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<ul><li>E-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and BigBasket are racing to eliminate single use plastic from their packaging.</li><li>BigBasket is ahead of the curve as it replaced plastic packaging with paper bags completely three years ago. </li><li>Amazon India plans eliminate single use plastic by June 2020 and Flipkart is aiming for March 2021.</li></ul>Global e-commerce giants, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=amazon+india&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=flipkart&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Flipkart</a>, aim to phase out single-use plastics from their packaging over the next two years. But, homegrown online grocery delivery platform BigBasket has been frugal in its use of plastic since its launched in 2011. "To a large extent we have reduced plastic to a large extent right from before. It’s not recent," Pooja Ravishankar, head of category marketing at BigBasket told Business Insider. For the past three to four years, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bigbasket&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">BigBasket</a> has stopped using plastic entirely to deliver fruits and vegetables to its customers. "All our fruits and vegetables come in a paper bag," said Ravishankar. Amazon India, on the other hand, plans to eliminate all plastic packaging and replace it with paper cushions by June 2020. Walmart-owned <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/flipkart-and-air-india-become-the-first-in-their-sectors-to-begin-the-fight-against-plastic/articleshow/70894061.cms">Flipkart</a>’s plan is to use 100% recycled plastic in their supply chain by March 2021. The company claims that it has been able to reduce its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=single+use+plastic&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">single use plastic</a> consumption by 25% as on 1 August, 2019. Flipkart stated that it plans to replace poly pouches with recycled paper bags and bubble wrap with carton waste shredded material. Challenges of making the transition from plastic to paper When BigBasket made the switch from plastic bags to paper bags for their fruits and vegetables, their primary concern was that they might lose customers as a result. "We were very worried because plastic gives you that transparency and vegetables look a lot nicer in plastic. Paper is opaque, and customers can’t see them. It’s a very touch-and-feel category," said Ravishankar. Despite the apprehension, BigBasket did not lose customers. They went ahead and switched other grocery categories to paper packaging as well and their bills are printed on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=recycled+paper&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">recycled paper</a>. "We want to reduce the packaging on fruits and vegetables as well. At the end of the day, paper packaging means trees are being cut down. Eventually we would want to move onto the thela (cloth bag) system," explained Ravishankar. Eliminating packaging altogether But, there’s still one challenge that remains — staples. Due to their weight and quantities, BigBasket still has to use plastic to deliver things like atta (flour) and dal (pulses). The company is mulling over shifting to recycle plastic to solve the conundrum "One of the dreams that we have is that we want to get rid of packaging completely. It’s a vision for us," stated Ravishankar. India has plans to implement a country-wide ban on single use plastic on with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to announce new guidelines today, 2 October 2019. During India’s 73rd <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Independence-day">Independence Day</a>, Modi emphasised immediate measures that could put in place to eradicate non-recyclable plastic. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/flipkart-and-air-india-become-the-first-in-their-sectors-to-begin-the-fight-against-plastic/articleshow/70894061.cms">Flipkart and Air India become the first in their sectors to begin the fight against plastic</a>

Big Basket ahead of e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart in eliminating single use plastics

<ul><li>The government of India may ban six single-use plastic items on October 2. </li><li>Several state governments including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh already banned plastic products, with fines.</li></ul><ul><li>Here's the list of all the items that you won't be able to use after India bans single-use plastic. </li></ul>The Indian government is likely to put a <a href="https://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-pollution-plastic-exclusive/exclusive-india-set-to-outlaw-six-single-use-plastic-products-on-october-2-sources-idINKCN1VI19F">blanket ban of six single-use plastic items</a> in a bid to reduce annual plastic consumption by 5-10%. The government will reportedly provide six months time for people to adapt to alternatives, before imposing a fine. Earlier, the P M Narendra Modi pledged to omit the use of <keyword id="6570438" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="single-use-plastic">single use plastic</keyword> by 2022 and urged e-commerce giants and big businesses to curb their use. What is Single-use plastic and why the government is banning it? Any plastic items which we will throw away or recycle after using it once comes under the single-use plastics. They include popular items like carrying bags, bottle caps, sachets, wrappers, food packets etc. What is the punishment for breaching the law? Several state governments including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh already banned plastic products, with fines. Maharashtra government levied a fine of ₹5,00 for first-time offenders, ₹10,000 for the second offense and a penalty of ₹25,000 with three-month jail for the third. States like Punjab imposed punishments that include five-year term prison with ₹1 lakh fine or both, for breaching the law. Here's a list of items that you won't be able to use if the government bans single-use plastic Plastic carry bags 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="man-3244702__340" msid="71375803" hostid="261"></div>







 Plastic cups 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="photo-1521913728990-c534455c5454" msid="71375854" hostid="261"></div>







 Plastic plates 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="food-14624__340" msid="71375938" hostid="261"></div>







 Small bottles 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="plastic-waste-3962409__340" msid="71375939" hostid="261"></div>







 Straws 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="photo-1489532060612-9910b757430f" msid="71375941" hostid="261"></div>







 Plastic sachets 
 <div type="image" title="7efda9d783461eed09d97c077d63a815" msid="71376144" hostid="261"></div>

Here are all the things you won't be able to use after India bans single-use plastics

