Bisleri Engages Runners at TATA Mumbai Marathon With a ‘Bottles for Change’ Installation

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Marketing | January 22, 2018 | News

Bisleri Tata Mumbai Marathon

Bisleri International, one of the most trusted brands of mineral water for past 50 years in India, created awareness about its CSR initiative ‘Bottles for Change’ at the Tata Mumbai Marathon last Sunday. Bisleri created 20 feet long installation made out of 5000 used plastic bottles and encouraged participants to pledge their support for correct plastic disposal, reuse, and recycling.

As athletes and runners ran through ‘Bisleri’s Bottles for change corridor’ created on the running track, under the Princess Street Flyover at TATA Mumbai Marathon 2018, they pledged to recycle with Bisleri’s CSR initiative ‘Bottles for Change’. On behalf of every runner who ran through the corridor, Bisleri sponsored meals for an entire year to the waste picker’s children who are currently being educated at the PBVS (Parisar Bhagini Vikas Sangh) study center, Chembur.

Additionally, the marathon also witnessed enthusiastic 100 Bisleri employees running and carrying the placards highlighting the importance of recycling and reuse of plastic.

‘Bottles for Change’ aim to educate the masses that plastic is a miraculous material that can be recycled. And since it can be recycled it is actually good for the environment. As a matter of fact, PET bottles can be recycled up to 8 times. The problem, however, lies with the incorrect disposal of plastic.  ‘Bottles for Change’ initiative appeals society to take a pledge to adopt the right method of plastic disposal. The first step for which is segregating plastic from rest of the garbage.

As a part of this initiative, Bisleri also conducts plastic collection drives in school, colleges, malls, corporate offices as well as festive and social gatherings. The proceeds from these plastic collection drives go to Parisar Bhagini Vikas Sangh (PBVS), an all-women waste pickers association by the NGO Stree Mukti Sangathana. PBVS addresses the issues of waste management and those of self-employed women involved in waste collection tasks. Bisleri along with PBVS is working towards the welfare of waste pickers’ underprivileged children.

Anjana Ghosh, Director at Marketing, Bisleri International Pvt Ltd. said, “This is the first time that Bisleri has associated with Tata Mumbai marathon and this gave us an exclusive platform to talk about our initiatives, ‘Bottles for Change’. We received an extraordinary response from the participants, who have pledged for recycling of plastic. We endeavor to make a difference through this initiative and educate people on the right disposal of plastic.”

Being the official hydration partner and the expert in the category, Bisleri had set up 25 water stations across the running track, to ensure that all the participants were well hydrated. Overall, Bisleri supplied close to 2 lakhs liters of water for the participants.  In addition to water stations, Dr. Ashish Contractor, an expert in run and sports medicine educated the participants on the indispensable role of hydration pre-event on the digital medium and at the expo. In addition to this, Bisleri set up two cooling corridors on the track, the water mists helped combat body heat and kept the runners going.