Picture this: You go to a store, buy your favourite set of new clothes, stand in the queue and pay for the purchase and you get a biodegradable bag to carry your clothes in. How fancy you think! Brands are going over and beyond to adopt recyclable, reusable, and compostable packaging.
Eco-friendly alternatives have become a priority for brands and a way to show their commitment to reducing waste and minimizing their environmental impact. Recyclable packaging ensures that materials can be repurposed and diverted from landfills, while reusable options promote a circular economy and reduce the need for single-use items.
Compostable packaging offers a solution for organic waste, providing a sustainable end-of-life option. Brands embracing these practices are not only meeting consumer demands for sustainable choices but also contributing to a greener and more sustainable future.
Sameer Satpathy, Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business Division, ITC Limited, says, “ITC, as a global exemplar of sustainability has continued to bring innovative solutions to address consumer needs. In line with this vision, we have taken a conscious and progressive step to introduce packaging made from recycled material for Vivel VedVidya, Fiama Shower Gels and Savlon. Savlon Glycerin Soap’s packaging with 70% recycled plastic is a category first and truly adopts the principle of reduce and recycle. These efforts serve as a testament towards our commitment to society, and empower consumers by providing them with choices that enable positive environmental impact.”
For hospitality brands like Conrad Bengaluru, sustainable and environment-friendly choices have become the cornerstone of operations. From day-to-day requirements to overall property management, they incorporate environment- friendly measures to ensure seamless operations. Shilpi Khanna, Director of Operations, Conrad Bengaluru, says, “As a zero-discharge property, we undertake sustainable efforts towards efficient use of natural resources. For instance, the water used for landscaping, cooling tower and towards parking area cleaning are recycled, recovered and reused. The property uses 80-85% of energy from solar power and has installed an in-house bottling plant to reduce plastic consumption. We are a proud zero-discharge property and we ensure that all bathroom amenities are packed in water-soluble, biodegradable pouches to ensure optimum waste management, the bottles are also made from post-consumer recycled plastic to address waste management goals.”
Conrad Bengaluru aims to minimize the use of water-managed operations and reduce landfilled waste in their managed operations by 50% by 2030, aligning with the UN’s SDG 2030 goals. For confectionery brands like Perfetti Van Melle India, sustainability and community services are closely integrated with their business philosophy. They consistently strive to maximize the utilization of natural resources and minimize the environmental impact through continuous improvement efforts. Rajesh Ramakrishnan, Managing Director, Perfetti Van Melle India, says “At Perfetti Van Melle India, we have been successful in replenishing water bodies, restoring ponds and reviving wells as part of our commitment. In our factories, we have increased the usage of green energy, both electricity and Steam. With regards to our approach on “reduce, reuse, recycle” of packaging material, the company is diligently meeting its EPR compliances, under the PWM Rules, and were amongst the few to pro-actively initiated a drive to explore alternate packaging material for our products. Further, our rigorous efforts in value engineering and design have already helped us in reducing our packaging footprint. In fact, we were amongst the first few to the pioneer use of ‘rPet’ in secondary packaging material. These initiative stands as a testament to our steadfast commitment to the integration of sustainability in our operations.”
For Jagdeep Hira, Business Head, Pakka Limited taking care of the planet is of supreme importance. “In our product development process, we ensure that we minimise waste generation. We’re steadily moving towards the goal of net zero carbon emission, aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, we have also undertaken several steps through our CSR initiative Pakka Foundation, enabling us to work towards environmental upkeep in towns and villages around our factory premises. It is encouraging to see that days such as World Environment Day are gaining popularity and are being celebrated, as they help in increasing awareness about our environment,” adds Hira.
Wellness retreats and properties have been embracing sustainable packaging and reusable toiletries. Six Senses Vana has always embraced the power of sustainable packaging in every decision it makes. Manish Kumar, Sustainability Director, Six Senses Vana, shares, “To uphold our commitment to a more sustainable future. It is our goal to transform waste into opportunity by weaving together recyclability, reusability, and composability. In embracing this cycle of sustainability, we are preserving the beauty of our planet with continuous efforts and creating a legacy of conscious consumption for generations to come.”
The following are just a few of the many more initiatives the wellness retreat has in place:
- We provide our vendors with reusable containers to deliver milk to us
- The paper bags or fabric bags are used for gifting, retail products, and medicines.
- Using reusable containers for transportation of vegetables
- Any packaging or product that is made up of single-use plastics is refused by us
- Packaging for amenities is recyclable and can be reused
- For uniform packaging, we use recyclable and biodegradable materials
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