<ul><li>The Indian environment ministry issued a letter to states and union territories informing them that there is no imminent ban on single-use plastics. </li><li>It also clarified that the ban would not affect multi-layered packaging, normally used for food and beverages. </li><li>The document shared by ministry outlines action points to achieve the goal of eliminating single-use plastic by 2022. </li></ul>Companies in India were anxious about the government implementing a nation-wide ban on plastic but it seems there are no plans to announce any such restrictions — for now. The environment ministry issued a document to states and union territories (UTs) clarifying that there is no ban on single-use plastics but that the country is still planning on eliminating their use by 2022, according to <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/plastic-curbs-to-spare-multi-layered-packaging/cid/1709407">The Telegraph</a>, "There is now a need to take it (the awareness) to a new level and ensure that by 2022, we eliminate single-use plastic from our society," stated Environment Secretary Chandra Kishore Mishra in the letter. The ministry outlines that states need to implement legislative interventions and behavioural changes to wean people away from consuming <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/In-some-countries-people-face-jail-time-for-using-plastic-bags-Here-are-all-the-places-that-have-banned-plastic-bags-and-straws-so-far-/articleshow/68712914.cms">single-use plastics</a>. Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s call to action during India’s 73rd <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Independence-day">Independence Day</a> had businesses in India worried about the potential economic impact. If such a ban were to be implemented, it would affect <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/here-are-all-the-things-you-wont-be-able-to-use-after-india-bans-single-use-plastics/articleshow/71375802.cms">everyday items</a> like plastic cups and plastic plates at food stalls, packaging on biscuits and sodas, and small bottles. Food and beverages are safe The environment ministry also clarified that any planned guidelines to curb the consumption of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=single+use+plastic&amp;sortorder=score&amp;curpg=1">single-use plastic</a>s will not apply to multi-layered plastic packaging, which is commonly used to package products like food and beverages. During the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-pm-endorses-iit-camera-to-catch-inattentive-mps-in-parliament/articleshow/71376832.cms">Singapore-India Hackathon</a> at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on 30 September 2019, Modi clarified that he was exclusively campaigning against single-use plastic and not a plastic-free india. "Some people, by mistake, are talking about plastic-free India. I have not said this. I have said that single-use plastic, which comes to use only once, causes a lot of problems," explained Modi. The environment ministry pointed out that only <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/which-states-in-india-have-banned-plastic/articleshow/70218756.cms">five states</a> — Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh — currently have legislation in place to regulate plastic waste. It has asked other states to plan on introduce restrictions on plastic use to curate a list of products that they plan to on restricting. It also clarified that there may not be a requirement to ban plastic bottles, like the ones used for packaging water and sodas, and that the focus should be on making sure the bottles are recyclable and can be reprocessed. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/article/amazon-flipkart-and-bigbasket-are-racing-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-from-their-supply-chain/articleshow/71402437.cms">Big Basket ahead of e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart in eliminating single use plastics</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/here-are-all-the-things-you-wont-be-able-to-use-after-india-bans-single-use-plastics/articleshow/71375802.cms">Here are all the things you won't be able to use after India bans single-use plastics</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/mount-everest-will-turn-into-a-plastic-free-zone-by-2020-as-nepal-bans-it/articleshow/70780916.cms">Mount Everest will turn into a plastic-free zone by 2020 as Nepal bans it</a>

India won’t be banning plastic — for now

<ul><li><keyword id="6357886" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="phonepe">PhonePe</keyword> has banned <keyword id="6570438" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="single-use-plastic">single use plastic</keyword> from all of its offices.</li><li>It has over 40 offices across the country. </li><li>The company now plans to move to alternatives to plastic which are 100% reusable and 100% recyclable. </li></ul>Flipkart-owned PhonePe has banned single use plastic from all of its offices. It has over 40 offices across the country. The company plans to move to alternatives to plastic which are 100% reusable and 100% recyclable. “Nowadays there are many other cost-affordable and environmentally-friendly materials available. It’s high time we adopted these new materials and shed our addiction to disposable plastics,” said Sameer Nigam, Founder and CEO PhonePe. In the next few months, PhonePe will introduce a slew of measures across offices to create an eco-friendly and sustainable workspace. PhonePe was acquired by <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> in 2016 and the e-commerce giant too has been waging a war against plastic. Recently, Flipkart announced a new initiative to collect plastic packaging from the customers’ doorstep. Flipkart had earlier said that it reduced single use plastics by 25% until August 2019, with multiple initiatives across its packaging value chain. It has a long term plan to use 100% recycled plastics in its own supply chain by March 2021. It’s also planning to use recycled paper bags for packaging. Meanwhile, Zomato and Swiggy too are working on reducing plastic use by switching to biodegradable alternatives. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/zomato-swiggy-ubereats-control-single-use-plastic/articleshow/71451827.cms">Zomato and Swiggy sell eco-friendly packaging to restaurants, to avoid single-use plastics</a>

PhonePe joins Flipkart in the fight against plastic, bans single use plastic

<ul><li>The e-commerce player said that by August 2019, it has achieved a 25% reduction in single-use plastic. </li><li>The company plans to move to 100% recycled plastic consumption in its own supply chain by March 2021.</li><li>Today, <keyword id="2573" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-India">Air India</keyword> too had banned single-use plastic </li></ul>As India moves to reduce its dependence on plastics, public and private corporations alike are joining in. Retail giant <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> said that it reduced single use plastics by 25% until August 2019, with multiple initiatives across its packaging value chain. State-owned Air India too announced that it will ban plastic products on its flights from October 2. This will include plastic bags, cups, plates, straws and more. They will be replaced by paper products. Creating alternatives for single-use plastic packaging: Flipkart Flipkart has a long term plan to use 100% recycled plastics in its own supply chain by March 2021. It’s planning to also use recycled paper bags for packaging. “Creating alternatives for single-use plastic packaging is one of the significant steps we have taken towards fulfilling our commitment to create a sustainable ecosystem. Our long-term vision is to eliminate the use of plastic and maximise the use of recycled and renewable materials,” said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Group CEO, Flipkart. Indian companies have been cognizant of Indian government’s move to reduce plastic consumption and achieve recycling. States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana have banned single-use plastics. Uttar Pradesh and Kanataka too banned products which quality as single-use plastics without using the term. Plastic bottles will be banished: Anand Mahindra Anand Mahindra too promised that ‘plastic bottles will be banished’ from his company. The chairman of the automobile giant which also makes electric cars, spoke at the World Economic Forum about the need of business leaders coming together for the cause. “The business community too recognises that this is not a problem they are solving alone or something you check on your CSR (corporate social responsibility) box. This is the biggest business opportunity for the next few decades,” Mahindra said. Meanwhile, another IT giant Wipro and its founder Azim Premji too stressed on the importance of recycling. “This year, we have significantly scaled up the use of renewable energy for our operations, which now contributes 40% of our total consumption. Recycled water now contributes to 42% of our total water usage” Premji said at his annual general meeting.

