MUMBAI: Usha International, one of India’s leading consumer durables companies, launched a new campaign for its water solutions that champions the cause of discontinuing single-use plastic. Plastic pollution is invading every part of the planet from mountains to the deep seas fast becoming one of the biggest environmental challenges the world over.

While you may think it’s just one bottle you have discarded, there lakhs of people who think similarly, and who are collectively responsible for the 25,000 tonnes of plastic generated in Indian every single day. What more, as much as 80 per cent of this is not recycled, and at least 40 per cent remains uncollected polluting waterways, choking drainage and river systems, littering the marine ecosystem causing unmitigated harm to it. Just to put that into perspective – one tonne of plastic means about 36000 half-liter bottles. So imagine how much plastic waste we create – almost a mini-mountain a day. In fact, the issue features high on prime minister Narendra Modi’s priorities, and he has urged the citizens to discontinue ‘single use plastics’. 

Usha International president marketing Sandeep Tewari said, “As India’s leading brand, it is our responsibility to be invested in causes that impact our society. Through this film, we want to create awareness about the impact that single-use plastic bottles, we want people to be sensitized about the damage it causes, and hope that it evokes them to change their habits. We want people to be mindful of their plastic footprint, to be mindful of the needs of the planet by urging them to switch to sustainable alternative solutions. We want to appeal to people to fill their glasses with water from dispensers – shifting off plastic bottles of water. While offering a sustainable solution, the dispensers Usha offers also ensure hygiene and safety of drinking water.”

Raj Kaushal, the producer of the film, said, “I believe in the saying that – we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. This film is for my son Vir; hope we can make India free from single-use plastic.”