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Tag: Environment

  • Republic Media celebrates ‘Green’ International Women’s Day

    Republic Media celebrates ‘Green’ International Women’s Day

    Mumbai: On International Women’s Day, Republic Media Network celebrated the women within its family and across the world. As a gesture of appreciation and as a symbol of commitment to women empowerment, the broadcaster takes the pledge to save, seed, and protect our shared future by protecting the environment.

    Republic marked a truly ‘Green’ International Women’s Day with the women force, who are proudly at the core of the network, celebrating the special day by taking the pledge together to nurture plants and protect our future.

    Commenting on the initiative, Republic Media Network vice president and head – human resources Honey Kaur said, “Women are at the core of Republic Media Network. The women force of this Network are the drivers of the vision that we are all working towards. I am truly blessed and proud to be a part of such an energetic, ambitious, and passionate organisation that is led by powerful women in department after department. The future of our country and Republic will be shouldered by our unstoppable women force.”

    “As an organisation that has pledged to always put Nation First, it is only fitting that on the day that we celebrate the strength and unmatched contribution of our women force, we also do our bit to pledge for the betterment of the future of our great country. That is exactly the thought behind a Green International Women’s Day at Republic,” Kaur added.

    Indian women are the biggest asset to the country’s workforce and one that leads the charge for India’s future. Making unstoppable strides, Indian women are the backbone of the workforce globally. Their achievements, discipline, work ethic, innovation, resolve, and unmatched performance have made Indian women ultimate examples of strong leadership in sector-after-sector.

    With climate change and shrinking green belts, the onus is on us to protect the world we together build. It is with this intent that Republic Media Network will take the pledge this Women’s Day to save, seed, and protect plant life. Flora and fauna form the foundation of the ecosystem of our planet and there is no better day to pledge to protect it than a day marked to celebrate Women, who form the foundation of the ecosystem of our society. It is with this multi-pronged commitment in mind, that Republic Media Network gifted all women employees of the organisation potted plants.

    “Advice from a little sapling: Be bold, be brave, never fear growth. Rise, shine, and spread your seeds of happiness as far as you can. To all the ladies of the Republic Media Network, we thank you for your service, and for reminding us that together, women can achieve anything. At Republic Media Network, we are not empowering women, we are empowered by women,” said Republic Media Network group COO Hersh Bhandari.

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  • Brands turn to sustainable practices, as consumers call for climate action

    Brands turn to sustainable practices, as consumers call for climate action

    MUMBAI: Consumers today expect brands to take responsibility towards following sustainable practices, while being more aware of their choices. And they expect action, not just empty promises on sustainability, according to a recent BBC Global News study which revealed that 80 per cent of consumers in the Asia Pacific region agree that demonstrating a commitment to sustainability adds value to the brand. But where do brands stand on sustainability today?

    A virtual webinar – ‘Taking the Sustainability leap’ organised by BBC News in collaboration with Indiantelevision.com on Thursday gave some valuable insights into innovative and sustainable marketing practices adopted by some of the leading brands who have taken the sustainability plunge.

    “The rise in global consumption levels over the last decades has been accompanied by a persistent increase in resource depletion and pollution, putting serious pressure on the environment well above its regenerative capacities,” said BBC Global News, SVP Commercial Development, Alistair McEwan as he initiated the discussion. “Without a significant change in current consumption and production patterns, the world will face strong environmental and economic costs such as those caused by projected climate change.”

    The event that shared case studies from sustainability leaders across the globe kicked off with a panel discussion on ‘Leading with Innovation and Inspiration’ led by The R Collective founder and CEO Christina Dean, Climate Force founder Barney Swan, The Fabrick lab founder Elaine Yan Ling Ng, and Sophie’s BioNutrients co-founder and CEO Eugene Wang.