Flipkart and Air India become the first in their sectors to begin the fight against plastic

<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image">Nicholas Carlson</div></div>Another blow for <keyword id="6354947" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bitcoin">Bitcoin</keyword> in <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>.
<keyword id="302749" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Alibaba">Alibaba</keyword> - the e-commerce giant - will no longer allow Bitcoin use on its site.
<a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/af021250-783e-11e3-a148-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=intl#axzz2pnYXQLSV">From the FT</a>:
Alibaba said that as of January 14 it would <a href="http://rule.taobao.com/detail-1358.htm?spm=0.0.0.0.B5WXz5" title="Alibaba statement (in Chinese)">stop its users from doing any deals in Bitcoins</a> or other virtual currencies such as Litecoins, and would bar merchants from selling any Bitcoin mining software or offering any related products.
The decision was taken to "promote the healthy development of Taobao Marketplace and to more effectively protect the interests of Taobao members," Alibaba said in a statement. It added that the ban stemmed from the <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6707013a-67af-11e3-8ada-00144feabdc0.html" title="China bans new Bitcoin deposits - FT.com">central bank's ruling</a> in December that prohibits any payment companies or financial institutions from handling Bitcoins.
The whole press release <a href="http://rule.taobao.com/detail-1358.htm?spm=0.0.0.0.B5WXz5">is here</a> (in Chinese).
The price of Bitcoin dropped precipitously late last year after the first signs that China would crack down.
But it hasn't really mattered. The price has proved resilient, <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/af021250-783e-11e3-a148-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=intl#axzz2pnYXQLSV">and as the FT noted yesterday</a>, trading is springing back to life, as people find a way around the government ban. Given that circumventing government regulations is one of the main appeals of Bitcoin, it was probably naive to think that China's crackdown would have major ramifications.

China's E-Commerce Giant Alibaba Just Banned Bitcoin

<div class="image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">Nicholas Carlson</div></div></div>BEIJING (Reuters) - China's biggest online marketplace, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's Taobao, will ban the sale of bitcoins on the heels of a government crackdown against the virtual currency to plug a potential gap in its tight controls on capital flows.
The move comes as Alibaba, China's biggest e-commerce company, seeks the smoothest of rides toward a giant initial public offering of stock expected later this year. In a statement posted on its website late on Tuesday, Taobao said the ban is effective from January 14.
Taobao's move to fall in line with the government's wishes also comes as Alibaba presses on with efforts to stamp out the sale of fake goods on the online marketplace ahead of the IPO. Alibaba has been conservatively estimated to be worth over $100 billion.
"The central bank clearly has required third-party payment services to close <keyword id="6354947" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bitcoin">bitcoin</keyword>...trading channels," Taobao said in its statement, without disclosing any details on bitcoin sales through its platform up to now. Backed by neither a government nor a bank, bitcoin has attracted currency speculators in recent months.
Alibaba spokeswoman Florence Shih said, "In the interest of consumer protection, Taobao has banned the sale of bitcoins on the platform."
Taobao uses Alibaba's online payment affiliate Alipay to process transactions across the world's second-biggest economy, handling over 1 trillion yuan ($165 billion) in annual sales volume together with its sister shopping portal T-Mall.
The Taobao ban, which covers other virtual currencies, also includes the sale of any guides, computer hardware or software related to bitcoin "mining". In the mining process users can mint new bitcoins of their own by having a computer solve complex mathematical problems.
Most bitcoin sales take place on specialized electronic platforms, rather than online marketplaces like Taobao, that are designed to trade the virtual currency for various physical currencies.
In December, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) banned financial institutions from trading in bitcoins, saying the government would act to prevent money laundering risks from bitcoin, which is not backed by a government or central bank. It did not ban individual trading.
Later the same month, the Chinese Business News reported that the government had asked third-party payment services to stop handling bitcoin transactions, forcing Shanghai-based BTC China, the world's largest bitcoin exchange platform by volume, to stop taking Chinese yuan deposits.
"I think it's overreaching," said Bobby Lee, Chief Executive Officer of BTC China, referring to Taobao's ban on bitcoin-related accessories. "I think they're trying to just win favors from the government."
The PBOC stance reflects the fact that the bitcoin trade represents a potential hole in the country's capital controls. They are minted anonymously, untraceable, and can be carried on memory sticks or transmitted electronically.
However, analysts say that given the total value of bitcoins in circulation remains tiny relative to other currencies, the trade is unlikely to have much impact on the wider economy for now.
The price of bitcoins on BTC China fell 15 percent on Tuesday to 4718.51 yuan, but had bounced back 4.5 percent by late afternoon on Wednesday.
($1 = 6.0512 Chinese yuan)
(Reporting by Adam Rose; Additional reporting by Paul Carstens in BEIJING; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

