On the World Environment Day yesterday (June 5), various companies unveiled initiatives to raise awareness about issues related to the environment and how and why some activities are green in nature that would help Planet earth in general.

For example, while Warner Bros. Discovery and Reliance Games 9part of Reliance Entertainment) decided to support UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Tide Turners Plastic Challenge, Tata Tea’s released its latest edition of ‘jaago re’ (awaken) campaign that calls to action all individuals to fight climate change.

The Reliance Games, WBD, UNEP global initiative engages youth in addressing the urgent issue of plastic pollution, which poses a threat to life in oceans, rivers, and land, Reliance Games and WBD said in a statement.

Notably, Reliance Games will incorporate the issue of plastic pollution into its popular game, ‘Little Singham’, and introduce a brand-new game, ‘Little Singham Cycle Race’, both designed to educate and entertain players.

POGO TV channel’s Little Singham, one of India’s leading animated IPs and owned by WBD, with its unique and quirky storylines, has been engaging, inspiring, and captivating millions of kids across the country since its launch. The show’s growing animated universe and the new range of games extend the fun and frolic to a wider audience sphere.

As part of that, Reliance Games has expanded its programme with two of its fan-favourite titles, ‘Little Singham’ and ‘Little Singham Cycle Race’, boasting an impressive 75 million downloads. These games embark on a new campaign to educate players about the detrimental impact of plastic pollution.

The in-game activation is part of Reliance Games’ support of Playing for the Planet, an initiative facilitated by UNEP that works with the games industry to decarbonize the industry and test green activations in games.

Through inventive gameplay mechanics, players actively collect virtual plastic bottles and prohibited plastic items, reinforcing the significance of reducing, reusing, and recycling plastics. Both games prominently feature the World Environment Day “Only One Earth” logo, underscoring their commitment to global environmental preservation.

The Tide Turners youth programme, backed by the worldwide Scout and Girl Guide movement, engages an impressive count of 500,000 youth across more than 30 countries.

Atul Bagai, Head of UNEP’s office in India, emphasized the importance of raising awareness among young people, by stating, “At UNEP, we were impressed to see the integration of the plastic theme in Little Singham that saw some 250 million virtual plastic bottles collected in the game. Educating people about what actions we can all take to change our relationship with plastics is key.

“We need more games like this serving to educate and inspire more young individuals to become environmental advocates and help us to beat plastic pollution.”

Uttam Pal Singh, Head of Kids Cluster, WBD, said, “POGO’s beloved kid supercop, Little Singham, has been a fan-favourite for years and with his traits of bravery, responsibility and honesty, has entertained and inspired kids across the country. We believe that today’s youth and kids are the drivers of tomorrow’s change.

“With Little Singham as the messenger, in collaboration with Reliance Games, we aim to raise awareness about the concern of plastic pollution and inspire kids in fun and engaging formats to bring a positive and responsible attitude towards climate change.”

Amit Khanduja, CEO of Reliance Entertainment – Digital, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, by stating, “We are proud to strengthen our relationship with UNEP’s Playing for the Planet initiative, and our esteemed partner, Warner Bros Discovery, in raising awareness about plastic pollution through our games.

“Our goal is to reach an impressive milestone of 100 million runs and 50 billboards per game, maximizing our exposure to spread the message. Our belief has always been that our games, enjoyed by over 500+ million gamers worldwide, can serve as a platform to deliver impactful messages. This year, our collaboration with UNEP, on this theme, around World Environment Day, aligns with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan initiated by the Government of India, enabling us to reach children and young adults who love playing games and are fans of Little Singham.”

This collaboration is part of the Playing for the Planet initiative, launched by UNEP in September 2019 at the UN Climate Summit. The initiative aims to mobilize the gaming industry to create awareness about pressing environmental issues. Reliance Games/Zapak, along with Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Supercell, stands as one of the founding members of this ground-breaking movement.

Tata Tea’s Call To Awaken: The green initiative reimagines popular nursery rhymes to urge people to take small everyday actions to secure the future of their kids.

#JaagoRe, according to a media statement from Tata Tea, is aimed at spreading awareness on a cause which is the most defining crisis presently being faced. By Planet Earth: climate change.

Climate change is no longer a distant threat, it is a reality that demands immediate and urgent attention. The impact of this global crisis is affecting our planet which poses a serious threat to the future of children, Tata Tea said in the statement.

Since 2007, Tata Tea’s ‘Jaago Re’ campaigns have been instrumental in stirring change on-ground, with impactful solutions for the larger society and their collective issues. From challenges related to corruption, elections, women empowerment, and COVID-19 awareness, ‘Jaago Re’ has aimed to give social responsibility a new meaning.

Conceptualized by Mullen Lintas Bangalore, the film depicts how the favourite poems of our times may look very different in future if we don’t act now.

Popular nursery rhymes like Jack and Jill, Machli Jal ki Rani, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Rain Rain Go Away are shown with modified verses, portraying a potentially grim reality and a damaged world that could be left behind for kids because of our apathy and inaction.

Commenting on the initiative, Puneet Das, President, Packaged Beverages (India & South Asia), Tata Consumer Products, said, “Tata Tea ‘Jaago Re’ has always believed in raising the society’s collective consciousness on key social issues of our times and there is nothing more pressing than the need to fight against Climate Change for the world’ future.

Sharing his thoughts on the uniqueness of the campaign, Hari Krishnan, CEO, Mullen Lintas, said, “Tata Tea ‘Jaago Re’ is not a campaign but one of the longest running purpose-led movements. As a thought-leader Tata Tea has always held a mirror to the society and this time it’s no different as the brand has embraced climate change as a cause.

“This year we have upped the ante, by having kids making the point in a hard-hitting way. Because it is their generation that has to suffer the consequences of our actions. We have hit a sweet spot with our creative device where we have turned popular children’s rhymes into resounding messages about climate change, voiced by the little ones, making it even more impactful. We want this awakening to lead to a positive change in the society.”