A U T H O R Martijn Reintjes
64
On a mission to spread the message of recycling
At a very young age, Kanika
Patawari, daughter of renowned
entrepreneur and plastics recy-
cler Surendra Borad Patawari,
decided she wanted music to be
at the centre of her life. Today,
her passion meets the global
challenges of recycling with the
MusicRecycle project: ‘Music is
powerful.’
within the recycling industry. It was an
important event recognising that the
recycling industry encourages and
stands by this project. Since then, we
have been continuously refining our
plans and goals. Realising there are
numerous areas to consider, we have
committed to focusing on live events,
concerts and music festivals. We have
sought advice from several music
industry veterans to understand the
situation.’
WHY FESTIVALS?
‘Festivals and live touring are perhaps
the biggest contributors to the indus-
try’s carbon emissions. Tents get left
behind, a lot of water is used for
cleaning, and cars queue up for hours
to get into parking lots. Many festival
organisers try to create environment-
friendly events but find it difficult to
do so in financially sustainable ways.
And music is powerful. When people
go to a concert or attend a festival,
for many it will be an experience
they’ll never forget. This is a great
opportunity to catch the public’s
attention and give them a chance to
learn and actively recycle.’
SO THIS IS WHERE
MUSICRECYCLE COMES IN?
‘The goal of this project is to work
closely with such events to help con-
vert them into low-waste occasions.
We would do this by partnering with
third-party companies to handle the
waste responsibly. But more impor-
tantly, we will set up opportunities on-
site that inform the crowds about
recycling and the environment in cre-
ative ways. We are currently in conver-
sation with potential partners to
implement this plan in the most effi-
cient manner. During our recent ISRI
session in Los Angeles we were grate-
ful to raise funds that will be used for
this specific project. However, more
WHAT IS MUSICRECYCLE
AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO
LAUNCH THIS INITIATIVE?
Kanika: ‘MusicRecycle raises aware-
ness of the need to recycle. I was
inspired to launch the initiative after
realising the level of misinformation
and lack of knowledge in the general
public. We live in a time where there
is a sense of concern but not much of
an idea of how an individual can
actively help. As a musician, I find
that music is a powerful medium to
share a message. Through music, an
individual is more receptive to ideas
and solutions. MusicRecycle aims to
create collaborative opportunities
between both industries to enhance
public knowledge and change behav-
iours.’
THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH WAS IN
APRIL 2018, DURING THE ISRI
CONVENTION & EXPO IN LAS
VEGAS. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE
RESULTS SO FAR?
‘MusicRecycle started out as a brain-
storming session to gauge support
Kanika Patawari: ‘Festivals and concerts offer
great opportunity to catch the public’s attention.’
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