India’s largest oil firm Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) unveiled a special ‘sustainable and green’ eco-friendly uniform made from recycled PET bottles. The uniform has been exclusively designed for IOC’s nearly 3 lakh fuel station attendants and LPG gas delivery personnel.
IOC announced that it will recycle 20 million discarded mineral water, cold drink and other PET bottles annually to make eco-friendly uniforms for staff that man its petrol pumps and LPG distributor agencies. In a ceremony titled ‘Unbottled – Towards a Greener Future’, IOC Chairman SM Vaidya launched the uniform.
“There are 3.1 crore footfalls at our petrol stations every day. We deliver 27 lakh LPG cylinders per day and refuel 3,500 aircraft daily. Our tank trucks traverse 15 lakh kilometres a day. We are there everywhere,” he said at the launch event.
Indian Oil Corporation fulfills half of India’s fuel needs and has become the first firm in the country to directly venture into the recycling of PET bottles. IOC has already committed to a net zero emission target by 2046, the chairman said.How will IOC make these uniforms?
The fuel retailer will put to work an agency which will be responsible for collecting PET bottles – 20 million annually – and convert them into yarn to weave or knit fabric. This fabric will be supplied to a textile company for manufacturing uniforms for the IOC staff.
IOC’s eco-friendly uniform initiative would support the recycling of about 405 tonnes of PET bottles, equivalent to offsetting over 20 million bottles yearly.
“These eco-friendly uniforms will shine as our green commitment, and I am delighted that our frontline energy soldiers will don them,” Vaidya said. About 8 million metric tonnes of plastic enter the ocean annually, and about 150 million metric tonnes circulate in our marine ecosystems. At this pace, by 2050, there will be more plastics in the sea than fish, he noted.
The conversion of PET bottles into a fabric requires almost 60 per cent less energy, and CO2 emissions are reduced by nearly one-third compared to virgin polyester.
