector partnering can help solve complex issues. Informal sector partnerships, for example, have mitigated numerous negative health and environmental externalities mandated through India’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) electronic waste (e-waste) rules. Yet, translating regulatory aspirations of recycling, selective reuse, and safe disposal of e-waste into effective on-the-ground results is particularly challenging due to the dominant and pervasive role of informal sector organizations in India’s e-waste processes. Informal sector organizations, having no government authorization, cannot by law contribute to manufacturers’ official waste reduction targets, yet, paradoxically, are efficient and effective partners, at scale, across all phases of recycling, sorting, distributing, and reclaiming wastes. In short, they could be true partners in creating a circular, extended recycling system in India. Using a mix-method approach, we augment extant theorizing on cross-sector partnerships by systematically examining partnerships within India’s informal sector and e-waste management practices. We provide insights for engagement with efficient, yet unauthorized, informal sector organizations to meet compliance targets.