Brand Audit report reveals top plastic polluters from Pune city

Over 1,000 volunteers from across 19 states in India conducted brand audits to identify the most common plastic polluters in the country.  The groups audited a total of 1,49,985 pieces of plastic, 70% of which were marked with a clear consumer brand.

Also in the top 10 international plastic polluters are Reckitt Benckiser, Nestle, Amazon / Whole Foods, Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, Kraft Heinz, and Mondelez International. Despite these corporations’ sustainability commitments and initiatives, they  still fall short in addressing the problem.

In Pune, Chitale, Parle Product Pvt Ltd, Britannia Pvt. Ltd, Amul, Sumeru, Vimal Group, Gokul, Suhana, Balaji and ITC Ltd emerged as top 10 Indian polluters and Unilever, Mondelez International, Nestle, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser, Mars Incorporated, and Kellogg Company are the top 10 international polluters.

Meanwhile, the Top 10 Indian plastic polluters are: Parle Products Private Limited, ITC Ltd., Britannia Industries Ltd., Haldiram’s, United Spirits Limited, TATA Group, Marico Ltd., Hector Beverages Pvt. Ltd., Milky Mist Dairy Products and Balaji Wafers Private Limited. The top 10 international brands contributed 15% of plastic waste, while the top 10 Indian polluters made up just over 10% of plastic waste.

“Given that 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels, and that the fossil fuel corporations are actively shifting their focus to plastic as an increasing source of revenue, all of these companies are contributing significantly to both the climate crisis and the plastic pollution crisis,” said Satyarupa Shekar, Asia Pacific Coordinator of BFFP.

The Pan-India Brand Audit Report also shifts back the focus of plastic pollution to the FMCGs, many of whom sell their products in low value packaging formats which they label as pro-poor and pro climate, but in reality have externalised the real costs on people and the environment.