Top Polluters in the Indian Himalayan Region: Himalayan Cleanup 2025 Report

PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and ITC have been listed among the top 10 corporate polluters in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), according to The Himalayan Cleanup (THC) 2025 audit.

The large-scale waste brand audit analysed over 217,000 pieces of branded plastic waste collected by 12,500 volunteers from 148 sites across eight mountain states. The findings highlight the urgent need for corporate accountability and systemic waste management in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.

A Large-Scale Environmental Audit

Organised by Zero Waste Himalaya and the Integrated Mountain Initiative, THC 2025 has been conducted annually since 2018 to identify the companies most responsible for plastic waste in the mountains.

This year’s audit revealed the top polluters to be PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kaisha Industries, Natural Water Industries, Parle, Vinayaka Industries, Hornbill Industries, ITC, CG Foods, and Perfetti Van Melle.

The initiative not only cleans up waste but also aims to hold corporations accountable through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies, particularly tailored to the socio-ecological fragility of the Himalayan region.

Key Waste Audit Insights

The 2025 audit found that 93 percent of all waste collected was plastic. Of this, 47 percent was non-recyclable, challenging the notion that recycling alone can solve the plastic crisis. The remaining 53 percent was recyclable, yet mountain states struggle with collecting and transporting these materials for processing due to logistical and infrastructural limitations.

Food packaging emerged as the largest contributor, making up 93 percent of all plastics collected. Over half of this food packaging – 52 percent – was non-recyclable. Beverage bottles accounted for nearly 47.5 percent of the packaging waste, with the energy drink Sting alone representing 11 percent. The drink’s popularity among students was highlighted as a concern, especially since it carries no warning labels for children or pregnant women.

Health and Consumption Concerns

The audit draws attention to the intersection of waste, food, and public health in the Himalayas. The dominance of ultra-processed food and beverage packaging reflects changing consumption patterns and is linked to an increase in non-communicable diseases and mental health challenges in mountain communities.

The growing presence of energy drinks is seen as an emerging health risk, especially in younger populations.

Local and Global Polluters

While global and national brands remain consistent in the top polluters’ list, the Himalayan Cleanup 2025 audit shows a marked increase in waste from local brands and bottled water companies.

Brands such as Nestlé, Dabur, Mondelez, Haldiram’s, Reliance, and multiple regional bottled water producers feature in the top 20 polluters. This trend points to the need for targeted, localised actions alongside global corporate accountability measures.

Policy Gaps and Urgent Action Needed

Speakers at “The Himalayan Cleanup Speaks: Insights to Action” webinar emphasised that current waste management policies fail to address the unique challenges of the Himalayan region.

There was a strong call to think beyond traditional solutions such as “broom-bin-landfill-burn”, and move toward systemic changes. These include reducing plastic production, enforcing mountain-sensitive EPR policies, and allocating adequate resources for waste management infrastructure.

Global advocacy groups like GAIA and Break Free from Plastic urged exploring legal, human rights, and just transition frameworks to tackle plastic pollution.

Looking Ahead

The event concluded with the launch of the Plastic Freedom Challenge 2025, encouraging individuals to live without plastic for a week, and a pledge to make upcoming Independence Day celebrations plastic-free.

Ramesh Negi, President of the Integrated Mountain Initiative, called for a development approach in the Himalayas that is non-extractive and non-polluting. RP Gurung of Zero Waste Himalaya stressed that the THC 2025 findings must be seen as a call to action, not just an environmental report, especially as global treaty negotiations to end plastic pollution are underway.