China's Biggest E-Commerce Company Is About To Ban Bitcoin

New Delhi, Jan 29 () The NGT asked the Central Pollution Control Board on Wednesday to submit a fresh report on Amazon and Flipkart's compliance of plastic waste management rules, a day after the CPCB said the e-commerce giants need to collect the waste generated due to packaging of their products.
Hearing a plea filed by a 16-year-old boy to stop Amazon and Fli pkart from excessive plastic use in packaging, the National Green Tribunal said it is for the regulator CPCB to enforce the rules.
Advocate Balendu Shekhar, appearing for CPCB, told the bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel about the non-compliance of plastic waste management rules by the e-commere giants, saying the e-commerce firms need to fulfil their extended producer responsibility under the rules.
They use excessive plastics for packaging but have not registered with CPCB, Shekhar said, adding the companies should obtain registration as brand owner after submitting relevant documents.
Advocate Sanjay Upadhyay, appearing for Amazon, told the green tribunal they will comply with all formalities on extended producer responsibility by June 30.
The bench, however, asked them to approach the CPCB and posted the matter for hearing on April 22.
On Tuesday, the CPCB told the NGT that as per provisions 9(2) of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, "Primary responsibility for collection of used multi-layered plastic sachet or pouches or packaging is of producers, importers and brand owners who introduce the products in the market.
"Amazon Retail India Private Limited and Flipkart Private limited are involved in packaging and selling of other companies' products and thus introducing plastic packaging in the market. They need to fulfil their extended producer responsibility under PWM Rules and should obtain registration as brand owner after submitting proper documents," CPCB said.
Aditya Dubey, the petitioner in the case through advocate Divya Prakash Pande, has pleaded the NGT to direct Amazon and Flipkart to stop excessive use of plastic in packaging.
Responding to the plea, Amazon India said it has been "relentlessly" working to reduce single-use plastic in its supply chain and is committed to eliminating its usage in their buildings by June 2020.
"Towards this, we have introduced 'paper cushions', which have completely replaced plastic dunnage across our fulfilment centres in India. We also ensure that packaging material in the form of corrugate boxes and paper cushions contains as high as 100% recycled content and is also fully recyclable. To reduce packaging waste and use of plastic, 'Packaging Free Shipment' (PFS) has now expanded to 20 cities within a year," an Amazon India spokesperson said Tuesday.
Flipkart said it has been "constantly striving to find eco-friendly alternatives for plastic packaging which is resilient and keeps the product safe during transit".
"The company firmly believes in the principle of 'business with a purpose' and we are aware of our responsibility towards the environment," a Flipkart spokesperson said.
Dubey's plea has contended that the companies deliver items in cardboard boxes, which are too large when compared to the size of the items being delivered.
The plea has also said that though the home-delivery service of e-commerce companies have been very useful for consumers, they have given rise to serious environmental challenges. Once goods are delivered, the plastic waste is thrown away in garbage and it ends up at landfill sites, it said.
"Single-use plastic has emerged as one of the biggest environmental challenges for our planet. It is cheap, useful, ubiquitous and very deadly," the petition has said. PKS PKS ABH
ABH

Submit fresh report on compliance of plastic rules by Amazon, Flipkart: NGT to CPCB

<ul><li><keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> will soon launch an online marketplace to help its restaurants procure eco-friendly packaging easily.</li><li><keyword id="6358977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="swiggy">Swiggy</keyword> runs an initiative called Swiggy Packaging Assist with paper and glass as alternative options. </li><li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the aim for 2022 to eradicate the use of single-use plastics.</li></ul>A restaurant owner in Delhi’s Rohini area has signed out of a food aggregator platform and asked a customer to come to the outlet with a tiffin box to collect food. What might sound like a funny incident, was actually a noble thought – the hotelier didn’t want to use plastic for <keyword id="6376068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-delivery">food delivery</keyword>. While the Indian government might not have gone ahead with the <keyword id="6570438" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="single-use-plastic">single use plastic</keyword> ban, Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to eradicate the use of single-use plastics by 2022. And, it seems to have turned people wee bit conscious. If you order food online from Zomato, Swiggy, <keyword id="2960214" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ubereats">UberEats</keyword> or others, you would know about the plastic wrapping that comes along with the food – from the signature tape to plastic boxes. But aggregators are aware of the rising use of plastics by restaurant partners. Now, they are beginning to take up an active role. A marketplace for alternative packaging Two years back, Zomato was one of the first to come with an option called ‘don’t send cutlery’. The foodtech unicorn is also working with research-based start-ups and firms to introduce high quality, eco-friendly packaging. “For a wider use-case, we will soon be launching an online marketplace (akin to an e-commerce portal), employing our network of suppliers for restaurants to easily procure eco-friendly packaging. Packaging offered which will include a segment of 100% naturally biodegradable units, largely consisting of sugarcane bagasse, bamboo, palm leaf and paper solutions,” said a Zomato spokesperson. Taking charge Meanwhile, Swiggy has been running a marketplace called Swiggy Packaging Assist for over a year now. “Packaging Assist enables restaurant partners to get access to a variety of packing solutions including (but not limited to) eco-friendly packaging options made of materials such as paper and glass. Hundreds of our restaurant partners across cities have slowly started using greener packaging solutions when possible,” said a Swiggy spokesperson. Swiggy said that it took up Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for 100 tonnes of plastic a month, and will grow six times over in the next six months. Zomato and Swiggy’s rival – UberEats educates its restaurant partners about the importance of right packaging. “We firmly believe that food delivery platforms can play a major role to empower restaurants and local businesses with sustainable packaging and encourage implementation of economical, plastic free packaging / eco-friendly options,” said Uber Eats.

Zomato and Swiggy sell eco-friendly packaging to restaurants, to avoid single-use plastics

