From Cleaning Beaches To Collecting Plastic Waste, How Big Companies Are Doing Their Bit To Keep Environment Clean

Over the past few years, the world at large has woken up to the horrifying reality of the decades of mindless littering of our environment with discarded plastic.

Today plastic waste can be seen at the highest point on earth, at the top of Mount Everest to the deepest trenches in the ocean.

With plastic pollution at all-time high various efforts are being made the world over to something before it is too late.

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In India too, there is an increasing awareness over the ill-effects of plastic pollution. With Bollywood celebrities like Dia Mirza joining in to keep the beaches clean. It is not just celebrities, even some of the biggest brands are also doing their bit to keep the environment clean.

One of them is PepsiCo India, which as now partnered with waste management firm - Nepra, to collect over 8,00,000 kgs of multi-layered plastic in West Bengal by end of this year.

In addition to that, PepsiCo and Nepra have also launched a first of its kind, waste management education programme with the leading schools in Kurseong, Darjeeling.

It involves creating awareness around dry waste management amongst students, faculty and school members. Over 600 students from 10 schools have signed up for the program, where each week they will donate post-consumer multi-layered plastic (MLP) at dedicated collections points in their schools.

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Under the initiative Plastic Waste (MLP) will be deposited by students every week at dedicated collection centres in each school.

¡°At PepsiCo, we have been striving to build a world where plastic never becomes waste. With our various recycling initiatives, we are doing our bit to make sustainable plastics a reality. The main idea behind this association is to help provide our future generations with the knowledge of waste management," Samir Pathak, AMENA Corporate Affairs Director ¨C Sustainability at PepsiCo India said.

He also added that the company aims to make 100 percent of our packaging recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable by 2025.

Another big name which extended its support to the sustainability initiatives is sports goods maker Adidas.

Last month, Adidas held the second Run For The Oceans which brought together over 87,000 runners from across India.

The runners clocked a total of 175060.81 km and cleared over 238 tonnes of plastic waste as part of the beach clean-up drives, plogging efforts in Delhi and boats running in mangroves. The run this year helped Adidas raise an amount of $ 1.5 Million and the total money will be contributed to Parley Ocean School.

Under the initiative, Adidas has set an aim to produce 11 million pairs of shoes from up-cycled marine plastic waste other than raising money to educate and empower 100,000 youth living in coastal areas and are affected by plastic pollution.