World Nature Conservation Day is observed on July 28th every year. The occasion brings together conscious communities to take steps and actions towards restoring natural resources and finding ways for the urban and natural worlds to coexist harmoniously.
As a leading recycled shopping bags manufacturer in India, this has turned out to be a big day for our business! Because it is one of those days that brings us a lot of orders. Do you know how? On this occasion, so many schools, colleges, NGOs, celebrities, and even corporate industries will be coming together to participate in activities like planting saplings, promoting green practices, advocating sustainable choices, and shopping for jute bags for corporate gifting. These bags will have alluring graphics, images, and catchy taglines to spread awareness about nature conservation.
We tend to question the significance here, as it is in our power—does sharing a shopping bag really make a difference? Our strong corporate-social responsibilities compel us to go beyond our business as a jute shopping bags manufacturer in India and create products, services, and processes that resonate with the ethos of nature conservation and environmental defences. And this is our story! This article explores what World Nature Conservation Day means to us at Richie Bags and our work towards nature conservation.
The Background of Nature Conservation Day
The 1970s were the most eventful years for the United Nations Conference to highlight environmental protection as a major issue. The 1972 UN conference in Stockholm was the most important one, as it was the first to raise the issue of the human environment with the adoption of the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment, along with many other principles and treaties.
World Nature Conservation Day, which is observed on July 28th every year, is less popular than other observances like World Environment Day (est. 1973), International Mother Earth Day (est. 2009), and World Wildlife Day (est. 2015). Below are some key facts about its background.
- You will not find a mention of any particular “Nature Conservation Day” among the entries of observances in the UN Calendar.
- The date coincides with World Hepatitis Day, marked by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- The World Nature Conservation Day does exist, however, as an extension of the World Wildlife Day observed on March 3rd.
- Government intervention as well as practices endorsed by industries like us, a recycled shopping bags manufacturer in India, are equally vital.
- The agenda behind World Wildlife Day was to adopt the multilateral treaty of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
- The sphere of nature and ecology, though, spawns beyond endangered wildlife, poaching, and trafficking activities. That is what Nature Conservation Day focuses on.
- A big part of Nature Conservation Day, extending the ethos of World Wildlife Day, is to strengthen community-based ecosystems.
Nature Conservation in the Age of Green Revolution 2.0 and Smart Cities
In the wake of smart cities and the Green Revolution 2.0, what kind of digital resources can we use to save wildlife? As a jute shopping bags manufacturer in India, what can we do about it?
Earlier this year, the theme for the UN’s World Wildlife Day 2024 was “Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation.” The focus of the observance this year was to commemorate Nigeria’s biodiversity.
The most drastic issues were addressed, from organised crime and drugs to poaching of wildlife species like elephants for their ivory, pangolins for their scales, and rosewood—the most trafficked wild species of a tree. The objective behind this theme was to present the ICCWC Toolkit and several other digital technologies that can aid in the protection of Nigerian wildlife.
It is established that with the prevalence of data-driven urban management practices and adaptive management, green agriculture, green infrastructure, and sustainable development, we can lower our dependency on natural resources. By incorporating technology into our processes, approaches, and linkages, we can create a holistic balance where acts of environmental conservation can be done without disturbing or denying human wellbeing.
Reuse, Recycle and Conserve— Make Conscious Choices to Protect Natural Resources
If you think that shopping for jute bags with “I love nature” taglines will protect the environment, then we, even as the manufacturers of them, would say no, it will not. How you use a jute bag makes more sense. Recycle them before disposing of them.
We actively participate in efforts to reduce plastic waste and have carved our niche as a sustainable recycled shopping bags manufacturer in India. But we need to draw your attention to the fact that reducing plastic waste is only half of the picture, “marine pollution” is the bigger issue here. If you use a recycled shopping bag instead of a plastic bag and dispose of it just like a plastic bag, it still pollutes the oceans. That is why recycling and reusing are encouraged.
Finally, coming down to production processes and industrial practices, our factories are a testament to our ethos of nature conservation. Our business associates and clients from different parts of the world have visited our facilities in West Bengal and seen how we work. We have always been very transparent about it. We have resources like our Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) and our pioneering sustainable production methods. Simple steps to reduce our carbon footprint and dependence on natural resources are our way of celebrating Nature Conservation Day today and every day!