Green Trails: What Makes Indiahikes India's Most Sustainable Trekking Organisation

At Indiahikes, our vision has always been simple: we want more people to trek. We believe trekking transforms lives, and everyone deserves that experience.

But if everyone must trek, it has to be done responsibly. The mountains are precious — fragile ecosystems that give us water, clean air, and joy. If we don’t preserve them, we lose the very essence of trekking itself.

That’s why sustainability is not a choice for us. It is the only way forward. Often, it goes against what a profitable business would do. It means taking the harder, inconvenient path — composting food waste at 14,000 ft, banning popular items like wet wipes and bonfires, or carrying back truckloads of waste at our own expense.

Yet we do it willingly, because it gives us deep satisfaction to know that we are not running our treks at the cost of the environment. On the contrary, we are leaving the outdoors better than we find it.

Here’s how Indiahikes has grown to become India’s most sustainable trekking organisation.

1. Sustainability is a core value for us, not an optional initiative

At Indiahikes, sustainability isn’t an afterthought — it is one of our core values. It runs through every person in the organisation, from our founders to our trek staff in remote villages.

• Our founders compost at home, refuse single-use plastics, and even carry their own katori when eating roadside golgappas.
  
  
• Everyone in the organisation is on a journey to reduce waste — composting, segregating, refusing disposables, and constantly looking for ways to cut down what they generate.
  
  
• Our women team members normalise sustainable menstruation in their daily lives. Rarely do they use disposable napkins or tampons. Most of them use menstrual cups and cloth pads.
  
  
• Sustainable living is a time-taking, painstaking effort, but it is ongoing and embedded into our daily lives.

Sustainability here is non-negotiable. This is what makes trekkers notice that it isn’t just writing on the wall. We walk the talk — every single day — and it shows in how we run our treks, how we live, and how we engage with the mountains.

2. We Turn Trekkers Into Cleanup Champions — Over 100,000 kg of Waste Removed and Counting

Way back in 2013, before “plogging” became a trend, Indiahikes ran the first clean-up trek on the remote Roopkund route. Within a few months, we designed the Eco Bag, so every trekker could easily tie it around their waist, pick up trash, and drop it off in segregation sacks at campsites.

Our trekkers move like vacuum cleaners on the trails — sweeping up litter wherever they go. Every trek is not just a journey through the mountains but also a mission to leave them cleaner than we find them.

The largest volume of litter in the mountains is not mineral water bottles or beer cans, but tiny soft plastic packets of chips, biscuits, chocolates, toffees, and other snacks. Each packet weighs less than 2–3 grams. So you can imagine what it takes to clear out over 100,000 kilos of this kind of waste.

• Today, every trekker is part of a massive “green sweep” — we don’t just trek, we clean trails as we go.
  
  
• Over the years, our trekkers have removed more than 100 tons (100,000+ kg) of litter from the Himalayas.
  
  
• A Redditor writes: “Indiahikes is the most environmentally friendly organisation in India. They not only don’t litter, they encourage trekkers to pick trash, segregate it, and send it to facilities in Dehradun — at their own expense.”

This culture of cleanup has spread across the trekking world — many organisations now copy the Eco Bag model. And we’re glad. If it helps the mountains, let them copy.

3. We Segregate Every Bit of Waste at Source

Picking up waste is only half the job. Segregating it is the real challenge — and we take it on, however back-breaking it gets.

• Every piece of litter is sorted: recyclables, non-recyclables, tetra packs, glass bottles, sanitary pads, and upcyclables.
  
  
• Today, 70% of our waste is diverted from landfills because of this exercise.
  
  
• Our teams handle even the most unpleasant waste — rotting chips packets, used sanitary pads, and broken bottles — ensuring everything is responsibly segregated.
  
  

It’s slow, painful work, but it’s essential. Without segregation, waste can never be disposed of responsibly.

4. We Partner With Responsible Organisations for Waste Management

At Indiahikes, we know our responsibility doesn’t end with collecting and segregating waste. What happens after segregation is just as important. That’s why we partner with responsible organisations who are experts in sustainable waste management.

• Waste Warriors in Uttarakhand manage non-biodegradable waste responsibly.
  
  
• Goonj takes old tents, sleeping bags, and foam waste, putting them to use in communities that need them.
  
  
• We have partnered with R Nisarg to help us handle medical waste generated on treks in a safe, compliant manner.
  
  
• Saahas works with us to handle the waste generated in our Bangalore office. Unknown to many, our Bangalore office is also a drop-off point for waste, to be delivered to Saahas. So lots of people in and around our office area share their segregated waste with us so that we can dispose of it responsibly.
  
  

These partnerships ensure that waste is not just removed from the mountains but dealt with in ways that are safe, sustainable, and beneficial to society.

