Infy Pledges to Replace Plastic Materials with Eco-Friendly Stuff

Call it green commitment or something else, NYSE-listed Infosys has now taken an ambitious initiative to do away with PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) water bottles, plastic carry bags, food sachets, toiletries, garbage bin liners and business card holders, among other plastic items, used at its campuses and replace them with environment friendly materials. And as part of this overall initiative, the global leader in consulting, technology and next-generation services recently joined hands with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to celebrate the World Environment Day at its Hyderabad SEZ campus in Pocharam. The programme, significantly, focused on the theme of 2018: ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.

The IT major has made a commitment of making its campuses non-recyclable plastic-free by 2020. The company also pledged to reduce the per capita generation of plastic waste by 50 percent in the same year. This move is not just a one-off initiative. It is a part of the company’s continued effort to conserve the environment and encourage sustainable development.

While elaborating on how Infosys is pioneering environmentally sustainable campuses, Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys, said that as a responsible global corporation that is passionate about sustainable development, Infy had lapped up the opportunity to get associated with global sustainability efforts in combating the issue of excessive use of non-recyclable plastic products. And with this in view, on the World Environment Day, the company has taken a pledge to make its campuses a plastic-free environment, a clear reiteration of its commitment to environmental conservation.

Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment, on his parts, said that Infosys is the perfect example of how sustainability and profitability go hand in hand. Interestingly, Infy is not only a green business leader in India, but also considered to be a green business leader globally. And now the company, through its latest move, is trying to raise the bar on energy efficiency, green buildings, clean power and building an operating culture that has embraced thinking big on environmental targets. Infosys is an example of the kind of ambition and action the world needs, he said.