PepsiCo India expands its flagship program

Following its success in Mathura Vrindavan, Tidy Trails is a special initiative being launched in Agra to sustainably manage post-consumer plastic waste, with the support of Agra Nagar Nigam Aligned with the Government of India’s ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ initiative aimed to increase participation towards Swachhta, the Tidy Trails program was e-launched by Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and flagged off by Nirmala Dixit, member, UP Mahila Aayog. 

PepsiCo India in partnership with The Social Lab (TSL) announced the expansion of Tidy Trails, an initiative focused on education and awareness around plastic circularity in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. With support of the Agra Nagar Nigam, the initiative will share best practices with shopping establishments to support plastic waste management and recycling in the city.  

As part of the initiative, a dedicated mobile van has been deployed to visit local shops across Agra, collecting post-consumer plastic waste from over 500 shopping establishments across five market associations. In the first month of the pilot, over 50 kgs of plastic waste collected on average daily and sent for recycling. Over 500 specially branded dustbins were also distributed to the shopping establishments to mark the launch.  

The Tidy Trails Agra chapter was e-inaugurated by Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India and flagged off by Nirmala Dixit, Member, UP Mahila Aayog in the presence of key dignitaries, Shri Umesh Garg, Independent Director, IFCI Ltd., Shri Syed Areeb Ahmad, IPS, DSP, Agra Police, Shri Pankaj Bhushan, Environment Engineer, Agra, Mr. Sudesh Yadav, Swachh Bharat Mission Head, Agra, Shri A.K. Shrivastava, CMO, Agra, Ms. Garima Singh, Chief Government Affairs and Communications Officer, PepsiCo India, Mr. Sahil Arora, CEO, The Social Lab(TSL) and Mr. Adesh Gupta, Director (Advisory Board), The Social Lab (TSL). 

In line with the company’s pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) commitment, PepsiCo India has launched various initiatives  around plastic waste management in Uttar Pradesh to help build a world where plastic never becomes waste. Under the Tidy Trails initiative, all plastic waste collected from shops will go to waste collectors for segregation, and later will be recycled and converted into useful items like benches and chairs, to be distributed across parks and offices of Agra. To commemorate the launch, PepsiCo India will also distribute 60 benches made of plastic, recycled with 21 century Polymers, for installation in Agra. 

Addressing virtually, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India said, “The challenge of plastic pollution demands a collective effort, where public and private sectors work together for common good. By combining the innovation and resources of the private sector, the administrative strength of the government and public responsibility, we can forge a path towards a cleaner, greener India. We congratulate PepsiCo India and The Social Lab (TSL) for bringing an initiative like Tidy Trails to Agra, after its successful launch in Mathura, and wish them all the best.” 

Commenting on the inauguration, Shri S.P. Singh Baghel, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, said "Aligned with our vision for 'Swachh Bharat Mission', we are consistently working towards implementing best practices for waste management across the country. It’s encouraging to see organisations like PepsiCo India and The Social Lab (TSL) come forward and launch initiatives like Tidy Trails initiative in Uttar Pradesh that will help create awareness and also help in further keeping the cities clean.” 

Commenting on the expansion, Garima Singh, Chief Government Affairs and Communications Officer, PepsiCo India said, “At PepsiCo India, we are guided by our ‘Winning with pep+’ philosophy and are consistently working to build a world where plastic never becomes waste by reducing, recycling, and reinventing. Aligned with this vision, we introduced ‘Tidy Trails’ - a special initiative to sustainably manage post-consumer plastic waste in Mathura Vrindavan in 2021. Following its success, we are excited to launch the program in Agra with the support of Agra Nagar Nigam, encouraging people to keep their local environment clean and foster ‘tidiness, thereby building on the remarkable milestones.” 

Commenting on the partnership, Sahil Arora, CEO, The Social Lab (TSL) said, “We are proud to partner with PepsiCo India and Municipal Corporation, Agra for this noble initiative. TSL is committed to environmental preservation and promotion of circular economy initiatives like Tidy Trails. In today's world, plastic has emerged as one of the most pressing environmental challenges but if reused and recycled, plastic has many uses which have not been explored by communities. Through Tidy Trails, we aim to unite communities, businesses, and policymakers in a collective effort to promote recycling and reuse of plastic waste.”