PM Modi dons jacket made of recycled plastic to signal eco-friendly message

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Parliament on Wednesday attired in a jacket made from recycled plastic bottles as part of his efforts to make the fight against climate change a people’s movement.

The Prime Minister chose to wear a sky-blue bandhgala jacket when he came to the Rajya Sabha today.

Under the ‘Unbottled’ initiative of public sector giant Indian Oil Corporation, the Prime Minister had launched uniforms made from recycled plastic on Monday at the ongoing India Energy Week 2023 in Bengaluru.

During the event, PM Modi had explained India’s effort for green growth, and energy transition with the country’s value system in which the circular economy is part of every Indian’s lifestyle and Reduce, Reuse and Recycle are part of the national culture.

He said initiatives of recycling plastic bottles into uniforms will strengthen Mission LiFE.

“The target of recycling 100 million such bottles every year through this process will go a long way in protecting the environment,” PM Modi had explained.

Guided by the vision of the Prime Minister to phase out single-use plastic, Indian Oil has adopted uniforms for retail customer attendants and LPG delivery personnel made from recycled polyester (rPET) and cotton.

Each set of uniforms of Indian Oil’s attendants at petrol pumps  will support recycling of around 28 used PET bottles.

Indian Oil is taking this initiative further through ‘Unbottled’ – a brand for sustainable garments launched for merchandise made from recycled polyester. Under this brand, Indian Oil targets to meet the requirement of uniforms for the customer attendants of other Oil Marketing Companies such as Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, non-combat uniforms for the Army, uniforms/ dresses for institutions & sales to retail customers.

PM Modi said initiatives of recycling plastic bottles into uniforms will strengthen Mission LiFE.

At the launch of Mission LiFE, a global initiative by India to help the world in its fight against climate change, PM Modi encouraged people towards sustainable living. PM Modi said Mission LiFE will strengthen the concept of a pro-people planet and signifies “lifestyle of the planet, for the planet and by the planet.”

At the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had committed to an ambitious five-part “Panchamrit” pledge, including reaching 500 GW of non-fossil electricity capacity, to generate half of all energy requirements from renewables, to reduce emissions by 1 billion tons by 2030.