Initiatives

Join the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon’s Sustainability Initiative
This year, the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon proudly introduces a new environmentally-conscious initiative: the option for runners to opt out of receiving a t-shirt during registration. By choosing this option, runners not only save on registration costs but also actively contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of the event.

Why This Matters
The production of race t-shirts—typically made from cotton or polyester—requires significant natural resources. While polyester is a synthetic material and doesn’t require water for cultivation like cotton, its manufacturing process is highly energy-intensive and involves substantial water usage for cooling, dyeing, and finishing. By reducing demand for these t-shirts, we conserve:

Be a part of the change.
Every runner who opts out of the t-shirt becomes a contributor to a cleaner, more sustainable future—one stride at a time. Let's run for our health and our planet.

💧 Estimated Water Usage for 1 Polyester T-Shirt

• On average, producing one polyester T-shirt uses about 17–25 liters (4.5–6.5 gallons) of water.
• This includes water for industrial cooling, dyeing, finishing, and wastewater treatment (if any).

💧 If 1,000 Polyester T-Shirts Aren’t Made

• Water saved = 17,000 to 25,000 litres (4,500 to 6,600 gallons)

🧠 But Here’s the Real Win:

Polyester's environmental burden isn’t just about water—it’s also about:

• Avoiding 1,000 petroleum-based products
• Preventing thousands of microplastic particles per wash
• Cutting down greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production

So, skipping 1,000 polyester T-shirts = less plastic in ecosystems, less fossil fuel use, and thousands of litres of water saved. Not bad for one collective decision, right?