Earth Day 2022: Invest in Our Planet
International Mother Earth Day aka Earth Day is observed every year on April 22. The day is marked to raise awareness about the rising levels of pollution and other activities that hurt the environment, either directly or indirectly, and lead to the planet’s annihilation. According to earthday.org, Earth Day aims to “build the world’s largest environmental movement to drive transformative change for people and the planet.” The movement’s mission is “to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.”
Earth Day 2022
‘Invest in our Planet,’ is the theme for this year’s International Mother Earth Day. Given the limited time available, the theme emphasizes the necessity for people to band together and begin taking steps to safeguard biodiversity and the environment. Climate change is no longer a distant prospect, and with more floods and fires on the horizon, it’s critical to assess the situation and take appropriate action.
In this context, let us look at how Corporates across the globe are celebrating Earth Day 2021, by conducting various CSR initiatives for mitigation of climate change and/or spreading awareness about it.
Apple
Ahead of Earth Day 2022, Apple made a slew of announcements that iterate the company’s commitment to environmental causes, including its use of recycled materials in its products and new content offerings relevant to earth day.
Apple has announced that the company has expanded the use of recycled materials across its products. The company says that it introduced certified recycled gold for the first time and that it double its use of recycled tungsten, rare earth elements and cobalt.
Apple claims that nearly 20 per cent of all the materials used in its products in 2021 was recycled, its highest-ever use of recycled content. These details were released by the company in its 2022 Environmental Progress Report.
The company also announced new ways for its customers to help support environmental conservation efforts including supporting the World Wildlife Fund by using Apple Pay. Another innovation announced by the company was Taz, a machine that improves material recovery from traditional electronics recycling.
The Cupertino-based tech giant claims that 59 per cent of all the aluminium in the products it shipped in 2021 came from recycled sources and that many products feature 100 per cent recycled aluminium in their enclosure.
The company also claims that it has made significant process towards its goal of eliminating plastics in its packaging with plastics accounting for just 4 per cent of its packaging in 2021.
Ahead of Earth Day, Apple Maps is making it easier for customers in the US and Canada to find green spaces, family fin in nature, city walks and trails with 25 guides from Lonely Planet, AllTrails and The Nature Conservancy
The company is also adding a new episode to its “audio walking experience” Time to Walk, where it hosts environmentalist Jane Goodall who will share stories about her work and her observations about the interconnectedness of all living things.
On Earth Day, Apple will be offering an immersive augmented reality experience on Snapchat, which will allow users to learn about the environmental innovations behind the iPhone 13, including the Daisy recycling robot.
Meta
Meta has announced that people in more than 30 countries can donate and create fundraisers directly in Instagram Reels for more than 1.5 million nonprofits.
In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, Meta (formerly Facebook) said that it is adding new features, including highlighting everyday actions and solutions people can take and showcasing new data visualisations that show country-level emissions and curating new content.
On Instagram, the company collaborated with illustrator Ping Zhu to create stickers that encourage people to express their support for Earth Day and the environment.
“On Facebook, we’re adding profile frames that let people show their support. On Messenger, we’re releasing a custom sticker pack and 3D Avatar stickers built just for Earth Day,” said the company.
Meta said that starting in 2020, its global operations reached net zero greenhouse gas emissions and are supported by 100 per cent renewable energy.
“We’ve also set an ambitious goal to achieve net zero emissions across our value chain and be water positive in 2030,” it added.
“With over 500 megawatts announced this month, we are announcing we have reached over 8 gigawatts of new wind and solar energy in support of our global operations,” the company added.
Toshiba
Toshiba America Business Solutions commemorates Earth Day 2022 through its year-round sustainability initiatives to function as good stewards for the planet while reducing carbon footprints for the company and its customers. Toshiba’s ongoing eco efforts include recycling 64.46 tons of used toner cartridges and replanting nearly 19,000 trees worldwide in 2021. Toshiba’s Managed Print as a Service program also helps organizations attain individual environmental goals by improving print visibility and efficiencies.
Toshiba has collaborated with PrintReleaf to replant trees in the United States, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ireland, Canada, Brazil, and India. Since 2016, this partnership has led to the planting of 121,965 trees across global reforestation projects in these countries.
Agrocorp
Agrocorp, a leading land investment company based out of Bengaluru, has announced a green initiative ‘April Cool’ this World Earth Day. As part of the initiative, Agrocorp shall plant a tree for every new follower added to their social media pages.
Many cities across the country saw extreme climate changes this year. Bengaluru witnessed the “Hottest March in fifteen years”.
Agrocorp recognizes the strong connection between a healthy planet, healthy people, and with the thought of fostering a green environment where people can thrive and breathe easy, they launched the ‘April Cool’ campaign which inclusively lets people participate & contribute to improving the environment from the comfort of their home while getting a tree planted by their small deed of following Agrocorp on social media.
