Category: Sustainable World

Emphasizing the shared responsibility of water stewardship, leaders from the food and beverage industry, government, and experts underscored the urgency of adopting innovative technologies, harvesting rainwater, and fostering collaborative actions to address water sustainability challenges.

Emphasizing the shared responsibility of water stewardship, leaders from the food and beverage industry, government, and experts underscored the urgency of adopting innovative technologies, harvesting rainwater, and fostering collaborative actions to address water sustainability challenges at a conference organized by CII-Triveni Water Institute and CII Food & Agriculture Centre of Excellence.

“Water stewardship is a shared commitment towards securing our future,” said Hina Nagarajan, Conference Chairperson and Managing Director & CEO, Diageo India, setting the tone for the two-day event attended by over 150 delegates.

Thakur Brahmanand Singh, Member Secretary, Central Ground Water Authority, highlighted the potential of harvested rainwater and greywater to be “gamechanger” in tackling the water crisis amid depleting groundwater resources. He urged the industry to improve specific water consumption through regular audits to determine water use efficiency.

Inoshi Sharma, Executive Director, FSSAI, echoed similar views, stating, “Focus on harvesting rainwater could help recharge our water bodies and make use of a resource that is otherwise wasted.” Sharma also emphasized the importance of adhering to labeling requirements for packaged drinking water and announced FSSAI’s intent to merge the BIS mark requirement within its regulations to simplify processes.

Ajay Popat, Chairman – Core group on New & Cutting-Edge technologies, CII National Committee on Water, stressed strategies like water audits, technology integration, wastewater treatment and reuse, sustainable sourcing, collaborative initiatives, and water risk assessment for effective water stewardship.

Dr Kapil Kumar Narula, CEO & Executive Director, CII Triveni Water Institute, urged industries to be conscious of the watershed in which their plants are located and undertake measures to ensure operational sustainability, citing NITI Aayog’s water neutrality guidelines.

The conference witnessed participation from government bodies, food processing companies, technology providers, researchers, and industry associations, underscoring the collaborative approach needed to promote sustainable water usage across the food and beverage value chain.

This year, the company expanded the terms of reference of the Board CSR Committee to include review of sustainability activities and key ESG related disclosures.

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance today said it has received a rating of ‘A’ in the MSCI ESG Ratings assessment with a score of 16.9.

  MSCI ESG Ratings aim to measure a company’s management of financially relevant ESG risks and opportunities. It uses a rules-based methodology to identify industry leaders and laggards according to their exposure to ESG risks and how well they manage those risks relative to peers.

  ICICI Prudential Life Insurance said it has focused initiatives in place for each dimension of the ESG framework under the Environment (Transitioning towards Green and Sustainable Operations), Social (Empowering Employees, Adopting Customer Centricity, and Helping Communities) and Governance (Enabling Robust Governance Structure and Effectively Managing Risks) pillars.

  As a result of these initiatives ICICI Prudential Life Insurance received an ESG Risk Rating of 16.9 and was assessed by Sustainalytics to be at Low risk of experiencing material financial impact arising from ESG factors.

“ESG as one of the strategic elements has been a core part of path followed by the company in achieving its objective of doubling the FY2019 Value of New Business in FY2023. We remain committed to creating a culture that integrates ‘best in class’ sustainability practices with our business processes,” the company’s Managing Director and CEO N S Kannan said in the report.

The company has been making significant progress in integrating sustainability with its business processes and as a way of doing business since it commenced on their ESG journey in 2020.

This year, the company expanded the terms of reference of the Board CSR Committee to include review of sustainability activities and key ESG related disclosures.

According to MSCI, a “leader” (rated AAA & AA) indicates a company leading its industry in managing the most significant ESG risks and opportunities.

“Average” (rated A, BBB, or BB) companies are described by a mixed or unexceptional track record of managing ESG risks and opportunities relative to industry peers; while a “laggard” (rated B or CCC) trails its industry based on its high exposure and failure to manage significant ESG risks.

