India has 6.3 million kilometres of road network, the second largest in the world, and expanding.

However, infrastructure favours economies of scale: building and development happens in areas of growing economic activity, leaving millions behind. It is estimated that over 30% of India’s villages don’t have road access, resulting in ghost towns as inhabitants leave to be better connected to find opportunities for their families.

Skoda is a growing, higher end volume car brand in India, committed to facilitate exploration and curiosity for everyone in a sustainable way. But how could rural Indians “Explore More”, when even rudimentary infrastructure to visit the neighbouring village was missing?

Skoda’s goal was to help these local communities in a way that is sustainable, lifting its own ESG credentials and paving the road for other brands to follow suit.

As a mobility brand that wears “Let’s Explore” on its licence plates and its heart on its sleeve, Skoda wanted to become a champion of Sustainable Exploration. So every mile covered in their cars, every curious question answered during a drive, and every reunion made possible by their portfolio of products could come from a place of hope for a brighter future… even for those unable to afford getting behind their driving wheels.

For these infrastructurally isolated communities, the promise of upward mobility often came only from a larger town in the vicinity. It not only meant access to education and the promise of a white collar job ensuring financial stability, it meant access to hospitals, sanitation, everyday goods they needed to cross the muck for each time.

Rather than just sounding the alarm bells, Skoda got to work to “Pave the Road to Upward Mobility.”

Rural villages faced another common problem of India: in a country that produces 30.000 metric tons of plastic waste daily, only 30% is being processed, the rest ends up in landfills. Without roads connecting them to disposal facilities, waste management is a serious issue.

That 30% of recycled plastic however, if added to asphalt and crushed stones, creates a durable mixture for building roads. For a brand predicated on ingenious product design that help people explore more, this was a heureka moment: create the conditions for exploration and help local communities in the process, in a sustainable and durable way.

In Kolavadai village, in the heart of Maharashtra, no one drives a Skoda. Most of the inhabitants can’t afford to. It was central to Skoda’s altruistic mission however, that helping communities was not a matter of financial but of human interest.

Škoda India beckoned their customers to fulfil their thrill of exploration whilst becoming catalysts of change. It encouraged them to collect single-use plastic waste found during explorations of unchartered territories and scenic landscapes of the country, and deposit collections at the nearest Škoda Auto India dealership.

By partnering with the Public Welfare Department and NGO, Keshav Sita Trust, the brand turned waste into a force for good, recycling and repurposing it into construction bricks – designed for the benefit of rural and remote communities in India.

The campaign unlocked a unique opportunity to help lay a crucial 2.5 km road in Kolavadai district. Discarded plastic waste became a stepping stone for upward mobility.

A once isolated, remote village now stands connected by a paved road – enabling locals access to education, healthcare, and markets, their story reaching millions, filling them with hope and paving the road for other brands to help.

1,700 villagers now have access to crucial infrastructure and services in a sustainable way, for the long term.

Skoda’s Responsible Exploration video which told the challenges of Kolavadai village garnered over 7.5 million views across platforms, with minimal paid investment. Their story has also been picked up by over 15 publications to date.

In line with Skoda’s commitment to sustainability in India, we’re monitoring not media, but crucial economic and social KPIs in the village, such as an increase in economic activity, decrease in road accidents, and crucially: access and attendance of education, in hope of a better future. The campaign took place in February of 2024 and these measures take time to move significantly, so reports of improvement are scant just yet. However, the yearly 4-5 accidents that happened on this route in the past, have decreased to zero since the road was built.