Industrial Sustainability in India

Most industrial establishments in India have embarked on their sustainability journey only recently. With 8,000 members across all segments, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit, industry-led organisation founded in 1895 that overlooks the concerns and development of the sector. In 2004, the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (CII-Godrej GBC) was set up to assist industries to adopt Green initiatives. It offers advisory services related to the conservation of natural resources; energy management; Green buildings; Green practices; renewable resources; Green product certification; GHG inventory; waste management; and clean production processes.

Case studies

The Indian industrial sector comprises companies that have a range of sustainability experience, some for decades, some just recently. Companies such as Tata, Infosys, Wipro and Shree Cement Ltd have been pioneers in adopting sustainable practices. An independent organisation mapping industry sustainability trends has listed and ranked 100 companies for their sustainability efforts. This list of companies showcases present development initiatives carried out by Indian industries. Two such companies listed are Shree Cement Ltd. and Havells India Ltd.

Shree Cement Ltd.

Listed among the top 10 companies for sustainability reporting in India (a study on “India’s top companies for Sustainability and CSR” undertaken by IIM Udaipur, Futurescape and Economic Times looked at top 217 companies), it has manufacturing units across six states in the northern and eastern parts of the country. The company has seen many firsts: from being the first cement company in India to manufacture synthetic gypsum to being the first cement company to report its sustainable efforts and named as the first cement company to receive the honour of New Sustainability Champion in 2011 at the World Economic Forum.

Havells India Ltd.

Listed among the top 50 companies for sustainability efforts in India, Havells is India’s leading electrical equipment and goods manufacturer that has been a household name in the country. The company was steered towards adopting sustainable development relatively early on, under the strong leadership of its founder. Havells India published its first sustainability report in 2012. The company seeks to reduce CO2 emissions, improve environmental protection and quality of life, as well as offer profitable business to market with energy-efficient and sustainable product lines.