“April Cool” is an initiative through which Agrocorp wants to increase the green cover of the country, with the support of its community.
India has seen rapid deforestation in recent years, primarily due to its focus on economic development. According to government data, 14,000sq km of forests were cleared to accommodate 23,716 industrial projects across India over the last 30 years.
The founders of Agrocorp, Ayan Nagpal & Arush Nagpal quoted, “For Agrocorp, acting responsibly towards the country and society is part of our mission and vision. When we initiated this campaign, our goal was to ensure that we can apply the innovative power we hold to make a difference for the betterment of people by building a better and greener tomorrow. Torchbearers to the spirit of community, Agrocorp aims to grow the company responsibly and sustainably and, therefore, we are constantly setting ambitious social and environmental goals. Since 2016, Agrocorp and its stakeholders have planted more than 100000 trees at their farms.”
Agrocorp will plant these trees in their upcoming 25 acre farm in Doddaballapur called “The Vineyard”. This is a unique project which lets people invest in land but at the same time own a farm with a “Vineyard in their Backyard”.This project is being done in technical collaboration with India’s leading premium wine producer Grover Zampa to give the best vineyard experience to farm owners.
Tetrapak
On the eve of Earth Day 2022, Tetra Pak, a world-leading packaging and processing solutions provider, has joined hands with Eco Roots Foundation, an NGO working to conserve ecosystem, environment, and biodiversity to launch a program called Happy Wings. This program will reach out to over 200 schools across the country, covering over 20,000 students to educate children about the importance of protecting biodiversity, while also teaching them how to make nests for small birds using household waste like jute, coconut husk and recycled beverage cartons.
Launched at Mount Abu Public School, Rohini through a nest-making workshop, the program saw participation from representatives of 30 schools across the National Capital Region where children learnt to make nests using household waste, as well as composite sheets made from recycled cartons. This will be followed by a workshop at Delhi Public School, Faridabad with participants from over 20 schools. The program aims to inspire a behavioral change among children at a primary level and increase sensitivity towards the environment.
The workshops will be conducted by Rakesh Khatri, Founder – Eco Roots Foundation, popularly known as The Nest Man of India, who has built more than 2.5 lakh bird nests throughout India, thus helping several sparrows & other small birds find their way back to the national capital.
Announcing the association, Mr Ashutosh Manohar, Managing Director, Tetra Pak South Asia, said, “Our approach to protecting the planet is grounded in our commitment to a low-carbon circular economy. Over the years, we have focussed a lot on responsible sourcing of material to protect biodiversity, while also enabling recycling of our used packages to give them an effective afterlife. Happy Wings is a beautiful blend of both – bringing sparrows and small birds back to our cities, while also putting recycled cartons to good use.”
Mr. Rakesh Khatri, Founder Eco Roots Foundation, added, “Happy Wings is the result of a shared sense of purpose between Tetra Pak and Ecoroots to protect the planet. I am delighted to collaborate with Tetra Pak, in creating the next generation of conscious citizens, our children, who can change the course of our collective future for good. Over the past 14 years, we have reached out to 10 lakh students across the country, and with committed partners like Tetra Pak, we will take this to the next level.”
Kimberly-Clark
This Earth Day, Kimberly-Clark India in partnership with the Plastics for Change Foundation, celebrates the successful conclusion of ‘Project घर’. An initiative launched in 2021 to address the mounting challenge of plastic waste by collecting and recycling 22.5 metric tons of single-use and multi-layered plastic to build sustainable housing units for the on-ground waste collectors in the Hubli-Dharwad coastal region of Karnataka. Thus, enabling them to live better, healthier, and financially stable lives.
Kimberly-Clark India has been at the forefront of driving meaningful change through circular solutions, and ‘Project घर’ is yet another step in this direction. Over the course of a year, the initiative has aided the diversion of 22,500 kg of multi-layered and low-density polyethylene from the ocean by using innovative and ethical methods of recycling plastic, producing nearly zero waste, and further empowering 300 beneficiaries at the bottom of the waste management value chain to secure greater income.
“The success of Project घर and the learnings gathered along the way have only strengthened our resolve to develop a circular economy and a more sustainable future. Through our partnership with Plastics for Change Foundation, we have been able to adopt innovative solutions to tackle the growing environmental and societal concerns, while delivering on our global sustainability vision to advance the well-being of underserved communities.”, said Mainak Dhar, Managing Director, Kimberly-Clark India on the completion of the project.
Andrew Almack, CEO, Plastics for Change said, “In the last one year, through Project घर, we have been able to create better and safer livelihoods for the waste collector community in Hubli. We are extremely proud to have collaborated with Kimberly-Clark India, who shares our commitment to improving the lives of the underserved while reducing the social and environmental impact of plastic waste.”