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Companies that prioritize low-waste or zero plastic use boomed alongside single-use plastics during COVID-19.</li><li><keyword id="11223427" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="blueland">Blueland</keyword>, a green cleaning products maker, grew 800% year-over-year during COVID-19.</li><li>These eco-friendly companies predict this growth will continue.</li></ul>The <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/health-coronavirus-plastic-recycling/">demand for single-use plastic-based products</a> like takeout containers has skyrocketed throughout the coronavirus pandemic, but as this plastic use rises, so have sales for companies focused on low waste and the elimination of unnecessary plastic use.<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-single-use-plastics-environmentalists/">According to a report by CBS</a> in August, environmentalists are concerned by this uptick in single-use plastics and plastic waste during the global coronavirus crisis. A microplastics expert has even gone as far as to say that this resulting damage could "last forever," <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54265590">according to a report by BBC published in September 2020.</a>During this time, zero-waste traditionalists also started using plastic again. This includes Lauren Singer, CEO of Package Free Shop and a self-proclaimed "<keyword id="72341" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Zero-Waste">zero waste</keyword> environmental activist," <a href="https://www.instagram.com/trashisfortossers/">according to her Instagram profile</a>, who published a 10-slide Instagram post in March 2020 describing why she decided to purchase plastic items in late March as the coronavirus pandemic started taking hold of the US."For eight years, I have lived a zero-waste lifestyle, meaning I have not sent anything to landfill and, over that time, I have made every effort to be a near-perfect pillar of my values," <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-AZdAOF9Lw/">Singer wrote in her Instagram post</a>. "But two weeks ago, when the reality of COVID-19 set in, I made some choices that went against the way I have lived my life for almost a decade."Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-women-leading-making-big-money-zero-waste-movement?r=bc-sub">3 women leading the zero-waste movement reveal how they're managing to change the world while making a profit</a>Like Singer, several companies also started shifting towards <keyword id="6599998" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="single-use-plastic">single-use plastic</keyword> items again. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-reusable-cups-coronavirus-fear-2020-3">Starbucks, for example, stopped accepting the use</a> of reusable cups, and some states and cities began banning the use of reusable grocery bags in grocery stores, according to a <a href="https://www.today.com/food/states-are-banning-reusable-shopping-bags-grocery-stores-amid-coronavirus-t177736">report by Today</a>.Despite all of this single-use plastic bombardment, companies focused on decreasing waste and plastic use - like Blueland, <keyword id="11223426" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ecoroots">EcoRoots</keyword>, <keyword id="10343788" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="by-humankind">by Humankind</keyword>, and <keyword id="11223428" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wild-minimalist">Wild Minimalist</keyword> - started seeing an increase in sales.<h2>A surprising surge in sales<div type="image" title="Blueland's products." height="995" width="1327" msid="82479855" hostid="261"></div></h2><a href="https://www.blueland.com/">Blueland</a>, a <a href="https://blog.blueland.com/blueland-carbon-neutrality/">carbon-neutral company</a> that creates "environmentally responsible" cleaning products without single-use plastics, saw an increase in demand by over 300% in the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic's arrival in the US, according to Blueland's CEO and co-founder Sarah Paiji Yoo in an October 2020 email interview with Insider. Overall, the company has grown 800% year over year.According to Paiji Yoo, Blueland had already been seeing rapid growth before the pandemic, but this growth was then expedited with the onset of COVID-19 and the boom in both e-commerce and sustainable living. And so far, the increase in demand has stayed steady during the pandemic.Blueland has also received several certifications - including B Corp and EPA Safer Choice - to maintain its eco-friendly title and combat the trend of "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/greenwashing-is-the-latest-tourist-trap-heres-how-to-avoid-it-2017-12">greenwashing.</a>" According to Paiji Yoo, it's the company's "environmental mission" that's been allowing the company to both retain and attract new customers."While the e-commerce boom can be credited as an element of our growing audience base, our ability to maintain the business says something about people shifting their priorities to become more conscious consumers, specifically on matters of sustainable living and the benefits of planet and people-friendly products," Paiji Yoo said.Even though the company was expecting an increase in demand for its products during the coronavirus pandemic, the rapid growth caught the Blueland team by surprise."As a result, we decided to strategically double down on our direct-to-consumer channel, add a subscription model to make receiving refills seamless, and shift our timeline for a larger entry into wholesale to a later date," Paiji Yoo wrote.<h2>Why sustainability-focused companies grew</h2><h2><div type="image" title="EcoRoots Produce Bags" height="1666" width="2223" msid="82479857" hostid="261"></div></h2><a href="https://byhumankind.com/">By Humankind </a> - a carbon-neutral personal care products maker that also doesn't use single-use plastics - doesn't attribute its growth amid the coronavirus pandemic to just one aspect. "Maybe people are looking for meaning in new places," By Humankind's co-founder and CEO Brian Bushell wrote in an email interview with Insider in November 2020. "Who knows? The important thing is, it's happening."By Humankind, which is almost two years old, has been growing five times year-over-year pre-coronavirus, and this growth did not drop off during the pandemic."Because we're a small company, we're able to be nimble and create products where we see customer demand while being true to the mission to eliminate single-use plastic," Bushell wrote.This includes the roll-out of its plastic-free moisturizing hand sanitizer, which was launched in April 2020."When the pandemic arrived and with it the spike in demand for hand sanitizer that won't dry your hands, we accelerated our launch timeline for our hand sanitizer ... ahead of some of the other products we're working on to meet demand," Bushell wrote.According to Bushell, the plastic-free hand sanitizer bottles were also launched in response to the growing number of small sanitizer bottles that were being used and tossed. However, the company's hand soap has remained a consumer favorite.<a href="https://ecoroots.us/">EcoRoots </a>- a zero-waste company that sells products with sustainable packaging - also saw an increase in sales for its eco-friendly soaps, as well as its beauty products, EcoRoots' co-founder Antonia Pitica told Business Insider in an email interview in November 2020. However, sales for the company's reusable coffee cups dropped.Pitica attributes this increase in demand to elements like the growth of the zero waste movement and conscious shopping, marketing, and the explosion of online shopping, especially for personal care items.But like other companies across all industries, EcoRoots ran into order fulfillment issues this year, specifically with shipping and delivery problems."We have to place orders ahead of time, sometimes months ahead, to be able to satisfy the demand, and that puts a lot of pressure on cashflow," Pitica wrote. "USPS is and will continue to be the e-commerce business's biggest proverbial Achilles heel as this transition to online shopping keeps growing."<h2>Growth so big, a company had to move facilities</h2><div type="image" title="By Humankind." height="1405" width="1874" msid="82479859" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://wildminimalist.com/">Wild Minimalist </a>- another online plastic-free and sustainability-focused business that also has a brick and mortar store in California - "essentially doubled overnight," Wild Minimalist co-founder Max Cameron told Business Insider in an interview in October 2020.Wild Minimalist had been at least doubling its growth annually since it was founded in 2017, but sales during the coronavirus pandemic allowed the company to hit its 2020 targets almost immediately."As soon as we got into April 2020, [we got to] the point where we had to move into a new facility that was triple the size because we had to hold more inventory and the demand was increasing," Cameron said. During this time, the company started struggling to meet orders due to delays and backlogs, which also happened in part because of supply chain issues. However, this initial boom in sales has since tapered off and "come back down to manageable levels," according to Cameron.During this time of growth, Wild Minimalist saw a specific uptick in sales of its cleaning tools and "food preservation product line" as more people started grocery shopping more and eating out at restaurants less. To accommodate this change in purchasing behavior, the company began looking into extending its product line.Demand for certain products stayed so strong throughout COVID-19, Wild Minimalist recently "signed long-term agreements with some vendors to guarantee increased supply," Cameron told Insider in May."Another thing that's been really important for us is picking up new vendors that are owned by [people who are] Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and we've heard that loud and clear from our customer base," Cameron continued.<h2>Growth is not dependent on the pandemic</h2><div type="image" title="By Humankind." height="1405" width="1874" msid="82479862" hostid="261"></div>"I think that as the movement grows, larger companies will probably start re-thinking their goals, their ideal target customers, and the ways that they create new products," Pitica wrote. "And frankly, it was about time for the old ways of doing business to change."The companies agree that this boom in sales isn't just a COVID-19-related trend and that demand for sustainable, eco-friendly products will not drop off after the coronavirus pandemic."People will continue to clean more frequently and consciously, and there has been a permanent acceleration to e-commerce for buying cleaning products," Paiji Yoo wrote. "For Blueland specifically, we feel well-positioned for long-term success beyond the pandemic, as we're continuing to build a strong foundation for the business that will benefit us post-COVID."