    Other key speakers at the event included Maruti Suzuki India, assistant vice president-sustainability and carbon neutrality G P Chaddha, Godrej Group, head-environmental sustainability Ram Vaidyanathan, Tata Consultancy Services, head of sustainability marketing, Preeti Gandhi, Lenovo, head of communications, Asia Pacific, Geneviene Hilton, and Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd (MamaEarth) vice-president marketing Sambit Dash. The discussion was moderated by BBC News senior journalist Devina Gupta.

    Shooting down the notion that sustainability and business profitability cannot go hand-in-hand, Godrej Group’s Ram Vaidyanathan pointed out that companies with stronger sustainable principles and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) practices have far out-performed the other companies on pure financial indicators as well. “80 per cent of sustainable initiatives are actually cost-saving, simply by being more efficient in the way we use resources,” he added, highlighting that from an investor’s perspective too it makes sense as strong ESG performance and processes are de-risking investments.

    “The current situation in India is that we’re still trying to make companies ESG-compliant. There’s a bit of regulatory pressure too,” said Maruti Suzuki’s GP Chaddha, adding that while production came to a virtual standstill during the pandemic, sustainable practices helped the company to bounce back quicker than others.

    Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)’s Preeti Gandhi talked about the low carbon emissions observed across the country and globally during the pandemic due to the prevalence of WFH and minimal commutes. “It is important for us to continue these reductions over the long term as we come back to work and return to normalcy,” she said, citing some of the efficiency measures the company has implemented over this period such including the hybrid working initiatives like ‘25 by 25’ wherein only 25 per cent of its employees will commute to work by the year 2025. “This would hopefully ensure that we continue to see the environmental resilience to continue, even post-pandemic.”

    Lenovo’s Geneviene Hilton underlined the fact that sustainability needs to be ingrained into the entire business from the start, for it to be truly effective. “Consumers today are also keen to know about the environmental, social, and governance measures that companies undertake,” she said.

    Taking the belief of embedding environmental sustainability into the business’ foundation, Mamaearth’s Sambit Dash talked about the PETA-certified brand’s vision about being a purpose-led brand wanting to make a good impact on the environment as well as society. “We recycled more plastic than we produced from the beginning. Therefore, at a time when other brands are trying to be ‘plastic neutral,’ we have been ‘plastic positive’ right from the start,” shared Dash.

    GP Chadhha referred to Maruti’s tagline of “Petrol khatam hi nahi hota” as evidence of its fuel-efficient cars. “There’s a need to increase incentivisation for brands and customers to start moving in the sustainable and carbon-neutral direction,” he said.

    According to Godrej’s Ram Vaidyanathan, the Customer is the biggest stakeholder when it comes to deciding the kind of products that any company makes, so that’s a big driver when it comes to sustainable products. He believes packaging should be the biggest area where those companies must focus on to create maximum impact.

    Gandhi also threw light on the role of media in championing the cause of sustainable consumerism and de-mystifying the eco-labels. “When it came to creating systems and platforms for eco-friendly collaborations, it must be led by the policy thinkers and changemakers across the board towards specific goals in driving sustainable development for all,” she noted.

    The event also saw BBC Future Planet editor Martha Henriques shedding some light on how BBC is doing its part of the sustainability of the planet. BBC Future Planet is the first major online publication launched in 2020, with a sole focus on climate change that also aims to be as close to zero carbon as possible. BBC StoryWorks APAC director Nicola Eliot discussed how brands are partnering with the BBC to tell their stories on forging an effective sustainability journey.

  • Bhamla Foundation’s World Environment Day campaign wins top honours at the 11th Olive Crown Awards

    Bhamla Foundation’s World Environment Day campaign wins top honours at the 11th Olive Crown Awards

    Mumbai: The India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) hosted the eleventh edition of its annual Olive Crown Awards 2021 acknowledging the remarkable work of those individuals who drove the message of sustainability or ‘green advertising’.

