Bisleri launches PET project

Its new school contact programme is aimed at keeping the environment clean by propagating recycling of PET bottles.

Bottled water brand Bisleri is propagating the Swachh Bharat campaign, initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, by launching a school contact programme. The activation commenced on August 15 will conclude on September 30.

The school contact programme aims to enter Limca Book of Records and Guinness World Record by collecting 20,000 kgs of used plastic bottles within eight hours on Sunday, October 4, 2015, in Mumbai. Towards this end, the brand has joined hands with close to 100
schools
such as Pawar Public School, Bhandup (W), DG Khetan International School, Malad (W) and Christ Church School, Byculla (W), among others, to create awareness amongst students, teachers and parents on the indispensable role of PET bottles in our lives and the need for effective PET recycling.

For the uninitiated, PET is the acronym for Polyethylene Teraphthalates - a kind of plastic among the several types available and used for different purposes on a day-to-day basis. Bisleri's bottled mineral water too is manufactured by making use of PET plastic which is further processed through a series of steps including double ozonisation that makes the final product fit for consumption. Over decades, Bisleri has been successfully recycling tonnes of PET every year, leading to fruitful 'asset management'. Spearheaded by Ramesh Chauhan, managing director, Bisleri International, PET recycling was started in 1995 to keep the environment clean.

Commenting on the initiative, Chauhan says, "If we don't take responsibility, the waste would be lying around; so might as well do it for ourselves and the environment."

In order to reach the audiences better, the brand has also released an explanatory video that tells one about how one is surrounded by plastic almost everywhere and, yet, plastics like PET that is reused and recycled is a good choice, especially for packaging purposes in the food and beverages industry, due to the advantages it offers. The video also stresses on the benefits of recycling.

The second part of the 'Plastic Bottle Collection Drive' video showcases how Bisleri wants to create a world record by associating itself with school students in Mumbai, who have been asked to collect 10 bottles per day, thereby achieving the target of 10,000 'used plastic bottles' before September 30. The collected bottles could be those of soft drinks and juices, among others. Thereafter, the schools which fulfil Bisleri's criterion of collecting the required number of bottles by September 30, will be awarded a certificate of appreciation by Bisleri, in addition to receiving a certificate of participation from Limca Book Of Records and Guinness Book Of World Records. After the collection, the bottles will be successfully recycled and be used for making useful items like T-shirts and bags.