Engagement is key
Convening businesses to address single-use plastics in India
We have been investing in India for over three decades now, with a keen interest in a number of consumer goods companies there due to the strength of their franchise, their stewardship and future growth trajectory. However, one area of concern was their use of single-use plastic. Therefore, in 2016, we initiated research with the Institute for Sustainable Futures on ‘Packaging Sustainability’. This study offered a benchmarking framework for the sustainability performance of packaging across 17 global consumer companies, fostering informed discussions and engagements with company management teams.
A pivotal meeting with the CEO of a leading Indian consumer goods company led to the idea of convening businesses to tackle the issue of single-use plastics in India collectively. This resulted in a landmark event in Mumbai, India, attended by executives from 11 major consumer goods companies, including Nestlé India, Hindustan Unilever, Marico, Godrej Consumer Products and Tata Consumer Products. We invited attendees from local NGOs and academic experts to bring additional perspectives, leading to the proposal of an industry body to set and achieve single-use plastic reduction targets.
Take a closer look at our Mumbai Forum.
A closer look at the Mumbai Forum
In July 2018, in partnership with the Institute for Sustainable Futures, we convened a Forum of 11 of the largest local and multi-national consumer goods companies in India. Alongside industry and academic experts, business representatives of the 11 companies had the opportunity for meaningful discussion, to share knowledge and develop actions to reduce plastic packaging pollution in India.
The Forum revealed a strong sense of shared purpose and a desire to work collaboratively to address the issue of plastic pollution in India. As a result of the day there was clear agreement to continue to work collaboratively on a comprehensive list of priority activities. These priorities were developed through a structured process that began with envisaging how plastics would be effectively managed in the future and then testing these ‘preferred futures’ by thinking about challenges, drivers for change and barriers to effective action.
A long list of ideas was generated, then summarised down to a short list that was prioritised by Forum participants. The potential actions were grouped under the broad headings of:
Forming a peak industry body focused on plastics
Developing shared visions and targets
Knowledge sharing and peer learning
Consumer awareness and behaviour change
Innovation and technology waste management
For more details on the forum’s background and outcomes, you can request a copy of the following reports here.
‘Addressing Plastic Pollution in India’ and ‘Addressing Plastic Pollution in India — Output Paper’’