    ‘Green Campaign of the Year’- Gold was bagged by Bhamla Foundation for ‘Dhakk Dhakk Dharti’ while IIFL Home Finance Ltd won the ‘Green Brand of the Year’- Gold. ‘Green NGO of the Year’ – Gold went to Project Mumbai for ‘The Mumbai Plastic Recyclothon’. ‘Green Campaign of the Year’- Silver was bagged by Ogilvy for ‘I Will Wear Out Plastic’. Heartbeat Creative Lab, Taiwan led the pack as they bagged four Gold & two Silver followed by Ogilvy with six Silvers at the Olive Crown Awards 2021.

    An eminent jury comprising media professionals such as Havas India chairman & chief creative officer, Bobby Pawar; BBDO India chairman & chief creative officer, Josy Paul; Wunderman Thompson South Asia regional creative director, Tista Sen; House of Awe co-founder, Carlton D’silva and Reliance Industries Ltd advisor, Kaushik Roy, shortlisted the winners through a rigorous process.

    The event, which had Zee Entertainment as its presenting partner and Discovery Communications as the associate partner, was attended by the who’s who of the ad world, including senior marketing, media, and advertising professionals from across the country. This year’s awards received over 200 entries across 20 categories.

    The state minister of environment, tourism and protocol Aaditya Thackeray was felicitated as ‘Green Crusader of the Year’ for his efforts to save the Aarey Forest in Mumbai, active promotion of urban forests in cities across Maharashtra, and hands-on approach in beach clean-ups. Addressing the gathering he said, “This award is very special for me and I take this as an encouragement for me to go ahead and take the stride to work more for climate change mitigation. I was on my way here and I was thinking what do I ask from you. When you meet an august crowd of the best people in communication, I think I can only ask for your help in communicating the climate emergency we faced today.”

    IAA – India chapter president and managing director – South Asia, Discovery Communications India, Megha Tata said, “In the last 11 years of Olive Crown we have seen campaigns and brands go from doing ‘something green’ to being vested in sustainability and we are glad that this is a platform to showcase work that can inspire. One of the things 2020 taught us is that Nature loved our lockdown! But we need to find this balance and co-exist every single day! And some of the campaigns we have seen this year, have presented this balance beautifully.”

    IAA Olive Crown Awards, chairperson and Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, founder & CEO, Neeraj Roy said, “Over the next two decades, your entire customer base and your teams  – the talent you are hoping to attract will largely be millennials and Gen Z and we know that they rate a brand’s ethics and sustainability higher than ever before so it will be impossible and impractical to ignore these trends. Brands, media, advertisers, agencies, and marketers, essentially the core of the IAA community, has always played a key role in communication for centuries and it is encouraging to note that brands here in India too are taking note and actions toward sustainability and a greener planet in their product offerings.”

  • Hyundai joins forces with BBC Future for more sustainable world

    Hyundai joins forces with BBC Future for more sustainable world

    Mumbai: South Korean automotive major The Hyundai Motor Company will be the exclusive sponsor of BBC Future Planet throughout the month of August. With the sponsorship, the carmaker aims to reach global audiences looking to create a more sustainable world. Launched in February 2020, BBC Future Planet is an online publication with a sole focus on climate change.

    As part of the sponsorship, BBC StoryWorks – the commercial content studio of BBC Global News – created a documentary-style film highlighting Hyundai’s partnership with the ocean conservation organisation, Healthy Seas, to combat ocean pollution, nurture sustainable marine ecosystems, and support a circular economy. The film tells the story of how an abandoned fish farm on the coast of Greek island, Ithaca, has now become the solution to Hyundai’s sustainable car interiors.

    Hyundai Motor – Europe, president and CEO, Michael Cole said that beyond providing zero-emission mobility solutions on land, the company also cares about protecting fragile ecosystems at sea and that is why they have partnered with Healthy Seas throughout this project. “With the BBC we were able to win an important partner to tell our story. Together, we have successfully overcome the tremendous logistical challenges to make this vision become a reality,” Cole added.

    As cleaning up and preventing marine pollution aligns with Hyundai’s global strategy, the branded content was produced sustainably, by driving electrified vehicles from London to Greece instead of flying, choosing to consume vegan meals, and using solar power to charge equipment, the company said in a statement.

