A couple of months ago, when I was invited by the PRCAI HR forum to talk about digital engagement for employees, I noticed PRCAI’s Sr.Director Anup Sharma B’Harry being extra careful in removing the plastic mineral water bottles (the Aquafina/Bisleri variety) away from visibility. He explained later that PRCAI tries its best to avoid using plastic water bottles, but in the event that it does land up, they try to at least avoid being photographed with them, in order to not have people (who see those photos later, without any context whatsoever) assume that PRCAI the group was being irresponsible.
It is PRCAI after all, that stands for Public Relations Consultants Association of India. And makes perfect sense too.
Many large-format events these days make a conscious effort to about plastic water bottles and offer glasses and jugs with water, instead. The 8th edition of PRAXIS in Goa earlier this year was once such event – they went one step ahead by giving steel water bottles to every participant (as a giveaway) on Day 1 so they can fill clean water themselves from the water dispensers.
Now, there are 2 elements to this.
One, not using plastic bottles at all.
Two, not being seen with a plastic bottle.
The former is possible nowadays. There is awareness and there are avenues, if one is cognizant and careful enough. In a recent train journey I undertook to Coimbatore, I carried the PRAXIS8 steel water bottle both ways, filled with water from home. This, despite the fact that Railneer is sold on trains very, very frequently and people buy it a lot.
The latter needs more thought. It could happen to anybody. If you are given one, at some event, or another location where you are visiting for a few minutes/hour and have no control of what goes on there, when you are photographed (or a video) with a plastic water bottle, that could lead to social shaming online.
Not just plastic. I got called out even for a single-use, disposable paper cup, on Twitter!
The scale and magnitude of the social shaming is several notches higher when Jason ‘Aquaman’ Momoa (from DC) calls out fellow superhero Chris ‘Star-Lord’ Pratt (from Marvel)!
It did end well with both gents making peace. But, if social shaming can make people think twice before using plastic, then that is a good side-effect overall, for the planet, out of social media! ‘Social shaming’ as an act is a much larger malaise, but in this specific case, it is not deep or scarring, doesn’t harm them, but yet, makes people think about doing it again.