Aafrin Kidwai 
ITC Ltd has announced that it is speeding up its efforts to move beyond plastic neutrality, claiming to have managed more than 54,000 tonnes of plastic trash in India sustainably in 2021-22.
Well-Being Out of Waste (WOW), the firm’s main solid waste management initiative, has so far reached 1.8 crore residents in 46.7 lakh households across India’s large cities and small towns, according to the company.
“Through a large-scale and integrated solid waste management programme, ITC moved beyond plastic neutrality this year. In addition, the company is also using cutting-edge innovations to develop sustainable alternatives to plastic packaging for the industry,” Sanjiv Rangrass group head, ITC Life Sciences & Technology, Central Projects, EHS & Quality Assurance, ITC Ltd said in a statement.
ITC said the amount of plastic waste managed exceeded the amount of plastic packaging utilised by it during 2021-22, enabling it to achieve the milestone of plastic neutrality.
The company further said it has adopted a multi-pronged approach to reduce plastic in its operations spanning FMCG, hotels, paperboards and packaging.
These include creating robust next-generation environment friendly packaging solutions, mega-scale waste collection programmes under its flagship waste management initiative ‘ITC WOW Well-Being Out of Waste’ as well as focussed interventions in rural areas, among others, it added.
