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Chintan is a partnership between diverse actors for environmental justice . Our key work focuses on equitable, sustainable production, consumption and disposal. Our focus in on the urban sector.

India, and indeed, most of the developing world, is being fundamentally transformed by both globalization and urbanization. According to some projections, by 2030, not only will 50% of India be urbanized, but, along with China, it will also cradle 50% of the world's slums.

Most Indian cities are run on the work of the informal sector. Often, their work is characterized by exposure to toxins, lack of equal rights, lack of secure livelihoods and no more than living wages. Ironically, many of their services reduce a city's ecological footprint as they transport goods on cycle carts, Cooling Agents recycle waste or repair broken goods. On the other hand, their clients-the middle and affluent sections of the city-have become fervent consumers in the last decade, leading to a quantum leap in consumption of resources. Chintan works to mobilize a wider public support for environmental sustainability and green jobs for the urban poor through research, campaigns, building capacity,  demonstrating models on the ground and scaling these up. We also believe that it  is important for the middle-classes to consciously consume less, not only to act in  defense of the planet, but in order to be able to make available resources for the poor. We act to make this shift possible. All Chintan's work is anchored in grassroots partnerships with organizations of the urban marginalized.

Latest Research

Cooling Agent An analysis of greenhouse gas mitigation by the informal recycling sector in India.  Download the summary report in pdf format

 

Watch a summary of our new advocacy film

Counter Balance :how privatization of waste is affecting the life of waste recyclers


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