    “Sustainable brands looking to communicate their green practices have long been commercial partners of BBC Global News due to our relevant and engaging content, our global and affluent audience, and our own commitment to being carbon neutral,” said BBC Global News, EVP of international ad sales, Sean O’Hara. “Since the launch of BBC Future Planet, we have consistently offered audiences immersive, solutions-based content, and traffic to the site has increased exponentially over the past 12 months. We’re pleased brands like Hyundai want to be part of this success; to stay top-of-mind, and for the BBC’s expert storytellers to help them engage with audiences through creative and emotive brand campaigns.”

    BBC Global News, acting regional director of ad sales – Europe and Eurasia, Sibel Boner added, “We are excited to enter this commercial partnership with Hyundai, to communicate their story around the Healthy Seas project, a reflection of the trust and expertise the BBC has in producing immersive, engaging content that reaches global audiences.”

  • Luxottica Group launches eyewear brand Arnette in India

    Luxottica Group launches eyewear brand Arnette in India

    MUMBAI: Italy’s premium and luxury eyewear company Luxottica has announced the launch of its street style eyewear brand Arnette in India.

    Having wowed new-age, discerning shoppers across the world, the brand now brings its range to India, offering a wide variety of eyewear for the young and young at heart, looking for a street style look, the brand said in a statement.

    Arnette is fully committed to caring for the environment. That’s why the brand uses recyclable raw materials for a greener, sustainable world. In 2019, it launched its first sustainable collection, and by this year, 70 per cent of its collection is made of eco-friendly BRT600LS bio-based plastic, with a recycled elastane pouch and dedicated packaging, it further said.

    Commenting on the India launch, Luxottica Group, India & South-Asia brand manager Suvashish Banerjee said, “ARNETTE is popular for its distinctive shapes and iconic colours, additionally the brand echoes an easy-on-earth attitude. We shall be introducing the bio-acetate collection that is made from planet-friendly bio-based materials and bio-lenses, perfect for today’s green shoppers. Right from store props to packaging, ARNETTE is committed to a ‘what goes around, comes around’ approach. Our non-conformist and genre-defying styles along with our eco-conscious sensibilities are what makes us unique. We believe ARNETTE will resonate very well with today’s edgy, quirky, and effortlessly cool young consumers and Gen Z that will represent a major share of the Indian audience.”

    Arnette is now available in India via leading e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Tata CLiQ Luxury, and leading optical stores across the country. It will also be sold soon on Tata CLiQ, AJIO, Nykaa, Nykaa Fashion, and Myntra.

  • Environment & Wildlife film festival in Delhi to screen 74 films

    Environment & Wildlife film festival in Delhi to screen 74 films

    NEW DELHI: A total of 74 thematic films from 16 states and 11 countries will be screened at the oldest and largest Environment and Wildlife film festival in India, CMS Vatavaran, next month.

     

    The Festival on the theme of ‘Water for Life’ will be celebrating its 8th competitive edition and will be held from 9 to 13 October at the NDMC Convention Centre in New Delhi. 

     

    CMS Vatavaran 2015 will be an amalgamation of celebration and discourse with film screenings, forums on critical water issues, panorama of international film festivals, workshops on filmmaking, exhibitions, green haat and much more.

     

    The theme is ‘Water for Life’ with a special focus on “Conserving our Water Bodies”. It seeks to mark the interconnectedness of water and life and raise concern over the rapidly deteriorating condition of our water bodies. 

     

    Some Bollywood films will be screened, incliuding Kaun Kitne Paani Mein by Nila Madhab Panda; and Aisa Yeh Jahaan by Biswajeet Bora.

     

    Media and filmmaking workshops will also be held.

     

    Guests expected at the closing are Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

     

    There will be a talk on River Rejuvenation by Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati.

     

    A Green Haat has been set up by the Environment Ministry with UNDP and exhibitions are by New Delhi Nature Society, and Anthony Acciavatti.