Plastic-free and low-waste startups say they saw a massive spike in sales throughout the COVID-19 pandemic

The Central Pollution Control Board (<keyword id="68804" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="CPCB">CPCB</keyword>) has told the NGT that it has issued show cause notices for closure of operations to <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and <keyword id="6356684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="patanjali">Patanjali</keyword> Peya as they are not registered with it and have not responded to its communications on the matter. In a report submitted to the National Green Tribunal, the CPCB has said the show cause notice under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, has been issued to these units on October 8, for closure of their operation and environment compensation for non-compliance of provisions of Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2018. The CPCB further informed the NGT that four firms -- Hindustan Coca-cola Beverages Pvt Ltd, Pepsico India Holding Pvt Ltd, Bisleri International Pvt Ltd, and Ms NourishCo Beverages Ltd -- are registered with CPCB. 'However, they have not provided information for evidence based assessment of implementation of action plan for fulfilment of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) liability'. The documents submitted by them have not been endorsed by state pollution control boards (SPCBs) and accordingly, the show cause notice has been issued to these firms as well. It also informed the NGT that "Amazon Seller Service Pvt Ltd, Coca-Cola India Pvt Ltd, Parle Agro Pvt Ltd, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp Ltd have been recently granted registration by CPCB as Brand Owner/producer under Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules,2018". It told the NGT that they are required to submit quarterly progress reports and comply with conditions stipulated in the registration certificate issued to them. With regard to the tribunal's direction on environmental audit of these firms, the CPCB said it has held deliberations with expert agencies on the matter. "Since, it will be for the first time that such an audit shall be conducted, a committee has been constituted to deliberate and suggest mechanism for conducting environmental audit as well as specify the agencies which can be engaged for such audits," the CPCB said. It said that directions under Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 has been issued to all SPCBs for identification of the Brand owners/ producers who are operating without registration from them and to take action against the defaulting units as per provisions of PWM Rules, 2018 which may include closure of their operations, and levying Environmental Compensation. The report said: "Further, CPCB receives applications for registration under Rule 13(2) of PWM Rules. Applications are examined by CPCB and clarification/information, if any, are communicated to the applicants. However, many such applicants have not responded to CPCB's queries. "As the applicants are non-compliant during this period, list of such applicants has also been forwarded to the State Board for taking action against the defaulting units as per provision of PWM Rules,2018 which shall include closure of their operations, and levying environmental compensation". The NGT has directed the CPCB to conduct environmental audit and recover fine from Amazon and Flipkart for violation of environmental norms. The green panel observed that the statutory regulators were not taking coercive measures, including invoking of "polluter pays" principle for enforcing the statutory norms against the e-commerce firms. The CPCB has earlier told the NGT that e-commerce giants need to fulfil their extended producer responsibility under the PWM Rules and need to establish a system for collecting back the plastic waste generated due to the packaging of their products, the CPCB had earlier told the NGT. "Primary responsibility for collection of used multi-layered plastic sachet or pouches or packaging is of producers, importers and brand owners who introduce the products in the market," it said. The submission came in response to a plea filed by a 16-year-old boy who has approached the tribunal to stop e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart from excessive plastic use in their packaging. Aditya Dubey, through his legal guardian, has pleaded the NGT to direct Amazon and Flipkart to stop excessive use of plastic in packaging the goods delivered by the firms. In the second plea, Aditya alleged violation of the PWM Rules by Coca-Cola India Pvt Ltd, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd, Pepsico India Holding Pvt Ltd, Bisleri International Pvt Ltd, Parle Agro Pvt Ltd, Patanjali Peya Private Ltd, NourishCo Beverages Ltd, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp Ltd in terms of principle of Extended Producer Liability. "The e-commerce companies are covered under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. But due to a lack of monitoring and implementation, the respondents continue to use excessive amounts of plastic in wrapping and packaging their sold items," said the plea, filed through advocate Meenesh Dubey. Dubey's plea had contended that the companies deliver items in cardboard boxes, which are too large as compared to the size of the items being delivered. "To ensure that the sold items do not move around in the outsized boxes, they wrap the items in multiple layers of plastic sheets and plastic bubble wraps and thereafter fill the large empty spaces in the boxes with additional sheets of single-use plastic," it had said. Once goods are delivered, the plastic waste is thrown away in garbage and it ends up at landfill sites, leading to a burden on the earth and damaging the environment, it said. <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/wipro-board-approves-9500-crore-share-buyback-plan/articleshow/78638511.cms">Wipro board approves ₹9,500 crore share buyback plan</a>

Flipkart, Patanjali issued show-cause notice for closure of units over registration under Plastic Waste rule

