Corporate Sector Leaders in India Take Actions for Environment

Some Indian IT industry leaders  have taken steps to protect the environment and to turn around climate change. This is a welcome move from a sector which often  waits to take a risk. Following are some of the steps taken in this direction.

Tech Mahindra Ltd. a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering services has signed a joint declaration with UN Global Compact urging governments to align their COVID-19 recovery efforts with the latest climate science.

Tech Mahindra reaffirms the science-based commitment of achieving net-zero carbon emissions while calling on governments to “prioritise a faster and fairer transition from a grey to a green economy.”  By moving towards a zero-carbon resilient economy, Tech Mahindra aims to reduce carbon footprint, emissions and will conserve energy using new-age technologies like internet of things, artificial intelligence and blockchain. Furthermore, an internal Carbon Price of $10/ton CO2 has also been implemented by the company to boost green investments and have also adopted a low emission technology path to increase the use of renewable energy from 1.7% in 2016 to 18% in 2020.  Moreover, Tech Mahindra has also taken targets to increase the renewable source of energy to 50% by 2025.

CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra, said, “COVID-19 has allowed all of us to reconfigure our priorities and understand the importance of building a sustainable world -  by focusing on healthcare and leveraging technology to enable new ways of working. At Tech Mahindra, we are committed towards building a sustainable business with responsibility and by creating value for our stakeholders, while also keeping in mind the long-term impacts on the environment. It’s time to focus on and implement technology-led solutions that will help us reboot.”

 “COVID-19 has made businesses realise the importance of adopting strategies which will deliver innovative solutions without adversely affecting the environment. Our commitment towards going carbon neutral, conserving, and deploying resources efficiently will enable helps us to accelerate our transition to a low carbon economy while creating sustainable value for our stakeholders. As part of our TechMNxt charter, we have incorporated reduction of emissions as a key aspect to every function’s mandate and our overall business strategy.”

--Sandeep Chandna, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tech Mahindra

Tech Mahindra also works closely with partners and customers to help them increase energy savings, digitize and automate operations and create collaborative work environments addressing the need for sustainable practices. This includes solutions like Micro Grid as a Service, Smart city solutions, Smart grid, Smart Data Hubs, Smart Street light, Smart bin, Smart Energy Management, Smart metering and analytics, IEVCS (Intelligent Electric Vehicle Charging System) and CAPE (Community Action Platform for Energy).

Climate change has also given rise to questions about biodiversity. In this situation, it is imperative for the corporate sector to evolve industrial models which are conducive to the environment. It no longer is an option, bu is a mandatory action on behalf of the corporate sector.

The alarming rate of deforestation and land degradation in recent years has highlighted the urgent need for action to safeguard the rich biodiversity. The ongoing Corona pandemic has heightened this reality (by underlining the importance of fresh and non-contaminated air) and has also thrown into sharp focus the link between people's health and that of the ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of conserving nature.

The current crisis has given us a unique opportunity to pause, reflect and rethink how to do a balancing act with nature to ensure a harmonious relationship. Hence, on the occasion of this year’s World Environment Day on June 05 which is themed as “Celebrate Biodiversity,” all the stakeholders must come together to save and protect our environment from different environmental challenges, the world is facing today.

From the climate crisis to the biodiversity crisis, to prevent the possible future pandemics, the solution to overcome any natural calamity lies in how we transform our relationship with nature.

Protecting biodiversity has also become a business imperative for companies. There are plenty of firms that thrive economically while working for a better world and the results are there to be seen for all. For example, the solar and wind energy industry is among the fastest-growing sector and the renewable energy market is also projected to reach 2.15 trillion US dollars worldwide in 2025. Companies need to be environmentally active also because customers and investors expect them to be committed and deliver results. There are vast opportunities when it comes to investing in sustainable practices and there is an urgency now to take action to protect biodiversity.

Individuals and corporations can make small changes in daily habits without dramatically affecting lifestyles. The scale of what your company can achieve by going green can never be underestimated. Build knowledge about how your company can make a difference on issues that are impacting the planet.

Collaboration is a great instrument in crafting and executing green visions that would provide the human race an exalted and exhilarating planet to live on. The safe and healthy future that we are all striving for is NOW. Not in the past, not in the future.

--Parag Kulkarni, MD, AO Smith India

While the environment has always been  in the news since climate change began to disrupt the  planet's sustainability, now the Corona crisis has deepened the problem. On the surface, it appears that the  slowing down of economic activities has cleaned up the environment.  But, once the lockdown is over, people are likely to engage in much more heightened economic activity to make up for the loss. This is going to damage the environment further, even more than earlier.

Every year June 5th is observed as World Environment Day around the world. This year the theme of the Day is “Celebrate Biodiversity” which is a call to action for individuals and government bodies around the world to undertake actions that can save and protect our environment from its rapid degradation. This global epidemic has once again reminded us of the need to push a reverse button, re-plan our development path, restructure our cities and reconfigure our ways of living.

As we start thinking of living in the post-Corona world, there are now diverse perspectives on how our cities can respond better to current and future crises. Once the current pandemic is over, life in cities as we know it will change and the changes that will come around will be long-term. A majority of the decision making in the construction of new cities will now depend on many factors, including how governments and societies respond to the Corona virus aftermath. Therefore, building a course towards more sustainable lifestyles has now become imperative for us.

Today, leading Indian realtors have transitioned towards building smart and self-sustaining projects which comprise a wish list of infrastructure and services which cater to the aspirations and needs of today’s customers. These rise in sustainable projects have ensured that developers make structural modifications in their new builds such as re-distribution of airflow and oxygen supply and implanting elements for quick absorption of carbon dioxide in their properties which will not only enhance the hygiene and health of the customers, but will also reduce the overall carbon footprint of the property.

Even though the development of self-sustaining communities is still a very niche concept in India, however, the industry is expected to attract interest from both the investors and the buyers. India currently ranks second, just after the United States, in terms of the number of green technology projects and built-up areas. Post the Corona crisis, this holistic construction approach is here to stay as a sector that promises incredible growth for many years to come since it encourages interdependence and shared responsibility among stakeholders in building a value chain. However, what is certain is that we will witness changes that will be for the long term and hopefully use lessons from this crisis to rebuild and create communities that is better, stronger and provide eco-friendlier solutions for the future.

--Lindsay Bernard Rodrigues, Co-owner & Director, Bennet & Bernard Group