One Drop, Many Ripples

Together with Plastic-Lite Singapore, a local NGO focused on reducing single-use plastics, Taruvi organized lunch and learns and seminars in the Avery Dennison Singapore office to explore the side effects of single-use plastics, including their effect on local wildlife. Fish, for example, is a dietary staple in Singapore. But a vast amount of fish in Singapore is contaminated from plastic waste in the water system.

As part of the collaboration, Taruvi also organized a beach cleanup activity. Motivated by the success of the event, Taruvi and her growing sustainability group have since organized additional events, including tree planting and an upcycling workshop.

Today in the Singapore office, single-use plastics are no longer available in the break rooms—just one example of how the group is choosing to “refuse” single-use and unnecessary plastics in the office. Cutlery, cups and other items have been replaced by sustainable alternatives. Taruvi says she's also seen tremendous improvement in employee attendance, motivation and morale at sustainability events, and intends to keep inspiring her colleagues to reduce and reuse where they can, and refuse single-use and unnecessary plastics as often as possible.