NEW DELHI (India CSR): Panasonic Life Solutions India (PLSIND) – a leading diversified technology company, marked World Environment Day by culminating the sixth edition of Harit Umang Olympiad 2025. Harit Umang – Joy of Green initiative addresses key issues linked to e-waste & plastic management, biodiversity and energy conservation. The program engaged over 2300 Green Ambassadors among schools and colleges to pledge towards promoting green practices through active sensitisation.
Dignitaries In Attendance
Sunita Verma, Group Coordinator for R&D in Electronics & IT at Ministry of Electronics and IT; Manish Sharma, Chairman, Panasonic Life Solutions India (PLSIND) and SA; Tadashi Chiba, MD & CEO, PLSIND and Ritu Ghosh, Head – Corporate Affairs & CSR, PLSIND were the key dignitaries present at the occasion.
Verma Applauds Students
Sunita Verma, Group Coordinator, R&D, Electronics & IT, Ministry of Electronics and IT- congratulated the Green Ambassadors of Panasonic Harit Umang sixth edition, applauding the collective efforts under the Panasonic’s Harit Umang outreach – “It is indeed commendable to see the young students brainstorming on ‘Circular Economy’ with the global perspective and contributing with collected ‘electronic waste’ and the plastic waste collected to create longest chain of circularity. We are proud that the medals awarded to the Green Ambassadors are made from metals extracted from recycled electronic waste collected by them, thus reflecting the true commitment towards a sustainable future”.
Sharma Emphasises Youth
Manish Sharma, Chairman, Panasonic Life Solutions India (PLSIND) and SA, stated, “It fills us with immense pride and happiness seeing another successful edition of the Harit Umang – Joy of Green program as we continue to align our efforts with UN sustainable goals. We believe youth’s participation is the key to any movement, and having them play the key role in the program will help us create a better world for the future. Each Green Ambassador represents our collective hope for a future where technology and responsibility go hand in hand.”
Chiba Commends Commitment
Tadashi Chiba, MD, CEO, Panasonic Life Solutions India, congratulated all the students for their remarkable dedication to advancing the green agenda and championing sustainable practices. “Through Harit Umang initiatives, we are not only raising awareness but also inspiring individuals to take proactive action as agents of change for a sustainable future.”
Ghosh Highlights Innovation
Ritu Ghosh, Head – Corporate Affairs, PLSIND, shared her views, “Our key objective behind the Harit Umang initiative is to foster a clean and sustainable future by engaging with our green ambassadors. For instance, our green ambassadors from ITI conducted ‘Celebrating Diwali Differently’ wherein they made Diwali lights using electronic e-waste, integrating technological innovation with sustainability. Similarly, we also held a waste Collection Trail to reach a wider outreach that reflected our commitment towards creating a better world.“
Program Engagement Highlights
- Empowering ITI Youth: Leveraging engineering and industrial skills for e-waste reuse and refurbishment, showcased through ‘Celebrating Diwali Differently’ with refurbished Diwali lights.
- E-Waste Collection Trail: Schools and colleges emerged as pivotal collection HUBs, amplifying outreach and reinforcing the program’s multiplier effect. Each year, this travelling representation of circularity will activate new hubs, ensuring safe collection, responsible disposal, and scientific recycling.
- Record-Breaking Plastic Circularity Campaign: Green Ambassadors collected 43,998 plastic bags, surpassing the publicly declared Guinness World Record; launched with a walkathon for mass awareness.
- Model UN Dialogue: Institutions simulated global group discussions on consumer behaviour and technology in circularity.
- UNDP Collaboration: Strengthening expertise and outreach as an associate partner of the Panasonic Harit Umang Program.
- Recognising Sustainability Champions: Panasonic awarded medals crafted from responsibly recycled electronic waste, reinforcing commitment to circular economy.
Broader Environmental Impact
Apart from environment awareness programmes, collectively, group companies of Panasonic in India have planted close to five lakh trees, contributing towards green cover and restoring biodiversity in Daulatpur area of Delhi, Manesar-Haryana and Jawhar area of Maharashtra. Panasonic will be conducting a tree plantation drive on Environment Day in Delhi-NCR. Further, Panasonic in India has made efforts to utilize solar energy in its factories, and distributed solar lanterns and solar kits to around 140 households in Haridwar.
The e-waste awareness drive ‘Diwali Wali Safai’ has been running successfully for the past four years, creating awareness around responsible e-waste disposal. These initiatives are all part of the broader Panasonic Green Impact (PGI) programme, where Panasonic Group aims to create impact that reduces CO2 emissions by more than 300 million tons*, or about 1% of the current total global emissions.
(India CSR)
