Hey, what if brands themselves encourage recycling!? Ok, here’s what I mean, what if the Pepsi Ad also throws an offer for getting a Rs 5(am not sure if this figure is appropriate!) discount on your next drink, if you handover across the counter… an empty can of Pepsi.

-So this will ensure Pepsi guys don’t have to fish for empty cans to recycle, they get them right in their hands.
-This will encourage brand loyalty, so Pepsi wins too. Well, am more like any drink will do when I want a soft drink. So if I get a Rs5 rebate on putting forth my last can, I might as well go for it.
-We, as customers, would also feel less guilty of having Pepsi this less-polluting way…

Having a party at home, store all the empty cans after the party. Just take them to the store when you’re organising your next party.

Yes, shirsha - don’t know abt Rs.5 but something could be worked out.
I think there is a general apathy amongst people about the enviroment. They always think it is someone else’s issue. People like to indulge in armchair talk, but they need a lot of motivation to actually do something.

Why blame Pepsi? Why is it a corporate responsibility to preach these issues?

where is the governmental, educational, social push on this ?

do we have a recycle culture? are we taught to do these things from the get go?

do we have separate bins for plastic, paper and composte?

everything isn’t the fault of the big bad corporations.

VH1 was trying to sell you the concept of saving the earth. Once upon a time they did Live Aid and it went a long way in spreading the message about Aids awareness and tolerance.

A number of corporations have spent Millions of dollars designing green buildings with phenomenal ideas to save energy and be environment friendly.

Gaurav, its not a blame on Pepsi, as much as it is a ‘Hey, Why dont u take care..’ kinda thing. And pepsi could really do the social push… no?

There has been educational emphasis since a long time now. Remember that chapter on Pollution, the various kinds and the causes and effects!?

The Government is taking it up too… every morning our garbage collector from the corporation asks for separate bio-degradable and non-biodegradable garbage bags, meaning he wants us to separate our garbage before we hand it to him. They have been doing a lot of widespread propaganda on this thing, not sure if its there in Mumbai, but Bangalore it sure is. Some homes have composts too, which is like a small step, but still a step!

Why does anyone have to preach really? (other than the fact that corporate systems function within a society and hence would inherently make themselves accessible as a variable to the whole “social push”)
Why can’t people just encourage more of a composite “practice” culture vis-a-vis recycling or other larger environmental issues with an end-to-end operating model ?
..
The bigger question is ..Why didn’t pepsi hire a makeup guy for SRK? And has anyone really tried holding a can like that? Pepsi might be contributing to early arthiritis amongst juvenilia!

It’s easy to side with brands like VH1 & Pepsi - believe me i like them too - they provide you a glossy view of the world - hey they can make everything look like a party and it may be the only way to drum things into the youth. I get it. But u need to have an analytical mind, that’s all i’m saying. Don’t make excuses for the brands u r loyal to. Criticise what needs to be criticised.

The reason we are at a breaking point today is precicely because ten/twenty years ago everyone was saying: “It’s not my problem…the government will sort it out.” OR “I’m a proud capitalist - don’t ask me to be socially conscious.”

If you are an earthling, you’d better shut up and do something about it or we’re all going to have to relocate to the moon and to mars!!

well personally i dont care about Pepsi or Vh1 enough to defend them. Also i never recall anyone saying the govt will sort it out. I think we all know very well the government couldn’t sort out a busted light bulb without looking for a cut. fixing the country and the environment is a tall, TALL order.

The proud capitalists are 50-50, bunch of them are responsible, the others are the opposite. thats just how it is. What we lack here is education & enforcement. We as a nation shy away from topics we don’t care about and are easily conduced to look the other way (read that as BRIBE friendly)

i do find it disconcerting that it is fast becoming the trend to expect corporations to take up social responsibility, especially in places where it isn’t their call.

i have absolutely no problem if Pepsi decides to pop 5 bucks a can ( which is insanely high by the way) to promote recycling. I have collected cans for charity back when i was in college at 5cents a can. But most of the people around were pretty responsible and chucked their garbage where it needed to be. Its a two way street.

It would be great if Pepsi & other such corporations would be stakeholders in environment friendly and socially responsible causes. However i draw the line when people begin thinking they SHOULD be instigators.

Inadequacies from our government ans social make up are no reasons to point fingers at business trying to create share holder value.

We need to just step back and have a look at ourselves. We are the same country that smashes hospitals when someone dies, smash public property when we are upset, evade sex education comfortably and happily litter and piss anywhere, anytime and anyplace.

That chapter on pollution is just that a chapter, lip service, getting it out of the way and then forgetting about it.

The situation is dreadful in the cities when it comes to social & environmental responsibility, to say nothing of what goes in Rural and small town India.

None of that is the fault of corporations, it isn’t their screw up, so it shouldn’t be their job to fix it. They can help a lending hand, lets not expect them to give us the full push.

What you say is all true gauravjain. You seem to think we are making sweeping statements about everything.
Of course we know there are the responsible ones.
But the reason i’m talking about corporations is simply because they manufacture - they are in a unique position to prevent. Why hunt for a cure if you can prevent (or at least reduce)?
It’s not the average consumer who is generating tonnes of harmful materials. It is time corporations are asked to green themselves to whatever extent they can!

Totally agree with gauravjain…….each of us needs to make n effort, however small, towards conserving energy and the environment.

Let’s stop passing the buck!