<ul><li>In the last few years, sustainability has become more than just a buzzword in the marketing and advertising world. It is now one of the biggest decision-making factors.</li><li>Consumers are asking for more transparency and expecting to see more concrete action from Indian brands.</li><li>E-commerce packaging, which comes in layers of plastic, bubble wrap, tape, air packets, paper and cartons, have contributed a lot to India’s plastic waste.</li><li><keyword id="5900102" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahesh-pratap-singh">Mahesh Pratap Singh</keyword>, Head of <keyword id="11840132" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainability-and-social-responsibility">Sustainability and Social Responsibility</keyword>, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> talks to us about embracing sustainability across multiple departments within an organisation, finding an organisation’s true purpose and how it is adopting zero waste practices.</li></ul>After the emergence of social media, consumers across the world have started demanding that brands do more than just sell their products. They are demanding more sustainable products, faster service and less <keyword id="1820144" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="plastic-pollution">plastic pollution</keyword>. Indian companies have responded by onboarding a dedicated full-time resources to prioritise sustainability and social responsibility, developing purposeful strategies and even by embedding sustainability and purpose into their overall B2C communication. However, due to COVID-19 and the resultant global demand for safe disposable solutions, the issue of plastic pollution has compounded. One of the least studied and underreported generators of plastic are e-commerce companies. E-commerce packaging often comes in layers of plastic, bubble wrap, tape, air packets, paper and cartons and it has contributed a lot to India’s landfill waste. It has to be bulkier than usual to protect the product throughout the journey to avoid any damage. With the festive season upon us, e-commerce packaging is at an all-time high. Earlier this month, e-commerce giant Flipkart announced that it has eliminated all single-use plastic packaging used across its fulfillment centres in India. On the logistics front, Flipkart currently operates close to 1000 electric 3-wheelers and 2-wheelers and aims to completely transition to electric vehicles by 2030. We spoke to Mahesh Pratap Singh, Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Flipkart to find out how the home-grown company is working towards substantially reducing its carbon footprint to help build a greener future. He further shared how Flipkart is in process of creating a consolidated sustainability policy. Excerpts: <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. The COVID-19 pandemic has added a safety dimension to sustainability that consumers and organizations must now balance. Many organisations have switched to one-time plastic use to ensure their consumers' safety. With this, sustainability is kept on the backburner. Has it been challenging for you to achieve 100% single-use plastic elimination?" text="Q. The COVID-19 pandemic has added a safety dimension to sustainability that consumers and organizations must now balance. Many organisations have switched to one-time plastic use to ensure their consumers' safety. With this, sustainability is kept on the backburner. Has it been challenging for you to achieve 100% single-use plastic elimination?">Q. The COVID-19 pandemic has added a safety dimension to sustainability that consumers and organizations must now balance. Many organisations have switched to one-time plastic use to ensure their consumers' safety. With this, sustainability is kept on the backburner. Has it been challenging for you to achieve 100% single-use plastic elimination?</cmsannotation> Sustainability by definition is to understand and meaningfully adapt to the world around while keeping a systems view of the future. The pandemic has only further strengthened our resolve to ensure that as a company we continue to evolve in the most sustainable manner possible to ensure long term trust and value for all our communities. Flipkart has been very meticulously driving its sustainability initiatives across electrification of its fleet, waste management and increasing the use of renewable energy and elimination of single-use plastic. In line with this, we doubled down on our sustainability initiatives and made a pledge to eliminate single-use plastic packaging from our own supply chain, which we achieved last month (July 2021). In our journey, we have been incorporating the circularity approach of 5R’s (Reduce|Reuse|Recycle|Refurbish|Regenerate) where possible. Throughout our warehouses and logistics operations we have been implementing packaging optimization and creating national standards on packaging materials to reduce waste in our supply chain, promote reusable and recyclable materials, and work with close to 70 brands on removing additional layers of packaging. We have also partnered with Canopy on their Pack4Good initiative to promote the use of forestry certified and responsibly managed pulp and paper across our packaging initiatives. In addition to this, we have also filed for patents for 2 ply wrap, which is a replacement for bubble wrap) and for security paper bags made from virgin Kraft paper. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. Is sustainability an immediate focus today at Flipkart? Why is sustainability becoming an important component of your strategic thinking?" text="Q. Is sustainability an immediate focus today at Flipkart? Why is sustainability becoming an important component of your strategic thinking?">Q. Is sustainability an immediate focus today at Flipkart? Why is sustainability becoming an important component of your strategic thinking?</cmsannotation> To answer this simply, yes. At Flipkart, we believe in ensuring that we continue to democratize all aspects of the business we are in, and sustainability is no exception. With e-commerce becoming an important part of our lives to meet our evolving requirements, instilling the principles of sustainability into our business operations is imperative. Given the uncertainty that the world is currently facing, as a business the more we have incorporated sustainability it has resulted in business constructs that ensure innovation, affordability, availability and long-term success and value for the entire business. The last one and a half years under the shadows of the pandemic brought in a different side of businesses where they have stepped up to take care of not just their own but the entire ecosystem. This has been an encouraging shift where sustainability conversations are no longer just powered by individual actions and passion projects but have the support of the entire leadership structure. As companies relate business continuity with sustainability principles, the shift towards incorporating sustainability as an intrinsic part of the corporate strategy is great to observe. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. Please tell us more about your larger sustainability plan. Where did you start and how did you get to where you are now?" text="Q. Please tell us more about your larger sustainability plan. Where did you start and how did you get to where you are now?">Q. Please tell us more about your larger sustainability plan. Where did you start and how did you get to where you are now?