Arun leads the India project of the Responsible Sourcing Initiative, a multi-year program addressing human rights challenges in recycling value chains and advancing responsibly sourced recycled materials.

With over 19 years of experience in waste management across India and the United Kingdom, Arun brings expertise in technology integration and inclusive value chains.

Prior to joining The Circulate Initiative, Arun served on the core leadership team at Saahas Zero Waste, a pioneering social enterprise in India. He helped build and scale decentralized waste management operations through Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), plastic waste management, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs. He also led initiatives to professionalize informal waste workers and integrate them into an ethical supply chain, while advancing ecosystem-based approaches to waste management. Arun played a key role in implementing award-winning traceability tools, IoT systems, and AI-enabled waste recovery technologies. Earlier in his career, he worked on equipment design and the establishment of MRFs in the United Kingdom, and advanced thermocol recycling in Bangalore. He is also an Aspire Circle Fellow.

Arun holds a Master of Science in Advanced Materials Technology from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Ramaiah Institute of Technology, India.