New Delhi, Dec 04th: Addressing the growing concerns around India’s rapidly rising e-waste burden, the Appliances Business of Godrej Enterprises Group extends its India v/s E-Waste initiative with an awareness campaign around ‘The e-waste that we eat, but shouldn’t’. This initiative brings the spotlight on a lesser-understood and alarming reality: how mis handled e-waste can seep into soil and water, ultimately entering the food we consume. Using visual metaphors of popular food items loaded with toxic e-waste ingredients, the brand aims to build awareness around responsible e-waste disposal and this time starting from as young as school children.
As per Press Information Bureau (PIB), India is witnessing a rapid rise in e-waste generation having produced nearly 1.3 million metric tonnes of e-waste in FY 24-25. This is a global challenge as well- according to UN’s fourth Global E-waste Monitor (GEM), the annual e-waste generation worldwide is rising by 2.6 million tonnes every year and is estimated to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030. In 2022 alone, a record 62 billion kg of e-waste was produced globally, and only 22.3% of it was formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner. The dangers of unmanaged e-waste extend far beyond piles of discarded electronics. Toxic materials from improperly recycled devices seep into the soil and groundwater, eventually entering the food chain and posing risks to ecosystems, human health, and future generations.
Over the years, Godrej has driven several citizen-centric programmes through its India v/s E-Waste initiative, collected and recycled more than a lakh tonne of e-waste and educated more than 5 lakh people on responsible collection and disposal of e-waste. Taking this commitment a step further, the brand has released a series of short videos on social media – each showcasing a popular food item in having toxic e-waste ingredients as visual metaphors– to bring the message alive and get people to download a guide on how to dispose e-waste responsibly. The brand is also conducting awareness workshops across 200+ schools in India and showcasing life-sized ‘E-waste Table’ installations. The same is made from discarded appliance components, along with quirky yet hard-hitting 3D models of ‘Toxic Tacos,’ and ‘Circuit Board Cake’. These visuals make it easy for students to understand how irresponsibly discarded electronics which include appliances, gadgets and even electronic toys, can make its way back into their bodies.
Speaking on the initiative, Kamal Nandi, Business Head & EVP at Appliances Business of Godrej Enterprises Group, said, “Our brand’s foundation is deeply rooted in pioneering progress for our people, nation and planet. With this visually impactful e-waste awareness campaign, our aim is to encourage citizens to rethink their e-waste footprint, to nudge them towards responsible e-waste disposal for safeguarding our future.”
Adding to this, Swati Rathi, Head – Marketing, Appliances Business of Godrej Enterprises Group, said, “With young Indias growing up as digital natives surrounded by appliances, electronic toys and gadgets, the e-waste burden is only set to rise further. As a responsible brand with environment stewardship as one of our core values we want to help our young generation start right, when it comes to e-waste disposal habits. This awareness campaign speaks to young India through the language of food, using impactful visual metaphors to help them connect e-waste to their own health and wellbeing, encouraging them to be more mindful about responsible e-waste disposal.”
The initiative of pan-India school activations conducted by the brand along with its e-waste partner Hulladek is supported by social media amplification and digital video promotion that delivers the urgency of the issue, driving the message through impactful storytelling. The idea is conceptualized and executed along with Adfactors PR and Tribes Communication.