With this collaboration in place, the program in its first year aims to significantly scale up its coverage to 25,000 hectares of rice cultivation in the ongoing 2023-24 crop year.

Paddy rice cultivation is responsible for approximately 10 percent of global methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential over 27 times that of carbon dioxide.

Global life sciences firm Bayer has parterned with a Temasek-owned investment platform firm GenZero and Shell Energy India to reduce methane emissions in rice cultivation in India.

With this collaboration in place, the program in its first year aims to significantly scale up its coverage to 25,000 hectares of rice cultivation during the Kharif 2023 and Rabi 2023-24 seasons.

“With this program, we aim to get more insights into how regenerative agricultural practices can contribute to mitigating climate change by way of methane emission reductions, water conservation, soil health improvements and drive sustainable development of smallholder farmers,” said Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head, Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Having the expertise and support of organizations like GenZero, Shell, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and others will go a long way in developing the ecosystem for faster adoption of such sustainable practices, he said.

According to Bayer, any success achieved during this first year will pave the way for the implementation of an even larger-scale sustainable rice project. Beyond greenhouse gas reduction, the program is expected to generate other benefits such as water savings, soil health improvement, and enhanced community livelihoods for smallholder rice farmers.

The proposed approach will include training, support, and guidance for smallholder farmers while utilizing Measurement, Reporting & Verification (MRV) mechanisms incorporating remote sensing technology. The project aims to set a benchmark for similar efforts in the rice decarbonization space.

Paddy rice cultivation is responsible for approximately 10 percent of global methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential over 27 times that of carbon dioxide.

Rice farms occupy 15 percent of global farm area, equivalent to more than 150 million hectares worldwide. It also consumes around one-third of the global fresh water. To address the challenges of climate change and limit global temperature rise, a significant and scalable effort is required to promote methane emissions reductions in rice cultivation.

Bayer over the last two years has already done the necessary groundwork and initiated a pilot Sustainable Rice Project across India. It started with an aim to generate carbon reductions by encouraging rice farmers to switch from the current practice of transplanting with continuously flooding fields to Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) that involves controlled and intermittent flooding and Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) that involves no transplanting operations and very limited flooding.

 To ensure scientific accuracy and credibility, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a globally renowned scientific institution, will provide valuable support in conducting scientific assessments of greenhouse gas reductions, water use reductions, and improvements in soil health.

Speaking about the collaborative initiative with Bayer, IRRI Deputy Director General for Research, Ajay Kohli said, “Public-private partnerships are an effective way to transform food systems, leveraging the strengths and resources of both sectors to achieve common goals.”

Such partnerships in agricultural science can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of research and development. By combining the strengths and resources of both sectors, and also sharing knowledge and capacity-building, thus enhancing the overall productivity and sustainability of the agricultural sector, he added.

The IPOS Framework, established by the edible oils industry body SEA with assistance from Solidaridad, the Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research, and SOPOPRAD, has been created for the Indian industry and lays down a set of environment friendly, economically viable and socially beneficial practices and guidelines.

Godrej Agrovet has become the first company in the country to be awarded a verification Certification under the Indian Palm Oil Sustainability (IPOS) Framework, issued by an independent international certification body, in recognition of the sustainable practices adopted by its oil palm business.

The certification was presented to Godrej Agrovet’s oil palm plantation business CEO Sougata Niyogi, the company said in a statement.

 India, the world’s largest consumer of palm oil, is pushing ahead with its own ambitious plans to boost its production of the commodity.

 The IPOS Framework, established by the edible oils industry body Solvent Extractors Association of India with assistance from Solidaridad, the Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research, and SOPOPRAD, has been created for the Indian industry and lays down a set of environment friendly, economically viable and socially beneficial practices and guidelines.

 It is aimed at facilitating the well-being of farmers while ensuring that the growth is sustainable from environmental and social perspectives.

