– By 2024, Vahdam India aims to go completely plastic free
July, 2021 : BALA SARDA, Founder & CEO, VAHDAM India, has taken India’s finest teas, spices and superfoods to the world leading a digitally native global wellness brand that has been organically endorsed by global icons like Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.
But Vahdam’s story is not only about Winfrey’s admiration. The 6 year-old company is one of the first tea brands in Asia to get certified as a Carbon Neutral Brand by CLIMATE NEUTRAL, a reputed international Not-for-Profit based in the United States and get a Plastic Neutral Certification too.
Vahdam’s Climate Neutrality Pitch
Vahdam has taken first steps to record its carbon footprint by measuring emissions under Scopes 1, 2 and 3 as per the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol.
The company has decided to offset its carbon footprint by purchasing credits in projects that work at reducing, removing or avoiding emissions or carbon from traditional fossil fuels, and thus help control the climate
For 2020, Vahdam India’s carbon footprint was 2,954 tonnes/t of CO2 emissions (Scope 1: 1.1 t, Scope 2: 180 t, Scope 3: 2773.9 t). The company purchased an equivalent amount of carbon credits from India-based projects that are working on clean energy, renewable energy and reduction/replacement of fuel-based energy consumption.
Vahdam India’s purchased carbon credits includes 954 credits from a Biomass Power project at Godawari Power & Ispat Limited (Chhattisgarh) and 1,100 credits from a Wind Power Project in Madhya Pradesh and 900 credits from improved wood stoves in Udaipur – Helping Women and Environment.
The Plastic Neutrality Pitch
By 2024, Vahdam India aims to go completely plastic free. The company has joined hands with rePurpose Global (www.repurpose.global), a plastic credit platform, to measure and offset its plastic usage.
Through this partnership, the company is transforming Hyderabad’s waste sector. This first-of-its-kind project entails the recovery and processing of low-value, single-use plastic waste such as multi-laminate plastic (MLP). So far, 16,673 kilograms of plastic waste (April-December 2020) has been diverted from oceans and landfills (equivalent to 1,138,974 plastic bottles or 1,423,457 plastic pouches).
According to the Vahdam Impact Report (2020-21), the company plans to reduce energy consumption and in turn reduce emission from thermal electricity at its headquarter by 10%, reduce usage of plastic-based packaging material by 10-15%, and shift more than 20% air-shipments to land-based routes.
Meawhile, bucking the trend, the Covid pandemic has accelerated Vahdam’s growth, given the shift towards high quality and trusted wellness products, larger adoption of e-commerce globally and a more effective execution capability with a strong leadership team in place.