UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) aims to promote responsible consumption and production, resource and energy efficiency, and development of sustainable infrastructure within the workplace, among others.
Indian companies are integrating green practices in day-to-day functions, especially dry waste management and recycling. Eco-actions include promoting the use of ceramic mugs or glass cups for beverages to save on paper products, recycling office supplies such as discarded paper, purchasing recycled paper, and using refillable pens.
E-commerce firm Flipkart, which has just moved into a new office building in Bengaluru this month, has replaced paper cups with ones made of ceramic and glass.
Employees have been given stainless-steel water bottles that they can refill. “This one move is helping us save 4,000 litres of potable water every week, and not add 10,000 plastic bottles to landfills every year.
Online classifieds company OLX India has replaced the plastic tableware in its cafeteria with reusable cutlery. Paper recycle bins have been installed in its Gurugram office to store paper waste. “Every month, the collected paper waste is reused to produce reusable office stationery.”
Public sector undertakings are also not far behind. Mumbai based Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL), has adopted initiatives such as the conversion of waste paper into writing pads and envelopes through a waste management enterprise, Sampurna Earth.
Waste Ventures India, a Hyderabad-based waste-management enterprise is working with around 13 companies, including Google India, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever and Amazon India. They are using recycled products that are processed from their waste.