  Godrej Agrovet’s CEO, Oil Palm Plantation, Sougata Niyogi said “With more than thirty years of experience in the oil palm business, Godrej Agrovet is the largest developer and producer of Crude Palm Oil in India. The business plays a vital role in driving sustainability agenda in the production of Oil Palm and has therefore strived towards educating farmers on sustainable palm oil cultivation practices on a continuous basis.”

“This certification is a result of our commitment in supporting farmers to enhance their farm management skills that lead to improved productivity. We are grateful to the Indian Palm Oil Sustainability Framework (IPOS) for recognizing our efforts and look forward to achieving greater milestones in the near future,” he added

Over the years, Godrej Agrovet has developed plantations across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. Recently, Godrej Agrovet, has signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Assam, Manipur and Tripura State governments for development and promotion of oil palm cultivation in the region under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) scheme.

The MoUs signed are in line with the company’s long-term strategy to be the catalyst of India’s edible oil mission through sustainable growth of oil palm production and doubling of farmers’ income.

Through close collaboration, technological breakthroughs, and a commitment to becoming the world’s most energy-efficient appliance brand, Samsung aims to lead the way to a more sustainable future.

Consumer electronics maker Samsung today announced innovations designed to bring about a new era of sustainable living.

With services like ‘SmartThings Energy’ setting new standards for household efficiency, Samsung’s latest ‘Bespoke’ home appliances empower users to save both energy and money. Together with technologies including a new wash cycle and filter that significantly reduce microplastic emissions from washers, Samsung’s newest advancements make it easier than ever for consumers to reduce their impact on the environment and support the health of the planet.

“The technologies we’re unveiling at CES 2023 place sustainability at the core of the user experience,” said Moohyung Lee, EVP and Head of the R&D Team of the Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics.

“Our ambition is to become the most energy-efficient appliance brand globally, and our latest products and partnerships will help make sustainable living a reality for more people and more communities,” Lee said in a statement.

 SmartThings maximizes energy savings

With more than 80 million connected devices, the SmartThings platform continues to expand while unlocking more ways for users to reduce their carbon footprint at home.

Now, SmartThings Energy’s AI Energy Mode is more powerful than ever, offering support for more devices and regions and even more significant energy savings. “This includes up to 15 percent more savings for compatible refrigerators, up to 20 percent for compatible air conditioners, and up to 35 percent for compatible washers on select cycles,” the company claimed.

The company has also bagged the industry’s first Smart Home Energy Management Systems (SHEMS) certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The certification recognizes smart home appliances and services that manage and automate connected devices to help consumers gain insights into their energy use, thereby inspiring energy-saving behavior, reducing costs, and helping to facilitate demand response measures that minimize stress on the grid.

The EPA has also awarded base model Samsung home appliances 260 ENERGY STAR® certifications, including 43 “Most Efficient” recognitions. Samsung is a long-standing leader with more than a decade of ENERGY STAR award leadership, and a rare recipient of the prestigious ENERGY STAR Corporate Commitment Award.

    Making net zero homes a reality — offering households the ultimate in energy efficiency

  To empower more people to enjoy energy independence at home, Samsung has unveiled the next phase of its net zero home initiative: the Smart City Project.

Working with Sterling Ranch and its long-time technology partner Siemens, the Smart City Project will help establish Sterling Ranch as a master-planned sustainable housing community designed to house 30,000 residents in Littleton, Colorado.

SmartThings Energy will serve as the residents’ primary interactive app to monitor data, with Samsung appliances offering residents real-time insights on their energy, water and natural gas use.

  Throughout the community, solar panels and household batteries will produce and store energy, while energy-efficient appliances reduce power and monitor water use to save resources. Together with smart infrastructure solutions from Siemens paired with smart home and energy optimization solutions from Resideo Technologies, Samsung technologies will make it easier for the residents of Sterling Ranch to enjoy a net-zero lifestyle.

Samsung’s collaboration with Resideo extends beyond the Smart City Project. Samsung and Resideo are exploring an opportunity to integrate Samsungs appliances with Resideo’s smart grid solutions to connect customers with energy management programs in California and Texas.

