38th National Games athletes to wear medals with 30% recycled auto e-waste metals

Attero, one of the leading cleantech company and world’s largest recycler of lithium-ion batteries, says the 38th National Games 2025 in Uttarakhand has 30% of automotive recycled e-waste metals as it partners with the Government of India (GoI) to supply recycled metals with over 99.9% purity for “green” medals.

Speaking to ETAuto, Nitin Gupta, CEO and Co-Founder, Attero, says, “We are supplying 4,500 units of recycled metals such as gold, silver, copper and bronze for the National Games for medals.” He adds that while 70% of the recycled metals come from consumer electronics, a significant 30% originates from automotive e-waste.

With the National Games adopting a "Green Games" theme, Gupta emphasizes, “This is a great initiative by the government, first of its kind in Indian sports, using conflict-free recycled materials to demonstrate the country's commitment to sustainability. We see further scope for incorporating recycled materials/metals in future sporting events.”


A major highlight of this initiative is its environmental impact. Gupta notes that using recycled e-waste metals has saved approximately 300 tonnes of carbon emissions. “These recycled metals are as sturdy as virgin metals and significantly reduce India’s import dependency, as we are a net importer of gold, copper, and silver,” he explains. Had virgin metals been used for the medals, it would have resulted in 200 tonnes of carbon emissions, while the recycled materials alone cut emissions by 100 tonnes.

Designed to be a plastic-free event, the 38th National Games 2025 also integrates EV transportation and has drawn over 10,000 athletes competing across 35 sports disciplines in 11 cities spanning 8 districts in Uttarakhand. Among these, medals will be awarded for 33 sports, while two will be exhibition sports. The event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dehardun, Uttarakhand on January 28th and will run until February 14th.