5. We Cut Waste at the Root With Everyday Innovations

At Indiahikes, every operational decision runs through one question: is there a more sustainable way to do this? This Green Trails filter shapes how we procure, plan, and run our treks every single day.

• We eliminated 11,000 plastic masala packets a year by switching to bulk spice containers.
  
  
• We have greatly reduced tetra packs and tins from our kitchens, redesigning menus and sourcing to avoid them altogether.
  
  
• We now source paneer loose instead of in packets on 50% of our treks. We have innovated transport methods to ensure it reaches high camps fresh and safe without packaging.
  
  
• At the procurement stage itself, we cut out unnecessary packaging, pushing vendors to deliver in bulk or minimal wrapping.
  
  

This isn’t a one-time project. It’s a painstaking daily practice where every choice, however inconvenient, is measured against its environmental impact. That’s how we stop truckloads of waste from ever reaching the mountains — by cutting it off at the root.

6. We Revolutionised Human Waste Management with Bio-Toilets

Managing human waste in the mountains is a huge challenge — technically, environmentally, and socially. Each trekker generates roughly 500 grams of poop per day. On popular slopes with 6,000 trekkers per month, that adds up to around 3,000 kg of human waste. If not handled properly, it can become a biohazard, contaminate soil, and enter water systems at the source — threatening the very water supply for the country.

The Indiahikes Green Trails team adapted a solution that works even under harsh Himalayan conditions (these are similar to what is used in indigenous Ladakhi and Spiti homes):

• Dry composting pits: Our bio-toilets use a no-water system with sawdust and ambient moisture to rapidly decompose human waste.
  
  
• Safe composting cycle: Waste in the bio-toilets is composted in about 8 months, giving back healthy manure to the soil.
  
  
• Deep pits: Each campsite has three deep pits instead of many shallow cat holes. This reduces environmental strain and avoids digging over 5,000 pits every year.
  
  
• Versatile design: Works in snow, ice, or hard soil, overcoming the logistical challenges of high-altitude trekking.
  
  
• Environmentally friendly: Protects ground vegetation, maintains soil health, and ensures human waste does not enter streams or valleys.
  
  

These bio-toilets have been a game-changer for group trekking in India, allowing thousands of trekkers to “go” safely and sustainably while protecting fragile Himalayan ecosystems. Read more.

7. We Built An Entire Division Around Sustainability: Urjino Trek Foods

We realised early on that packaged snacks and energy bars were the single largest source of waste on treks. Every wrapper from a biscuit, chocolate, or protein bar was finding its way into the mountains.

To solve this at the root, we created Urjino, our very own Trek Foods division.

• Urjino designs high-nutrition trail foods with minimal, eco-friendly packaging, replacing the mountains’ biggest source of litter.
  
  
• Each product is crafted for trekkers, but sustainability drives every decision — from ingredients to packaging.
  
  
• With Urjino, trekkers no longer have to choose between nourishment and responsibility.
  
  

This wasn’t just a product tweak. It was the birth of an entire division within Indiahikes dedicated to cutting down packaged waste in the outdoors.

8. We Changed Gear Ownership With Crosstrek Rentals

Another massive sustainability challenge in trekking is gear. If every trekker buys their own backpacks, shoes, and poles, the production, packaging, and eventual disposal multiply many times over.

That’s why we launched Crosstrek Rentals, a full-fledged division built to make gear a shared resource instead of an individual purchase.

• High-quality gear is used and reused across thousands of trekkers.
  
  
• Every piece is maintained, repaired, and kept in circulation for as long as possible.
  
  
• This single move drastically reduces consumption, waste, and the overall footprint of trekking.
  
  

With Crosstrek, we made a bold shift in how trekking gear is accessed in India. By turning ownership into sharing, we proved that sustainability and accessibility can go hand in hand.

9. We Repair Equipment Instead of Throwing It Away

Sustainability isn’t just about picking up waste; it’s about reducing it at the source. That’s why we repair everything we use: sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, trekking poles.

• In the past, manufacturers never supplied spare parts, so items were disposed of after use. Over the years, we redesigned all our gear to support repair. Trekking poles come with spare parts, tents with extra poles and pegs.
  
  
• We also trained our staff, who have no background in equipment maintenance, to repair gear at an industrial level. An entire level of our warehouse is dedicated solely to repairing gear.
  
  

The goal is simple: reuse as much as possible, reduce waste, and extend the life of every piece of equipment. This mindset has brought us a long way in sustainability and shows that caring for the environment is about long-term thinking.

10. We Upcycle Gear to Give It a Second Life

We don’t stop at repair and reuse — we also upcycle.

• Old sleeping bags are sent to Recharkha, which transforms waste into beautiful laptop sleeves, bags, and other useful items.
  
  
• All used shoes from our rental division go to the Green Sole Foundation, where they are upcycled to create footwear for underprivileged children in India.
  