In future, this work could help make more communities smart-grid ready by expanding Resideo’s best-in-class demand response offering and optimizing SmartThings Energy’s savings.

  Tackling microplastics head-on with ‘less microfiber’ technology

 For over a year, Samsung and Patagonia have been working together to address the challenge of microplastics shedding during the laundry process and polluting oceans and other bodies of water. Samsung’s new Less Microfiber Cycle and Filter are the products of that collaboration.

  A breakthrough in the fight against microplastics, the Less Microfiber Cycle cuts microplastic emissions by up to 54 per cent. Now available in Europe, the cycle will roll out to compatible washers in Korea from February this year and in the US soon.

  Like the Less Microfiber Cycle, Samsung and Patagonia’s newly developed washing machine filter has the potential to have a real impact on the health of aquatic ecosystems.

The Less Microfiber Filter reduces microplastic emissions by preventing them from escaping into the ocean at the end of wash cycles. It will be available in select Samsung washing machines in Europe beginning in the second half of 2023, and can also be purchased separately and applied to any washer on the market, regardless of brand.

Samsung’s latest laundry innovations will make it easier for consumers to reduce environmental waste for years to come. So too will its washers and refrigerators’ class-leading 20-year warranties.

Covering the appliances’ digital inverter technologies, the warranties open the door for additional waste reductions by extending Samsung washers and refrigerators’ lifespans. Bespoke refrigerators also feature customizable door panels that support longer use by allowing users to easily update their existing appliance’s design instead of replacing it with a new one.

Through close collaboration, technological breakthroughs, and a commitment to becoming the world’s most energy-efficient appliance brand, Samsung aims to lead the way to a more sustainable future.

These EV charging points are installed at across various Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta, Ginger and amã Stays and Trails properties across the country.

Hospitality firm Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), in collaboration with Tata Power, has installed 224 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at 92 of its properties, a move that will give driving vacations in electric vehicles more accessible for guests.

  These EV charging points are installed at across various Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta, Ginger and amã Stays and Trails properties across the country, an official statement said.

  These chargers can be accessed by the guests staying at various IHCL properties, allowing them to experience the reliability and worry-free facility, while discovering breath-taking destinations across the country.

  Speaking about the initiative, IHCL Executive Vice President (Human Resource) Gaurav Pokhariyal said, “Today, we are seeing a major paradigm shift across the globe as an increasing number of people are gravitating towards alternative or less energy-intensive options of transport. At IHCL, we will continue our endeavour to embrace green sources of energy while making sustainability measures easily accessible for our customers.”

  The move is aligned with IHCL’s commitment to cater to the evolving needs of its environmentally conscious customers by reducing their carbon footprint in travel and assisting in the further adaptation of sustainable means of living.

  With a long term vision of driving responsible tourism, IHCL has announced its sustainability commitments for the year 2030 under Paathya. IHCL will continue to pioneer sustainable practices in its pursuit towards excellence and creating benchmark in the tourism industry.

The new solar power plant will generate 256 MWh of electricity per year and is estimated to reduce 210 tonne of carbon emissions annually.

Happiest Minds Technologies today announced commissioning of a 183kWp solar power plant at its ‘Smiles 2’ campus at Madivala, Bengaluru.

  The new solar power plant will generate 256 MWh of electricity per year and is estimated to reduce 210 tonne of carbon emissions annually and 5200 tonne over its lifecycle, the company said in a statement.

  Happiest Minds aims to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2030 and aspires to be known for its high levels of ESG standards.

  Commenting on the development, the company’s Managing Director and CFO Venkatraman Narayanan said the company is consciously embedding sustainability in every aspect of its business by striving for more mindful ways to reduce the impact on the planet, whilst providing digital, agile, and sustainable solutions to the customers.

  India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) target is to achieve about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources and to reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 33 per cent to 35 per cent from 2005 level by 2030.

