As concerns regarding environmental issues escalate, the quest for sustainability too intensifies. Industries like ours that rely heavily on the usage of glass bottles are often scrutinized for their environmental impact. While one may view this as a downside, it comes with distinct advantages. Among the list of recyclable items, glass is cited as a particularly effective recyclable item and a key resource for conservation efforts.
At Radico, we have witnessed an encouraging trend in the use of recycled bottles. We have consciously and dedicatedly embarked on a mission to support sustainability, and contribute towards environmental conservation. Our efforts have yielded positive results, with the use of recycled bottles showing an upward trend. In FY 2019, we registered a 4.5% usage and in 2013 it was comparatively higher at 22.6% for our key large brands. We recorded a huge saving of 831.5 metric tons of glass consumption during the year. Another remarkable feat has been the reduction in paper usage by 37.2 metric tons by eliminating mono cartons in select brands. These affirm our commitment towards reducing waste, conserving priceless natural resources and minimizing our carbon footprint.
Even though our business demands the high usage of glass bottles, unlike many other materials, glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely, without losing its purity or its quality. These properties position glass as a strong player in the sustainability arena contributing significantly towards environmental efforts. New glass products need sand, soda ash and limestone which can be conserved through the glass recycling process by reducing if not completely eliminating dependence on these raw materials.
Recycling of glass has manifold environmental benefits. Here are some key advantages –
- Reducing landfill waste: Non recycled glass bottles take thousands of years to decompose and are accountable for large landfill waste. Recycled bottles on the contrary, reduce landfill to a great extent.
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: An overall lower environmental impact can be achieved through the energy saving in the process used for manufacturing recycled glass bottles, which is 30% less than if one were to manufacture it directly from raw materials. This contributes effectively towards mitigating climate change.
- Preservation of natural resources: With the usage of recycled glass bottles. The demand for raw materials declines, which in turn reduces the environmental degradation that is associated with the mining and extraction processes.
- Creation of jobs and a positive impact on the economy: The recycling industry unlike the conventional glass manufacturing industry, requires more manpower and expertise. It is more labor intensive by comparison, since it does not use virgin materials. This also creates a high growth in employment opportunities and boosts local economies.
At Radico, we are of the firm belief that sustainability receives a major fillip from industries like ours that support glass recycling. Our commitment towards this key issue extends beyond just adopting and integrating recycling into our process and products. It includes moving beyond the present, focused vision to adopting a broader more encompassing one that will assure and guarantee a sustainable and greener future for the generations to come!