PepsiCo India and The Social Lab Organize the Sixth Annual Plog Run in Gurugram Marking Swachh Bharat Diwas

Gurugram, Haryana, India (NewsVoir)

• In partnership with Varun Beverages, CultFit, Decathlon, Marengo Asia Hospitals, Edelman, Gatorade, Quaker, and The Wine Company, PepsiCo India reinforces its 'Partnership of Progress' and aims to drive awareness on plastic circularity and sustainable practices

• Flagged off by Paralympian Akhlesh Kumar along with Jagrut Kotecha, CEO, PepsiCo India and South Asia, Sahil Arora, Chief Executive Officer, The Social Lab (TSL) and Vikas Bhatia, Executive Director-Group ESG Head, Varun Beverages Limited; the event saw participation from nearly 500 people, collecting over 400 kg of waste around Leisure Valley area

PepsiCo India, in collaboration with The Social Lab (TSL), led the 6th edition of the Plog Run at Leisure Valley, Gurugram. The initiative embodies the spirit of its guiding principle, ‘Partnership of Progress,’ bringing together organizations and communities for collective action. Aligned with the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission, Plog Run brings together fitness and sustainability, with volunteers collecting plastic waste while jogging.

Celebrated Paralympian Akhlesh Kumar flagged off the Plog Run along with Jagrut Kotecha, Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo India & South Asia; Sahil Arora, Chief Executive Officer, The Social Lab (TSL) and Vikas Bhatia, Executive Director-Group ESG Head, Varun Beverages Ltd.

The Plog Run 2024 in Gurugram witnessed an early morning start, with participants coming together for a special warm-up session led by CultFit and an exciting game of football on Gatorade Turf Finder before setting off for Plogging i.e. Jogging through the Leisure Valley area. Participants collected plastic waste, bringing fitness and environmental cleanliness together in a unified effort.

This year's Plog Run saw close to 500 participants, including employees from The Social Lab, PepsiCo India and Varun Beverages, students, volunteers and local citizens, collecting over 400 kilograms of plastic waste around Leisure Valley Sector 29. The collected plastic waste will be segregated and recycled for further use.

Yashika Singh, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and Sustainability Head, PepsiCo India and South Asia, shared, "At PepsiCo India, our 'Partnership of Progress' platform reflects commitment towards fostering a culture of collective action for a greener, more sustainable future. We are happy to see it come alive through the Plog Run by The Social Lab which has brought together organizations and the community. We remain committed to supporting such initiatives that ensure plastic waste is not discarded but recycled. On behalf of PepsiCo India, I sincerely thank the Haryana Government and local authorities for their invaluable support in making the Plog Run 2024 a remarkable success.”

Mr. Sahil Arora, Chief Executive Officer, The Social Lab (TSL), shared, “The Plog Run 2024 in collaboration with our partners embodies our shared commitment to sustainability and community engagement. Together, we are not just encouraging physical fitness but also fostering a culture of environmental stewardship. This collaboration is a testament to the positive impact we can make when we unite for a cause that benefits both our planet and our communities.”

Speaking at the event, Vikas Bhatia, Executive Director-Group ESG Head, Varun Beverages Ltd. said, “We are thrilled to join the 6th edition of Plog Run 2024, an event that truly brought joy and energy to all involved. What stands out most is the incredible enthusiasm shown by all participants coming together for a common cause—promoting fitness and sustainability. It was inspiring to see so many people join forces to make a positive impact, and we are proud to be part of this meaningful initiative.”

The Plog Run 2024 has been organized across multiple states, including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, and is being organized in Kolkata and Assam, with hundreds of volunteers joining the run for a good cause. By combining fitness with environmental action, the initiative continues to educate diverse communities on the importance of plastic waste management and responsible recycling, aligning with PepsiCo India’s broader efforts to promote sustainability. PepsiCo India’s 'Partnership of Progress' is at the heart of the event, with Varun Beverages Limited, CultFit, Decathlon, Marengo Asia Hospitals, Edelman, Gatorade, Quaker and The Wine Company supporting the cause. Through initiatives like this, PepsiCo India and its partners work collectively to minimize environmental impact while driving awareness about recycling plastic waste into useful items.

About PepsiCo India

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $91 billion in net revenue in 2023, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people.

For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

About The Social Lab

The Social Lab (TSL) is a purpose driven social organization working towards Climate Change, Health, Circular Economy, Road Safety, Education and Skill Development. TSL envisages social change through an integrated holistic approach that entangles with data science, technology, research, empirical formulation, and management techniques. We're proud of our work which keeps achievement of UN SDGs at the forefront. Our corporate clients across an array of industries are changing the way they operate to implement responsible practices and developing innovative solutions to address their CSR, ESGs and EPRs. TSL positively impacts more than 10 million lives across the globe yearly.

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