ACC trains 200 rural youth to become employable

DISHA project by the ACC has trained 200 rural youth from the tribal villages of Jharkhand, making them employable. DISHA, part of ACC’s CSR initiative, aims to eliminate unemployment among people in host communities and provides training for self-employment in areas such as automotive technicians, electricians, life skills, sewing machine operators, pickers, and packers.

DISHA aims to provide the necessary training and education to make people employable across different skills and industries. In the eight tribal villages surrounding the company’s manufacturing plant at Chaibasa in Jharkhand, the initiative drives rural communities’ development by addressing local youth’s unemployment, particularly dropout children.

DISHA recently completed the skill development training and successfully placed the candidates at leading organisations like Mother & Sons Sumi, Grofers, Big Basket, Welspun and Shahi Exports in Bengaluru. To date, more than 200 candidates have benefited from the DISHA project.

When it comes to problem-solving, DISHA follows the participatory rural appraisal study of communities followed by a collection of household data that facilitates micro planning, counselling facilities, soft skills and digital skills development are also part of the programme, in addition to engaging with the local Panchayat members, who are critical stakeholders of villages. Some of its other outreach programmes to the underprivileged focus on digital and financial literacy, soft skills, personality and overall development.

ACC Limited, Chaibasa continued its journey and inaugurated a new batch of trades graced by Mr Ananya Mittal, District Collector, West Singhbhum, in the presence of Mr Raj Gurung, Plant Director of Chaibasa Cement Works, to provide skill training to 70 candidates. District Commissioner was pleased to mention that West Singhbhum District is progressing rapidly under the program “Transformation of Aspirational Districts” launched by the Prime Minister, which aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country. District Commissioner also appreciated the contribution of ACC Limited in this regard. He said that the participation of the youth would motivate others from the tribal area to come forward.

Sridhar Balakrishnan, MD & CEO, ACC Limited, said: “At ACC, our goal has always been clear: to transform lives and create a better world. We try to achieve the same by enabling marginalised households to access gainful self-employment, creating opportunities for youth development, and promoting equality through participation and inclusion of all individuals, groups and communities.”

The outreach programme also helps mobilise employment with many governments and social security schemes, like the Shram card and zero-balance Jan Dhan bank accounts.

PepsiCo’s 2021 ESG Sustainability Reports highlight it’s leveraging a new course to drive positive action for the planet and people.

PepsiCo has published its first Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Summary since the launch of PepsiCo Positive (pep+), a strategic end-to-end business transformation with sustainability and human capital at the centre of how the company will create growth and value.

The 2021 ESG Summary – an evolution from PepsiCo’s prior Sustainability Reports – highlights how the company is leveraging its brands, people and scale to chart a new course to drive positive action for the planet and people. It also highlights progress made on industry-leading commitments.

Positive Agriculture

Pep+ helped to spread the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across more than 345,000 acres, leading to progress toward its goal of seven million acres, the approximate equivalent of PepsiCo’s agricultural footprint, by 2030.

It further Supported the livelihoods of female farmers and rural communities via initiatives such as the $20 million USAID, a partnership to develop women-led enterprises, and the $2 million Next Generation Agriculture Fund with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) to demonstrate the impact of gender-smart solutions for agriculture.

These programs mark initial action towards a new pep+ goal to improve the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people in PepsiCo’s agricultural supply chain and communities, including economically empowering women. In 28 demonstration farms in India, there were average yield improvements of almost 7 per cent and reduced GHG emissions by more than 7 per cent resulting in the farmer income increase of $55 per acre on average yielded value for farmers.

PepsiCo is working with USAID in West Bengal to empower women farmers and expand their horizons by educating them on sustainable farming practices, best irrigation and crop rotation techniques, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, etc., through training programs. In partnership with USAID, PepsiCo in India has trained more than 1000 women in potato agronomy and sustainable farming practices since 2019 to reach 500 additional women farmers in 2022.

Positive Value Chain

Pep+ initiatives helped reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25 per cent from a 2015 baseline, with more than 70 per cent of global electricity needs in direct operations now met by renewable sources. In 2021, Scope 3 emissions – which account for 93 per cent of the company’s emissions – increased by 5 cents from a 2015 baseline, due mainly to unprecedented business growth.