     

    The fact that India has just four per cent of the world’s fresh water but 16 per cent of the global population is reason enough to begin a serious discussion on proper and effective watermanagement and conservation. CMS Vatavaran with its theme ‘Water for Life’ aims to do just that.

     

    Several interesting endeavors on the theme ‘Water for Life’ apart from film screenings like seminars, workshops, exhibition, cultural performances and award ceremony focusing on the environmental, social and economic aspects of water conservation will be part of the film festival and forum. 

     

    Contemporary issues related to water and conservation will be deliberated upon by eminent conservationists, policy makers, environment journalists and the concerned communities in the forum. 

     

    ‘Water for Life’ being a cross cutting theme necessitates a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder participation in discussions to address the issues in a holistic manner.

     

    The American Centre is the Country Partner of the 8th CMS Vatavatan. A special curtain raiser programme will also be organised on the evening of 8 October in the presence of American filmmakers, guests and delegates. Seminars, workshops, book launches and talks will be organised in partnership with The Asia Foundation, GIZ, Arghyam, CSE, CEE, RSTV and WWF to name a few.

     

    “CMS Vatavaran is doing a magnificent job, making people aware by arranging these festivals and taking them to different cities and involving more and more from the younger generation. CMS Vatavaran is a great platform to inform people about issues like wildlife conservation, sustainable technology and climate change,” said veteran filmmaker and actor Amol Palekar, who is head of the award jury.

     

    “In the 8th competitive festival, we are focusing on water and problems in water management systems around the world to show the disturbing effects these choices have on human beings. The theme has been chosen keeping in mind the fact that the way water scarcity issues are addressed, impacts upon the successful achievement of most of the development goals,” added CMS director general P N Vasanti.

  • DD to telecast new fiction show ‘Prakriti’ to bring environment in focus

    DD to telecast new fiction show ‘Prakriti’ to bring environment in focus

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan National is launching an environment-based fiction show ‘Prakriti- Kudrat Ko Bachane Ki Jung’ starting 22 November and which will be aired every Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 PM.

     

    The series has been produced by veteran actor Parikshit Sahni for the production house named after his late father, Balraj Sahni Productions, and stars Parikshit himself in the main lead.

     
    The serial follows the story of the lead character ‘Prakriti’ who, against all opposition, opts for a job as an officer in the Forest Department. She hopes to find her father, who was a renowned environmentalist and who has been missing for almost a decade. Everyone is convinced that her father is dead but she is sure he is still alive and she sets out to find him.

     
    She faces innumerable odds both professional and personal, and in the end proves that a woman is in not the “weaker sex” but, like any of her male counterparts, is capable of taking on and overcoming any challenges. But in doing so she also gets the biggest shock of her life.  

     
    Unhindered, she wages an unrelenting war against people involved in decimating jungles and killing wild animals and supplying furs, skins, teeth and rhinoceros horns to foreign buyers.

     

  • IAA Green Awards: Maneka Gandhi urges advertising industry to exercise caution

    IAA Green Awards: Maneka Gandhi urges advertising industry to exercise caution

    MUMBAI: The advertising industry was at the receiving end at the International Advertising Association’s  (IAA’s) Olive Crown Awards – Asia’s only awards for green initiatives in advertising which were held in Mumbai’s Palladium Hotel over the weekend.  Environmentalist and parliamentarian Maneka Gandhi was felicitated with a special award for her years of diligent efforts to get the environment in the nation’s mainstream consciousness and getting regulations passed which saw animals and the coastal zone get protection. She received the recognition from Amitabh Bachchan.

     

    Even as she thanked the advertising  industry for bestowing the honor on her, she urged the creative community to be careful while using animals in the communications and commercials that it creates.

     

    She referred to ads in which a pug was used, something which she has highlighted in the past too.  “The problem with the ad was that it sparked off a demand for the pug which is not a local animal. Thousands of them were imported and the Indian climate does not suit them. Then these pugs find it very difficult to deliver; most of their stomachs burst during delivery.  Owners who could not handle these little cute creatures just abandoned them. And we had hundreds of them turning up at our animal shelters.”