  

Through these partnerships, we give a second life to gear that would otherwise end up in landfills — extending its usefulness and spreading sustainability beyond the mountains.

11. We Compost Food Waste Even at 14,000 ft

Even at the remotest camps, we compost food waste instead of sending it to landfills.

• Small compost pits at every campsite turn kitchen waste into soil nutrition rather than pollution.
  
  
• Nothing organic is ever mixed with dry waste.
  
  

Setting up compost units at high altitudes isn’t easy, but the alternative — throwing food into rivers and valleys — is unacceptable to us.

12. We Protect Forests by Saying No to Bonfires

For many trekkers, the image of a glowing campfire under the stars feels inseparable from the idea of trekking. But at Indiahikes, we make a clear choice: no bonfires, ever.

• Deadwood is not “firewood” — it is critical for forest regeneration and provides shelter for countless insects, birds, and animals.
  
  
• If every group lit a campfire each night, the delicate ecosystem would collapse within a single season.
  
  

We choose to protect the forest, even when it means disappointing trekkers or losing business. For us, the mountains are not entertainment — they are living ecosystems that must be preserved.

13. Our campuses are dustbin-free

At our base camps, we’ve built exclusive community campuses — open spaces designed to bring trekkers together in conversations and shared experiences. But these campuses are also powerful classrooms for sustainability. They are completely dustbin-free, setting the tone for how trekkers must engage with the outdoors from the very start.

• Trekkers are expected to take back every bit of waste they generate. Nothing is left behind for others to manage.
  
  
• By removing dustbins, we prevent city-style disposal habits from creeping into the mountains.
  
  
• This practice ensures that our campuses stay clean and that trekkers step onto the trail already aligned with responsible trekking.

14. We Ban Wet Wipes and Warmees

At Indiahikes, some of our bans may feel harsh to trekkers at first, but they are non-negotiable because they protect the mountains. Wet wipes and Warmees (single-use heat packs) may seem harmless conveniences, but in the outdoors they are extremely damaging.

• Wet wipes never decompose — they contain synthetic fibres and chemicals that remain in the soil and water for decades. Even “biodegradable” ones do not break down in cold mountain conditions.
  
  
• Warmees are single-use plastics with chemicals — widely used as pocket warmers, they became a fad on Himalayan treks. But once used, they go straight into landfills, leaching toxins into the earth.
  
  
• We encourage sustainable alternatives — instead of wet wipes, trekkers are guided to use water with a small hand towel (the traditional, effective way). For warmth, we recommend layering properly with merino wool, fleece, or down, which is both effective and reusable.
  
  
• Trekkers eventually thank us — though these bans sometimes disappoint initially, trekkers later acknowledge that it’s eye-opening to see how easily we can do without these disposables. Many even take the practice back to their daily lives.
  
  

By standing firm on such rules, we ensure that convenience never comes at the cost of the environment.

15. We Refused Single-Use Cutlery from Day 1 — Not Even Biodegradables

From the very first trek we ran, Indiahikes has followed a Bring Your Own Cutlery (BYOC) policy. Every trekker carries their own steel plate, mug, and spoon — and we serve food only in steel. This has been our way from Day 1, long before sustainability became a buzzword.

• No disposables, not even biodegradable ones — at high altitudes, “biodegradable” plates and cups take years to break down, if at all. In cold conditions, they linger just like plastic.
  
  
• Thousands of kilos of waste prevented — by sticking to steel cutlery, we have avoided dumping mountains of so-called eco-friendly waste into fragile ecosystems.
  
  
• Trekkers become part of the practice — carrying and washing their own cutlery builds responsibility, reduces dependency, and reinforces the principle of leaving no trace.
  
  

This simple, uncompromising rule has kept our camps clean for over a decade — proving that the best sustainability practices are the ones that start on Day 1 and never change.

16. We Nudge Trekkers to Live Sustainably Beyond the Trek

For us, sustainability doesn’t end at the mountains. The real impact lies in how trekkers carry these lessons back home. A trek is often the first time they see the direct connection between their actions and the health of the environment.

• Behaviour change is our biggest win — many trekkers go home determined to compost, reduce single-use plastics, and live more consciously.
  
  
• Trek design reinforces the learning — when trekkers fetch water from streams, see waste segregation in action, or eat in their own steel cutlery, they realise how small daily habits matter.
  
  
• Ripple effect of influence — parents, children, friends, and colleagues of our trekkers are often inspired by these changes, multiplying the impact far beyond the trail.
  
  

When a trekker writes to us saying, “I started composting after my trek with Indiahikes,” we know the mountains are being preserved not just at 14,000 ft, but also in cities across India.

17. We Help Local Communities Embrace Sustainability

We believe sustainability has to extend to mountain communities. If locals don’t embrace it, the impact of our work is incomplete. That’s why we actively involve them in the Green Trails movement.