</cmsannotation> As we look at creating a responsible value chain, some of the initiatives currently being implemented are: Packaging: We have eliminated single-use plastic in packaging arising from our warehouses and currently 100% of shipments from Flipkart's own warehouses use alternative materials for the outer layer of packaging. We are also working with our sellers to influence and help them reduce reliance on single-use plastics for their packaging needs in instances where sellers make their own packaging decisions. As we move forward, we are also working with brands that sell on Flipkart on reinforcing the primary packaging to be storing enough to withstand e-commerce logistics thereby eliminating the need for a secondary layer altogether. Our ambition is to take this project to 40% of our packaging by 2023. We continue to pilot and scale a range of different solutions to fit all our shipping requirements in order to reduce our downstream carbon footprint. As we look for alternative materials, we are also ensuring that we do not create an adverse impact on the forestry landscape and only source from responsibly managed forests. Mobility: In 2020, we signed up for the EV100 commitment to completely transition to electric vehicles in our logistics fleet by 2030 and introduce 25,000 EVs in our delivery fleet. In less than a year of this commitment, we currently operate close to 1000 electric 3-wheelers and 2-wheelers in our last-mile fleet. Operations: As part of our extended producer's responsibility (EPR) across plastic waste and e-waste, we currently recycle 100% of the plastic being used at our warehouses and liquidate all our e-waste through certified Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs). We also ensure the use of energy efficient lighting across our facilities and operate close to 30 ISO 14001 facilities. We are also working with all our facilities to ensure proper waste management and water management. Infrastructure: We currently have our entire energy load across 4 strategic facilities being met entirely by solar power and continue to set up rooftop solar across all facilities to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation. We are also ensuring that any new construction that Flipkart undertakes meets the Indian Green Building principles. Products &amp; Sourcing: As we look for opportunities across our value chain, we have also tried to ensure that the manner in which we source our products is also sustainable. We are now incorporating sustainable materials, recycled fabrics and responsibly sourced rayon and viscose for all our in-house brands. We are in the process of creating a consolidated sustainability policy and a defined approach to climate change mitigation which looks at innovation and technologies to reduce our environmental impact across the value chain. We are still far from done across the business but as we continue to partner across the sustainability community, the support we have received has been immense. We are hoping to continue our partnership in this manner. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How are you ensuring that you get more Flipkart consumers to switch to eco-friendly practices?" text="Q. How are you ensuring that you get more Flipkart consumers to switch to eco-friendly practices?">Q. How are you ensuring that you get more Flipkart consumers to switch to eco-friendly practices?</cmsannotation> We have been working across our category teams to identify and onboard sustainable brands as part of the portfolio of products. We have identified close to 50 brands that are currently selling on the Flipkart platform and have sustainable attributes that we will be showcasing throughout the year. We believe that sustainability is a common goal, and it is important to develop a culture that encourages participation of stakeholders, including employees, and enables continuous learning and action towards achieving sustainability goals. Flipkart has been conducting a series of workshops and awareness activities, including webinars on adopting zero waste practices; upcycling and reusing old products; the importance of biodiversity, and more for thousands of our employees. These initiatives are also amplified on our respective social channels to extend the conversation to millions of our customers across the country. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. Tell us how Flipkart has improved its ecological footprint? What kind of changes are you bringing about to make your business more environmentally friendly, and why was this important?" text="Q. Tell us how Flipkart has improved its ecological footprint? What kind of changes are you bringing about to make your business more environmentally friendly, and why was this important?">Q. Tell us how Flipkart has improved its ecological footprint? What kind of changes are you bringing about to make your business more environmentally friendly, and why was this important?</cmsannotation> Flipkart performed its first greenhouse gas assessment in 2020 where we looked across the business to identify our footprint across our own operations and in our sourcing and supply chain. Through the exercise, we identified various aspects of our operations that we could take action on to make long-term sustainable choices. Our involvement in the EV100 program, WWF’s UnPlastic Collective as well as our recent partnership with Canopy are part of those efforts. As we move forward to the next phase of sustainability, we do see some exciting possibilities across the supply chain and moving forward with initiatives that empower and enable not just our own activities but also creating learning and sharing opportunities beyond. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. Brands play a huge role in bringing about change in society. How do you think brands can empower consumers to have eco-friendly choices around waste management?" text="Q. Brands play a huge role in bringing about change in society. How do you think brands can empower consumers to have eco-friendly choices around waste management?">Q. Brands play a huge role in bringing about change in society. How do you think brands can empower consumers to have eco-friendly choices around waste management?</cmsannotation> The Covid-19 pandemic has made us aware of the interconnected nature of the world we live in. It has exposed the dangers of a linear waste-making business model and underlined the importance of reducing our carbon footprint. The role of corporations in creating resilient and sustainable communities is vital. Data suggests that companies that manage their ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) goals well are outperforming other businesses. So, it is important for businesses to learn how to build resilience, prepare themselves for risks, and build resilience within the communities they work with. At Flipkart, environmental sustainability is deeply embedded in our DNA and we are committed to fostering sustainable practices across our business and value chain and lay deep emphasis on both environmental sustainability and social responsibility. We are also creating awareness about our sustainability initiatives both at industry and at customer level to ensure widespread conversations on the importance of sustainable means of living. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. Going ahead, what does your sustainability roadmap look like? Many companies have pledged to become carbon neutral by 2025, reduce waste of landfills, etc." text="Q. Going ahead, what does your sustainability roadmap look like? Many companies have pledged to become carbon neutral by 2025, reduce waste of landfills, etc.">Q. Going ahead, what does your sustainability roadmap look like? Many companies have pledged to become carbon neutral by 2025, reduce waste of landfills, etc.</cmsannotation> Moving forward, there are several milestones that we hope to achieve in our journey and are working with global experts to help us define what those should be. While we fully acknowledge that sustainability is an evolving topic we are proud of the support we have received across the organization. We have been very meticulously driving our sustainability initiatives across electrification of our fleet, reducing wastage and tapping renewable energy and elimination of single-use plastic. What started as a one-of-its-kind initiative for Flipkart a few years ago has transformed into an organisation-wide motive where multiple stakeholders both within and outside the org came together to build a sustainable supply chain. We are also working with our seller community and other stakeholders in the ecosystem to understand how it can best implement new innovations to bring sustainability in their operations. We have made tremendous progress in achieving its sustainability targets that are spread across various categories and will further our initiatives to offer the benefits of e-commerce to customers in a sustainable manner.

COVID-19 has exposed the dangers of a linear waste-making business model and underlined the importance of reducing our carbon footprint: Mahesh Singh, Flipkart

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