In a bid to build awareness of proper disposal of plastic, Flipkart has announced a new pilot project to collect plastic packaging back from consumers at select hubs across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, and Ahmedabad.
Flipkart said in a statement that the pilot aims at ensuring existing plastic packaging in the system is recycled and reused.
Under the program, Flipkart will send out an intimation to consumers asking them to voluntarily hand over plastic packaging to Flipkart delivery executive for its proper disposal, at the time of product delivery.
The collected packets will then be sent to registered vendors to ensure it is disposed of responsibly to avoid ending up in landfills. “The delivery executives have also been provided proper training in explaining the various facets of this initiative to consumers to ensure high participation. This industry-first initiative aims at inspiring people to actively contribute towards the proper disposal of plastic packaging and become Green Ambassadors,” Flipkart said in a statement.
This program is in continuation of Flipkart’s sustainability agenda under which it claims to have already reduced the utilization of single-use plastic by 33% and aims to move towards 100% recycled plastic consumption in its supply chain by March 2021.Towards this goal, Flipkart has filed for EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) and is targeting 30% collection back in the first year.
The company is also committed to maximizing recycled content in single-use plastic to boost the recycling ecosystem and reduce virgin plastic consumption.
Flipkart is also working on various initiatives, including the introduction of eco-friendly paper shreds, replacing poly pouches with recycled paper bags, replacing bubble wraps and airbags with carton waste shredded material, and 2-ply roll, to name a few as part of its long-term sustainability initiatives.