Inside the assembly: How much do Tamil Nadu’s policymakers really know about climate change?
This blog was originally published in Citizen Matters on 26th May, 2025.
Vamsi Shankar Kapilavai, Programme Lead, Environment and Climate Action
Connecting the dots: The Global Plastics Treaty and media
Report prepared by: Vamsi Sankar Kapilavai (Programme Lead, Environment & Climate Action, CAG)
Acknowledgements: The author acknowledges S. Saroja for her critical review of the report and the communications team for editing the report.
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Plastic, policies and people: A bottom-up dialogue on the global plastics treaty
Plastic, Policies and People brings grassroots voices into the global conversation on plastic pollution. This report captures insights from waste workers, youth, RWAs, and MSMEs across four cities, highlighting their expectations, concerns, and priorities for the Global Plastics Treaty. It underscores the need for an inclusive, just, and accountable treaty that reflects the lived realities of those most impacted. Through vivid documentation and powerful narratives, the report offers a bottom-up perspective on what a truly transformative plastics treaty must look like.
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Plastic or progress? The INC-5 outcomes unveiled
As waves lapped at Busan’s shores, delegates inside INC-5 (25 November - 1 December 2024) faced a storm of their own - the task of negotiating a treaty that will shape the future of our planet’s relationship with plastics. Delegates from across the globe came together, grappling with the urgent need to address the escalating plastic crisis that threatens ecosystems, economies, and human health. From microplastics in our bloodstreams to mountains of waste in landfills, the repercussions of plastic pollution are undeniable.
The Plasticene Epoch and the brands behind it
CAG's 2021 Brand Audit sought to understand which companies create the maximum plastic waste. Interestingly, unbranded plastic contributed to a quarter of the plastic waste audited followed by well-known brands like Unilever, Aavin, and Britannia. Over 90% of the plastic waste produced by companies such as Unilever, Nestle, and Mondelez for example, are made of non-recyclable plastics - an indication of brands disinterest in making their products truly sustainable.
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CAG’s 2021 Brand Audit
Since 2018, across the world civil society has been conducting a plastic waste audit or brand audit.
CAG Brand Audit: Who’s the biggest plastic polluter in Chennai?
CAG’s plastic waste audit throws light on those companies that are the biggest polluters. Read more about what we found and how you can help to make a difference.
Microplastics findings in Kodungaiyur
A study that analysed water samples from around the Kodungaiyur dumpyard seeking to answer the question of how much microplastics have leached into the neighbourhood water sources.
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Five ways Chennai Corporation can improve its Plastic Waste Management (PWM) by-laws
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) released the Plastic Waste Management by-laws in August 2019 to tackle the city’s plastic problem. Let us have a look at what the by-laws bring to Chennai.
The Truth Behind Incineration
Cities in India are at a crucial juncture where they have to choose between a lock-in of decades of harmful pollution (incineration) or leap forward by choosing zero-waste models. With Greater Chennai Corporation more or less opting for incinerators at the Kodungaiyur and Perungudi dumpyards, let us have a look at what incineration actually means and what it does to human beings, environment and economy.