HYDERABAD: Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), one of India's leading FMCG companies, has partnered with Forests by Heartfulness and other partners, to advance its 25-lakh tree plantation drive.
The initiative by HCCB will cover multiple states in India and help to create a carbon sink of approximately 1500 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the next 3-5 years. HCCB and Heartfulness announced their partnership at the World Headquarters of Heartfulness Kanha village on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Earlier this year, the first tranche of the drive in Telangana saw the plantation of 7,500 saplings at 'Bruhat Pattana Prakruti Vanam,' in Ameenpur municipality encompassing an area of 5 acres, with another 7500 saplings going into avenue plantation. Hundreds of volunteers, HCCB employees, women self-help groups, community elders, villagers, pollution control boards, and forestry department officials have come together as part of the drive since then.
Under the initiative, at least one lakh trees will be planted in Telangana by the end of this financial year.
"Establishing green belts is critical to the ecological balance of the states in which we operate. This initiative is not only an exercise in tree plantation but also a troika of carbon sink, community welfare, and ecological benefit. The initiative goes beyond the idea of just maintaining our social license and is a step towards ESG+ that is enhancing our sustainability efforts," said Neil Comerford, Executive Director & Chief Commercial & Sales Officer, HCCB.
Kamlesh Patel (Daaji), President and Guide of Heartfulness said stated that there is a rising awareness of the seriousness of replenishing the green cover and growing more plants and trees. "Forests by Heartfulness has been striving to save and propagate the endangered indigenous plant species because are the very treasures of our future generations. Children can tell how plants are important. As responsible people, we must serve as their role models by doing something in this direction and protecting mother nature," he said.
The Forests by Heartfulness initiative promulgated many critically endangered indigenous plant species by employing the proprietary Heartyculture High Density (HCHD) plantation method. This method involves extensive soil reconstitution using Activated Biochar, Vermicompost, Cow manure, and Cocopeat.
HCCB will facilitate the plantation of over 100 different species of trees to create a mini forest. The trees selected for the plantation drive are native, and endemic and support one another through an extensive root network and will be sourced from Heartfulness Institute.