New-Delhi, 06/18/2018

Replace Plastic, Bring in the Plants!

Arvato employees in Guragaon painted pots before planting trees in them
Old books were up-cycled into a paper dress at Penguin Random House India
Employees of the Arvato subsidiary Ramyam planted trees.
Plant sale at DK India

Subject: Environment
Country: India
Category: Project

The Bertelsmann companies represented in India filled “be green Day” with life through over 20 different initiatives. Some measures were implemented in several companies, others were unique. The goal, above all, was to raise employees’ awareness towards the protection of the environment and sustainable handling of resources. Many possibilities for being creative were offered.

The divisions of Bertelsmann represented in India took World Environment Day as an occasion to make a contribution to nature conservation and the protection of the environment through numerous initiatives. The “be green Day” offered employees a wide range of possibilities to commit themselves to the conservation of natural resources and to reduce energy consumption and waste in their immediate environment through over 20 unique initiatives. The goal was to have a first-hand experience of the difference that seemingly small measures can make. According to Bertelsmann India the program was more comprehensive than ever this year.

Certain activities took place in several divisions. For example, at many sites the employees wore green clothes and received emails containing useful information about their carbon footprint and a short video. The effort to reduce and remove plastic objects and waste was also replicated in many divisions. Numerous employees replaced their plastic bottles with glass bottles. Fremantle Media India and DK India showed educational videos at their reception. A “green hour” was held in the publisher’s offices in New Delhi: during their lunch break, employees went without power for 30 minutes and switched off various electrical devices, including computers, air conditioning and printers. The employees intend to hold a “green hour” once a month from now on.

Photography Contest and Plant Sale

The Bertelsmann companies in India showed great creativity in the design of the individual initiatives. The teams of Bertelsmann India Corporate Center and Bertelsmann India Investments (BII) brought Areca palms into the offices and planted trees on the company grounds. In addition, each employee received an email with tips on how to reduce their own carbon footprint through small lifestyle changes. Fremantle Media India picked up the idea with a “green meal”, eating greens for lunch, with no meat or other substances harmful to the environment. The RTL Group subsidiary Yoboho collected things in the office, including books, which the employees no longer needed in order to have them recycled. DK India organized a plant sale at its offices, for which there was a great deal of interest. The employees were also asked to do without paper on World Environment Day.

At Arvato in Mumbai, employees were able to participate in a poster making competition under the motto “environment conservation”. Many employees of the Arvato subsidiary Ramyam in Bangalore came to work on their bicycles or by carpooling. As part of a “Go green” walk, they also got information about the sustainable handling of resources. Employees at Arvato’s Guragaon site planted trees and painted pots to place in their office. They were also able to participate in a photography contest by submitting pictures relating to the themes “environmental conservation” and “plastic environment” for a chance to win a prize.

Penguin Random House India saw many creative initiatives, too. The employees came up with an installation for which they cooperated with Doodlage, an Indian fashion brand known for their up-cycled garments. The Doodlage team up-cycled some of the publisher’s books that are not in circulation to create a mannequin paper dress installation placed in the reception area to attract as much attention as possible. Sustainable products stood in the spotlight in another activity: each employee in New Delhi received a plantable notebook that, once used, can be placed into a pot of soil. As the special paper decomposes, the seeds will germinate and grow into flowery plants. Prerna Singh Bindra, a popular author of the publishing group, visited the site. The environmentalist explained to employees how they can beat the increasing plastic pollution through small changes.

On behalf of the participating employees, Simren Wahi, Head of Finance at Fremantle Media India, said: “’be green Day’ was truly an eye opener for some of us. We had the chance to focus our attention on the degradation of the environment and to see how we as individuals contribute to the carbon footprint. We are all very eager to continue the initiatives throughout the year at our office!”