     

    Gandhi then spoke about a TV commercial which featured an orangutan stealing underwear and amusing an Indian housewife. “We noticed that more and more orangutans were being smuggled after that TV commercial was aired,” she said. “We captured three of them headed for Chennai and have been on alert since then. A business man there had got fascinated by the orangutans and had ordered them.”

     

    She told the creative heads and senior marketers present at the awards ceremony at the Palladium Hotel in central Mumbai that they should work on communicating the right environmental messages whenever they can as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives.  And that they should exercise extreme sensitivity while drawing up creative for ads as the content of commercials has a tremendous impact on the general Indian viewing public at home.  And in the process it can impact the environment or animals.

     

    The IAA presented Olive Crown Awards to McCann Erickson as the green agency of the year and to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) as the green advertiser of the year for the clean up campaign the two created for Bengaluru.

  • MEC India wins at 2013 Effective Mobile Marketing Awards

    MEC India wins at 2013 Effective Mobile Marketing Awards

    MUMBAI:  MEC India has bagged an award for the ‘Most Effective Location-based Service/Campaign’ at the recently concluded 2013 Effective Mobile Marketing Awards ceremony held on 28 November in London.

    The agency received the award for one of its campaign designed for Colgate at Kumbh Mela. Centered around the Maha Kumbh Mela held in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, the campaign was aimed at connecting with audiences at the festival, that is one of the world’s largest religious gatherings witnessing over 80 million people in attendance this year.

    Speaking on the occasion, Red Fuse Communications CEO Shubha George said, “We feel honoured to be recognised on a renowned global platform like the 2013 Effective Mobile Marketing Awards. Executing and implementing the campaign was a challenging task for the team, especially for a mammoth project of the scale of the Maha Kumbh Mela. The prime objective at the Maha Mela was to attract and engage consumers in a highly competitive environment, which inspired us to think beyond traditional methods. The award encourages us to push further boundaries in the future.”

    Mobile phone was selected as the medium to connect with the large audiences at the Maha Kumbh Mela. “This was the very first time in India that a brand had used location-based voice communication to convey the desired message and generate direct response from the audience” said George.

    A total of over 700,000 pilgrims visited a specially erected Colgate stall during this whole Maha Kumbh Mela promotion.

  • Dainik Bhaskars eco-friendly initiative Mitti Ke Ganesh receives overwhelming response across India

    Dainik Bhaskars eco-friendly initiative Mitti Ke Ganesh receives overwhelming response across India

    Dainik Bhaskar’s new eco-friendly initiative ‘Mitti Ke Ganesh’ has received an overwhelming response from its readers across the country.

     

    During the just concluded Ganesh Utsav, through this environment friendly campaign readers were appealed to bring home Lord Ganesha’s idols made only of clay. This activity was intended to motivate people to not bring idols made of plaster of paris, which after immersion contaminates our water resources. Dainik Bhaskar readers were also urged to not immerse idols in local natural water bodies. They were encouraged to conduct immersions at their respective homes in a water container, and use this water to water their gardens or flower pots at home.

     

    This was a Pan-India editorial and print campaign, covering 13 states and reaching more than 4.41 crore people.

     

    Commenting on the success of this initiative, Mr. Prashant Kalyani, VP, Brand Marketing (National), Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “The Dainik Bhaskar Group has always taken the lead in social initiatives that contribute towards positive changes in our daily lives. In line with this tradition this year we launched the ‘Mitti Ke Ganesh’ campaign during the immensely popular “Ganesh Utsav” festivities. Religious leaders of various sects also joined this initiative and supported the cause. To further augment this message Dainik Bhaskar through its editions carried thoughts of these religious leaders explaining the merits of ‘Mitti ke Ganesh’.

     

    This initiative not only enabled us to contribute towards protection of our environment, but also ensured that religious sentiments of people are duly respected. We are glad that we were successful in motivating people and the initiative received a overwhelming positive response from all sections of society.”