It helped improve operational water-use efficiency by 18 per cent in high water-risk areas from a 2015 baseline against a target of 25 per cent by 2025. It replenished 34 per cent of water used in operations to local watersheds in 2021– more than 6.1 billion litres of water. In addition, PepsiCo has continued to advance safe water access globally to more than 68 million people since 2006 (Of this, over 27 million beneficiaries are from India.), putting the company more than halfway to its 2030 goal of 100 million people.

PepsiCo has implemented N-Drip technology on farms in India that saw improved crop yields and reduced fertiliser usage, with an average reduction of 39 per cent in water consumption compared to flood irrigation in the states of Uttar Pradesh and reduced fertiliser usage, with an average decrease of 39 per cent in water consumption compared to flood irrigation in Uttar Pradesh states Punjab and Rajasthan.

Positive Choices

Four years ahead of schedule in 2021, PepsiCo attained its saturated fat reduction goal of 75 per cent. In addition, 53 per cent of PepsiCo’s beverage portfolio volume now has less than 100 Calories from added sugars per 12oz. Serving 66 per cent of its convenient foods portfolio volume does not exceed 1.3 milligrams of sodium per Calorie.

PepsiCo in India has been working to improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and children in the age group 0-6 years in Sangrur, Punjab, in partnership with Smile Foundation.

“PepsiCo’s commitment and action to create a more sustainable and resilient food system is unwavering, and we are proud of the progress that we made in 2021 toward our new and updated pep+ goals”, Jim Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo, said.

He said, “We aim to decouple so our business can grow sustainably while decreasing environmental impacts. There is still much more work to be done, and we cannot do it alone, so we – in partnership with our value chain partners, communities, NGOs and government leaders – will continue investing in action, innovation and partnerships that enable us all to realise a more sustainable future”.

Lodha developer aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035

India’s leading real estate developer, Lodha, has announced the launch of “Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator’ to promote sustainable practices in the Indian real estate sector. Assisted by RMI, the developer aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.

The accelerator will craft and deliver innovative initiatives towards Lodha’s net-zero commitment, using facilitated multi-stakeholder engagement, integrative design, and research and development. The meeting with industry stakeholders will be around technologies, business models, financing, and programs to accelerate net-zero implementation.

According to the developer, the model can generate scalable solutions to propel India’s burgeoning built environment towards zero carbon. With the launch of the accelerator, Lodha envisions taking a leadership stance by offering an urban development template that can demonstrate — to India and the world — that growth decoupled from emissions is possible, thus, advancing livability and staying true to its promise of building a better life.

Palava, Lodha’s flagship development and India’s first integrated Greenfield smart city, will be the model used in the initiative, which will gradually be replicated across other locations. Palava will serve as a city-scale living laboratory to solve challenges and pioneer innovations on the path to net-zero.

Commenting on the launch, Abhishek Lodha, MD and CEO, Lodha said, “As a responsible developer, we recognise the crucial role that the real estate sector can play in minimising the risks posed by climate change to our planet. Combating global warming aggressively has become imperative, and the onus is on all organisations to promote the transition towards a low-carbon economy. Aiming to build a better life for everyone, we established a North Star goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2035. The launch of “Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator” is a major step in this direction to drive collaborative, large-scale solutions for a greener future. In addition to our long-standing association”.

He said, “RMI is the perfect partner in this journey due to its decades of global expertise in fast-tracking the adoption of market-based solutions. The accelerator is formulated with an overarching goal to make net-zero carbon development the new normal, thereby maximising the sector’s contribution towards India’s 2070 net-zero emissions target while also increasing resilience, health, affordability, and energy services.”

Amory Lovins, Cofounder and Chairman emeritus, RMI, states, “This unique Accelerator can demonstrate that through collaboration, integrative design, and efficiency as a first resource, growth and prosperity will increase greatly while carbon and emissions intensity decline toward zero.”