Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi Wins First Edition of Ball Beverage Packaging India’s Sustainable Circular Challenge
India: Ball Beverage Packaging, the world’s leading producer of aluminum beverage cans, bottles, and cups, has announced the winner of the first edition of its Sustainable Circular Challenge. Ball Beverage Packaging launched this unique challenge in collaboration with Green Dream Foundation with an aim to encourage the youth to innovate out-of-the-box solutions to ensure that used aluminum beverage packaging material is collected and recycled infinitely. This is in line with Ball’s Sustainability goals of increasing the Recycling rate and the recycling content of Beverage Cans. These innovative solutions, in turn, will reduce the overall carbon footprint when producing beverage cans. Selected by an esteemed jury comprising of industry, sustainability, and academic stalwarts from TERI, Futurescape, AB InBev & International Council for Circular Economy - Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi and Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar (XIMB) were declared as the winner and runner-up respectively of this year’s contest.
Aluminium Beverage Cans are the perfect example of a circular economy, with metal recycling forever in a material-to-material loop. When a metal product reaches the end of its useful life, the material is never lost. Through recycling, its value is retained forever, making it available today and for future generations.
In line with this year’s World Environment Day theme of Reimagine, Recreate, Restore; the first edition of the Sustainable Circular Challenge welcomed innovative solutions by pioneering organizations, enterprising student groups and social entrepreneurs from across India that will help in ensuring efficient disposal, collection, and recycling of aluminum beverage packaging cans.
Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Amit Lahoti, Vice-President and General Manager, Ball Beverage Packaging, India and South-East Asia Region, said “Aluminum beverage packaging is a true sustainability champion. If collected and recycled appropriately, Aluminium beverage cans can promote a truly circular economy. We hope that through the Sustainable Circular challenge many more young students and changemakers will come forward to create solutions in collecting used aluminum beverage cans effectively and efficiently. We would like to congratulate all the participants and winners for their ideas in furthering the cause of sustainability and promoting a circular economy.”
While other beverage containers may degrade and end up polluting the environment, aluminum packaging can be recycled and back on store shelves in as little as 60 days. In fact, 75% of the aluminum ever produced is still in use today. Innovative, infinitely recyclable and economically valuable, aluminum packaging can help build brands, inspire consumers and convey an investment in the future of our planet.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Mr. Ashish Sachdeva, Founder President, Green Dream Foundation, said. “We would like to place on record our sincere gratitude to Ball Beverage Packaging for making the Sustainable Circular Challenge 2021 possible. Ball Corporation is a pioneer in manufacturing sustainable packaging materials through the use of aluminium cans. We would like to thank all the participants who showcased innovative solutions and congratulate the winners for presenting an outstanding solution in ensuring that used aluminium beverage cans are collected and recycled in the best possible manner.”
The Sustainable Circular Challenge witnessed participation from a total of 70 teams across India out of which 8 teams were shortlisted for the finale which was organised on the World Environment Day. The winning Team "Firefly" from Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi focused their proposition on the social core, the digital channel, and the data outcome - leveraging smartphones to transform the social experience of drinking and transforming the engagement between packaged beverages and the customer to digital.
The runner-up Team "The Thinkers" from Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar (Thinkers) was lauded for the idea of changing design of the beverage cans and innovative use of QR codes and introduction of incentive schemes in their business model.
The list of shortlisted entries for the Sustainable Circular Challenge included multiple entries from premier institutes like Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar, IIT Delhi, Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Hyderabad, XIM University Bhubaneswar and MICA Ahmedabad.
