Waste-free future: Nestlé Pakistan, KP Tourism Dept, WB launch TREK communication drive

ISLAMABAD: Nestlé Pakistan, in collaboration with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s tourism department launched the TREK communication campaign in Nathiagali to promote responsible tourism in the region, said press release.

Earlier, in December 2020, Prime Minister Imran Khan had unveiled the logo for TREK, which is part of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Development (KITE) project and has been listed among the federal government’s key achievements of 2020.

Addressing the participants, Samer Chedid, CEO Nestlé Pakistan said, “At Nestlé, our vision is that none of our packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill or rivers. To achieve this, we have set ourselves the commitment of ensuring 100 percent of our packaging is reusable or recyclable by 2025.”

“We are excited for this partnership on responsible tourism: we will be shaping a waste-free future by driving new behavior that contributes towards a cleaner environment.”

Tauseef Khalid, project director, KITE said, “TREK is an initiative under the KITE project being implemented in partnership with the World Bank Group and Nestlé Pakistan.”

“Activities within TREK include provision of solid waste management equipment, awareness campaigns for tourists that will be launched, installation of information boards and training of local communities on waste minimisation and collection, apart from provision of restrooms for tourists’ facilitation under KITE,” he said.

Kiran Afzal, senior private sector specialist, of the World Bank Group conveyed that the occasion marks an important phase of TREK’s implementation, and “we expect to see more contributions from the private sector towards responsible tourism.”

Nestlé Pakistan’s commitment to TREK includes two pillars: A massive awareness campaign focusing on “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”, and a community engagement plan, which includes activities that will help in countering the issues of waste, pollution, and destruction of wildlife.

The partners highlighted the role of tourism in job creation and appreciated the government’s efforts for facilitating tourists by improving accessibility through roads, rescue services, and planning of tourism zones.—PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021