Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages distributes 11,000 cotton bags to encourage use of sustainable materials
Srikalahasti: Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), one of India’s top FMCG companies, distributed around 11,000 cotton bags at the recently concluded second leg of its Experience Centre expo at its factories, including the one at Srikalahasti. Organising a similar kind of initiative at 3 other factory locations, HCCB thus became one of the first corporates to distribute cotton bags at such a large scale in a bid to encourage the use of sustainable materials and reduce the usage of single-use plastic.
Building on the theme, the company also created a game zone where visitors were made aware about waste segregation at source – a major environmental challenge. The gamification zone was aimed at enabling and educating people to take care of their surroundings and contribute to the cleanliness drive.
Among the other attractions at the Experience Center was the demonstration of the Ultra High Density plantation (UHDP) method of growing mangoes under the company’s flagship program – Project Unnati. Local farmers seemed to enquire a lot about this technique as it promised to increase mango yield and farmer revenues.
The experience centres saw great traction with a footfall of over 20,000 people. Organised inside the factory premise, the Experience Centre was designed to enable visitors to explore the manufacturing details of their favourite beverage brands. Among other things, the 4-day expo also engaged people in skill building, new methods of fruit cultivation, use of renewable energy, etc.
Applauding HCCB’s efforts to create a positive impact through its community engagement initiatives, Mr. Madhusudhan Reddy, the local MLA from Srikalahasti, who attended the expo, called upon the people to be more environmentally responsible and join hands to tackle the global challenges of pollution and climate challenge.
Reflecting on the company’s unique community engagement initiative, Kamlesh Sharma, Chief Communications Officer, HCCB said, “It was heartening to see such an enthusiastic participation at the expo and in particular, to the programs on waste management, PET recycling, renewable energy solutions and sustainable agriculture. We were particularly pleased within the student community that visited us in large numbers and understood in greater detail, concepts of engineering and manufacturing technology. This encourages us to do much more!”
The Experience Centre also offered to help local youth develop their curriculum vitae to improve their employability. The service included providing inputs on the know-how of basic elements such as creating a video resume, brushing up the basic skills, networking and so on. The company also showcased how it employed and enabled women from the local community to handle different kinds of jobs inside the HCCB factories. The stories were aimed at not only inspiring the local community but also helping break stereotypes that women couldn’t operate heavy manufacturing equipment or drive heavy vehicles.