Prime Minister Narendra Modi wore a sleeveless jacket made of material recycled from plastic bottles to Parliament on Wednesday.
The prime minister was seen wearing a light blue “sadri” jacket as he sat in the Rajya Sabha in the morning.
Officials said the jacket was made of material recycled from plastic bottles.
The jacket was presented to Modi by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) during the India Energy Week in Bengaluru on Monday, when he unveiled the uniforms under the company’s “Unbottled” initiative.
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In line with the prime minister’s call to phase out single-use plastic, the IOC has adopted uniforms for retail customer attendants and LPG delivery personnel made of recycled polyester (rPET) and cotton, the officials said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders took to Twitter to hail Modi’s latest style statement, calling it an innovative way to address climate change and sustainability.
“Modi ji doesn’t just walk the talk, he also leads from the front. A superb way to promote climate consciousness,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a tweet.
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri thanked the prime minister for wearing the jacket made from fabric using recycled PET bottles.
“Truly exemplifies his leadership for #LiFE Movement — India led global mass movement to nudge individual and community action to protect and preserve environment,” Puri tweeted.
According to officials, each set of uniform of a customer attendant of the IOC shall support the recycling of around 28 used PET bottles. The public sector undertaking (PSU) is taking this initiative further through “Unbottled”, a brand for sustainable garments launched for merchandise made from recycled polyester.
Under the brand, the oil giant targets to meet the requirement of uniforms for the customer attendants of other oil marketing companies, non-combat uniforms for the Army, uniforms and dresses for institutions, and sales to retail customers.
“A life lesson for all,” said Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, while BJP leader Rajyavardhan Rathore said by donning such a jacket, Modi has shown that an eco-friendly lifestyle is not just sustainable but fashionable as well.
BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra said promoting pro-environment initiatives has been one of the core philosophies of the prime minister.
“In this regard, PM Modi Ji wore a jacket made from recycled plastic bottles today during the parliament session,” Patra said in a tweet.
Another BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla went a step further and hit out at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for wearing a Louis Vuitton scarf in Parliament.
Poonawalla shared a picture on Twitter detailing the price of the scarf worn by Kharge and compared the Congress leader’s “expensive” fashion with Modi’s “sustainable fashion”.
