● Receives Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) Gold Certification for zero waste efforts across its facilities in Haryana, West Bengal, Karnataka and Maharashtra
● With a dedicated focus on minimizing environmental impact, Flipkart aims to achieve Zero Waste to landfill across all of its operations, emphasizing responsible waste management practices
Bengaluru – November 30, 2023: Flipkart Group has taken strides towards addressing the alarming issue of the growing landfills in India. It has successfully managed to divert approximately 3000 tonnes of non-hazardous solid waste in one year, beginning with four of its facilities that achieved Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) Gold certification for their zero waste efforts. TRUE-certified projects must meet stringent resource management goals,
diverting at least 90% of a facility’s waste from landfills, incineration, and the environment. Flipkart’s TRUE-certified facilities are located in Farrukhnagar (Haryana), Uluberia (West Bengal), Malur (Karnataka) and Renaissance (Maharashtra) and account for an area of 1.8 million sq ft. Flipkart has demonstrated its commitment to promoting a circular economy and is embracing the Zero Waste policy, which entails responsible consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials while avoiding incineration and landfill. In this endeavor, the organization has not only met but surpassed the certification’s requirements for diversion rates, achieving more than 97% waste diversion across all four sites.
This certification puts Flipkart at the forefront of environmentally conscious organizations, showcasing the success of its Zero Waste initiatives and establishing the organization as a strategic and fiscally responsible entity. Flipkart continues to play an important role in enabling a circular economy for all the paper and plastic scrap generated within its own premises. For this, Flipkart deployed the ‘Clean Campus movement’ at its warehouses to foster employee education. Flipkart will also balance out the packaging consumption versus the scrap disposal equation and create a sustainable cycle by using the same scrap as raw material for fresh production. This initiative will further help reduce the use of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring that the generated waste does not end up in landfills. The Circular Economy approach has been activated across 13 sites, translating to approximately 50% of Flipkart’s total paper scrap generation.
Speaking on its Zero Waste policy and subsequent TRUE Gold Certification, Hemant Badri, Senior Vice President and Head of Supply Chain, Customer Experience and eCommerce, Flipkart Group, “Our progress towards achieving our sustainability goals has been transformative, marked by relentless innovation, and a shared sense of responsibility. In this journey, our four TRUE Gold certifications for zero waste awarded by Green Business Certification Inc. is another important step as we continue to set a resolute benchmark for sustainable e-commerce that redefines the industry. By embracing resource efficiency and minimizing waste, we at Flipkart believe that e-commerce can be both environment-friendly and maximize value at the same time. These certifications validate our promise to continue pioneering eco-conscious commerce, impacting our business and the world we share.”
Sharing his views about this milestone, Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group said, “In today’s world, every organization must consciously work towards addressing the current climate crises and that can only happen when bold actions are taken towards it. Building a sustainable future for all and contributing to India’s commitment to Climate goals is a responsibility we take seriously at the Flipkart Group and the TRUE Gold certifications for our zero waste initiative stand testimony to our focus on this mission.”
Peter Templeton, President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and GBCI noted, “Businesses must go beyond our current wasteful practices and think critically about how to redesign processes so that less waste is produced in the first place. Implementing zero-waste business practices requires rethinking, retraining, new tools, and strong leadership to change current waste systems. With Flipkart’s leadership in this endeavor, they are making great strides for their employees, community, and consumers at large.”
Flipkart’s proactive approach towards sustainability aligns with environmental concerns and resonates with a growing segment of consumers who are increasingly drawn to brands committed to responsible practices and work towards achieving good purpose. Aligned with its larger sustainability vision, Flipkart has also transitioned to 100% paper-based packaging at all its warehouses since 2021, thereby significantly reducing its plastic footprint as part of its larger sustainability initiatives. These include electrification of the logistics fleet, energy efficiency practices, and increased use of renewable energy, Green Building, Sustainable packaging, which all testify to its continuing efforts towards achieving sustainable operations.
● The Zero Waste program is one of the essential strategies to address the decarbonization pathway along with protecting the environment and enabling cost savings and social benefits.
● The policy is dedicated to setting benchmarks, monitoring performance, educating employees, and providing innovative solutions that move organizations closer to zero- waste.
● Key initiatives undertaken by Flipkart that have played a role in being awarded TRUE Gold certification include the following:
○ Implementation of sustainable waste management practices, such as localized signage, on-site waste storage, dedicated staff for waste sorting, and in-house data reporting using recommended templates
○ Enhanced waste collection efficiency achieved by transitioning from a single-bin system, conducting regular vendor due diligence, and ensuring data receipt from vendors in accordance with established templates
○ Careful sorting of waste into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and residual solid categories, optimizing waste management
○ Prioritize data collection on low-value waste which lack recycling market value, to achieve higher diversion rates
○ Training all employees, and fostering zero-waste relationships with vendors, creating a holistic approach toward sustainability
The TRUE rating system for zero waste is a rigorous framework that enables facilities to define, pursue, and achieve their zero waste goals while reducing their carbon footprint.
