Maybe it’s pressure from environmentalists, maybe it’s about having a green image or perhaps it’s genuine concern for our planet. Whatever the reason is, more and more companies are taking great pains to bring down their carbon footprints and are actually going to great lengths to be eco-friendly. And this outlook is slowly being

integrated into the corporate social responsibility of India Inc. Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks once described corporate social responsibility — CSR — as: “Trying to achieve a fragile balance of creating the necessity of profitability and the balance of having a social conscience.”
While many may argue that much of the impetus behind going green has come from regulatory directives, research has shown that if implemented constructively, these initiatives can improve performance in many areas. The upshot is that over the last few years, India Inc. has been running multiple activities and programmes focusing on self-awareness, reducing waste and lowering carbon footprints under their CSR charter.
Says Anirban Roy, MD, SEED (Society for Education Welfare and Economic Development), who is driving several projects based on community welfare, resettlement, water harvesting, eco-friendly rehabilitation, micro credit etc., “CSR is not a PR exercise, but a strategically fundamental driver that safeguards the interest of society and the environment along with business interests.”
For instance, at one of its CSR-implementation projects in Rajasthan, SEED, on behalf of its client, has commissioned solar street lights and solar panels in a government school in Jhunjhunu district. Similarly, there are a number of projects being commissioned that promote eco-friendly living like installing solar lanterns on a mass scale, water harvesting etc. Companies have made concerted efforts with the educational process and some have even launched websites and circulated “go green” tips and articles to their employees.
Recently, Haier India installed 30 solar water heaters at the SOS Village in Faridabad. Says Eric Braganza, President, Haier Appliances India, “We define CSR as conducting business in ways that provides social, environmental and economic benefits for the communities and geographies where we operate.”
Companies are thus competing for the greenest CSR and cost, quality and efficiency are no longer the only factors determining competitiveness. The ability of a business corporation to adopt low carbon operations as well as sustainable business practices is fast becoming one of the key determinants of competitiveness especially for the future.
Informs Prof. Sushil Kumar of IIM Lucknow, “Accor-ding to a recent survey, Indian consumers are second only to the Japanese in terms of environmental consciousness, and are number one in terms of the sensitivity corporates have in their attitudes towards sustainability.” In fact, there is a growing demand to urge companies to start publishing their environmental accounts in their annual/quarterly reports, in an effort to encourage them to start competing and differentiating themselves on this parameter.
Says Salman Khurshid, Former Minister of Corporate Affairs, “One day, it may be possible that companies may further exchange their CSR activities for carbon credits, an expansion to their roles and responsibility towards economy.” Fortunately, India Inc seems to understand its environmental vision and has joined hands to fine-tune all its activities with a clear and vigilant Green CSR policy.