• Awareness sessions in schools and mahila mandals — our teams teach waste segregation, composting, and reducing plastics.
  
  
• Village clean-up drives — entire communities take part in “green sweeps,” restoring their own surroundings.
  
  
• Collaboration with panchayats — from plantation drives to better waste disposal, we work alongside village leaders to bring systemic change.
  
  
• Everyday influence through shopkeepers — our trek leaders have convinced local shops to reduce plastic packaging and switch to reusable alternatives.
  
  

By working with communities, we ensure that sustainability is not an outsider’s effort but something locals adopt and pass on to future generations.

18. We started the Green Dhaba Project 

Our Green Trails work doesn’t stop with just communities. Popular trekking trails are often dotted with small dhabas where trekkers eat. Most of these use single-use plastic plates, cups, and cutlery, create mounds of plastic waste in fragile mountain regions. Through the Green Dhaba Project, we step in to change this.

Here’s how we make it work:

• Switching to reusables: We nudge dhabas replace single-use plastic with steel plates, cups, and cutlery.
  
  
• Training and awareness: We work with dhaba owners and staff to set up segregation and waste management practices.
  
  
• Waste management: We pick up the waste they have generated so that we can dispose of them responsibly.
  
  
• Incentivise: We direct our own trekkers to Green Dhabas so that trekkers don’t add to the burden on the trail.
  
  

The Green Dhaba Project reduces waste at its source while also inspiring local communities to adopt sustainable practices in their businesses.

19. We Conserve Water with Smart Systems

Water is a precious resource, even in the Himalayas where streams and waterfalls abound. The water in these ecosystems is primarily for local flora, fauna, and communities — many remote villages rely entirely on it. Trekking responsibly means we cannot take more than our share.

At Indiahikes, water conservation is part of every trek. Over the years, we have developed systems and practices to reduce water usage without compromising hygiene or trekking experience:

• Water-saving stands: Our specially designed washing systems cut water use by half.
  
  
• In our offices: We use tap-flow regulators and low-flow devices to cut down water usage, showing that conservation isn’t just for the mountains — it’s a way of life.
  
  
• Continuous innovation: Every trek season, we review and improve water usage at campsites, ensuring no resource is wasted.
  
  

These measures ensure that while trekkers enjoy the mountains, the natural water balance for the ecosystem and local communities remains undisturbed.

20. We Maximise Energy Efficiency with Solar Power and Eco Thermos

Energy is scarce on high-altitude treks. Cooking, lighting, and heating all demand fuel, but at Indiahikes, we prioritise efficiency and clean energy wherever possible.

Our energy-smart practices include:

• No wood or campfires: Cooking is fuel-efficient, and forest life is preserved.
  
  
• Solar-powered batteries: All camping lights and essential energy needs are powered by clean solar energy.
  
  
• Eco Thermos innovation: Thermal-insulated flasks keep water hot for up to 12 hours, even in -2 to -3°C temperatures, cutting the need to boil water repeatedly.
  
  

By combining renewable energy with practical innovations, we minimise fuel consumption while ensuring trekkers have warmth, light, and hot meals even in remote, high-altitude environments.

21. We Influence Trekking Policy in India

We don’t just practise sustainability; we also advocate for it at the highest levels. Our work with governments and forest departments has shaped how trekking is done in India.

• Designated camping grounds and trekker limits — we’ve advised authorities on setting up rules to protect fragile ecosystems from overuse.
  
  
• Opening new trails — by exploring and documenting routes, we’ve helped distribute footfall and reduce the strain on popular trails.
  
  
• Recognition at the national level — the Ministry of Tourism has called our Green Trails initiative a “Harbinger of Change” for Indian trekking.
  
  

Policy-level change ensures that sustainability goes beyond Indiahikes and becomes part of how trekking is managed across the country. It is our way of safeguarding the outdoors for the next generation.

In Conclusion

At Indiahikes, sustainability is not a project or a side initiative — it is woven into every decision, every action, and every person in the organisation. From the cooks who manage zero-waste kitchens, to helpers who carry and segregate waste, to trek leaders guiding green sweeps on trails, to the leadership team driving long-term strategy, everyone is a part of the Green Trails movement.

It is not for nothing that Indiahikes team members have delivered TEDx talks on sustainability and are regularly invited to participate in events that advance the environmental movement in India. Our work extends beyond the mountains — inspiring, educating, and setting an example for others to follow.

Sustainability at Indiahikes is both personal and systemic. It is about creating a lasting impact on the mountains, the communities, and the people who trek with us. And it is why Indiahikes is rightly recognised as India’s most sustainable trekking organisation.

Watch this documentary film by Critically acclaimed filmmaker Ambuj Gupta and his team at Searchglass Films. They’ve worked on this project for almost a year, and through it, they’ve captured the ups and downs of our Green Trails journey in a way that truly touched our hearts.