The Himalayan Cleanup (THC) 2025 has once again spotlighted the escalating waste crisis in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), issuing a clarion call for action against plastic pollution.
As global negotiations to end plastic pollution gain momentum, the insights from THC’s waste and brand audit become especially timely. The findings underscore the urgent need for a vulnerability-focused approach in tackling the Himalayan plastic crisis—one that adopts a complete life cycle perspective and places responsibility on producers.
This approach must also intersect with broader concerns such as food and nutrition security, climate resilience, and biodiversity protection.
At the webinar The Himalayan Cleanup Speaks: Insights to Action, held on 8 August 2025 to mark Zero Waste Himalaya Day, major plastic polluters were revealed.
The top 10 included PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kaisha Industries, Natural Water Industries, Parle, Vinayaka Industries, Hornbill Industries, ITC, CG Foods, and Perfetti Van Melle. These companies were identified through comprehensive audits across eight Himalayan states, where 12,500 volunteers cleaned 148 sites and audited 217,854 pieces of plastic waste.
Since 2018, Zero Waste Himalaya and the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) have anchored The Himalayan Cleanup.
Central to their mission is the brand audit—a tool to name and shame companies that pollute the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, and to push for accountability and systemic redesign of packaging.
The call for strict implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules, with special provisions for mountain states, was echoed throughout the event.
Setting the context for the webinar, speakers highlighted that current waste policies and practices are insufficient and insensitive to the region’s socio-ecological complexity.
There is a growing recognition that simplistic responses—such as broom, bin, landfill, burn, and “roll it downhill”—fall short. Instead, there is an urgent need to pivot toward deeper, systemic solutions tailored to mountain realities.
Presenting the findings of THC 2025, Ms. Priya Shrestha of Zero Waste Himalaya shared that a staggering 93% of the total waste collected was plastic.
Of this, 47% was non-recyclable, challenging the popular narrative that recycling alone can solve the crisis. While there has been a notable reduction in non-recyclable plastic waste compared to the previous six years, this trend demands further analysis.
The remaining 53% of plastic waste, though recyclable, still poses challenges due to inadequate collection and processing systems in mountainous areas.
Food packaging emerged as the largest category of plastic waste, making up 93% of all plastic collected. This points to the deep entrenchment of junk and ultra-processed foods in Himalayan consumption patterns—an alarming trend linked to rising non-communicable diseases and mental health issues in mountain communities.
Of the food packaging waste, 52% was non-recyclable. Beverage bottles constituted 47.5% of food packaging waste, and 11% was comprised of Sting, a popular energy drink. THC 2025 flagged its growing consumption among students, despite the absence of warning labels for children, pregnant women, or lactating mothers.
The increase in energy drink waste signals a worrying shift in dietary habits.
Beyond the top 10 polluters, THC 2025 also identified other major contributors: Nimoj Industries, Parshuram Packaged Drinking Water, Nestle, Fresho Beverages, Linggi Lehmo Beverages, Haldirams, Pran, Dabur, Mondelez, and Reliance featured among the top 20.
While national and multinational brands maintained their presence, there was a sharp rise in local and bottled water brands. This calls for more localised, targeted action to mitigate their plastic footprint.
While united in the call for urgency, speakers emphasised that any response must also respect the contextual nuances across the Indian Himalayan Region.
All committed to advancing THC insights and strengthening the Zero Waste Himalaya movement in their respective states.
Representatives from GAIA and Break Free From Plastic brought national, South Asian, and global perspectives to the discussion.
They urged a shift from end-of-life waste management to production cuts and systemic transformation—framing the crisis within the larger discourse of a just transition.
Jigme Bhutia, Mission Director of SBM (Sikkim), shared how THC has informed waste management strategies at the local level and expressed hope that demands around EPR would lead to concrete, meaningful outcomes.
Closing the session, IMI President Ramesh Negi reaffirmed the Himalayan agenda. He called for mountain-sensitive policies, allocation of adequate resources, and an end to the extractive development paradigm. He lauded the organisers and volunteers of THC for their dedication and leadership.
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