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June 4, 2025
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CSR: How Can Gaming Industry Participate in Environment Conservation

By
Hency Thacker
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The gaming industry is reaching new heights every day with its massive audience. With the potential to indulge and influence the millennials, it is a precious space to encourage social and environmental impact on a global scale. To explore this, UN Environment has been working with the gaming industry, as well as with the International Olympic Committee and the World Scouts Movement, to determine how young people can act to protect the environment.

Released in March, a new UN Environment study titled “Playing for the Planet” looks at how the gaming sector can influence the behaviour of young people to act in support of the environment.

The study has found that 87 per cent of the 50 leading gaming companies demonstrate a deep commitment to making a change and are willing to support further action on this issue. Many companies have used existing games with a mass audience to raise funds for particular causes via in-game purchases and donations. Pokemon Go, a popular mobile-augmented reality game, recently rewarded participants of 68 Earth Day clean-up events in 19 countries with in-game rewards, a ‘special release’ Pokemon, and a $250,000 donation to Mission Blue’s new Hope Spot in Palau.

The gaming industry has a viewership of about 3 billion hours per week. Considering this, it has an unprecedented ability to capture the attention of a vast number of people. With many young people being more and more concerned about the issue of climate change, and because one in five gamers are under the age of 21, UN Environment argues that there is indeed a demand for environmental and nature-related content.

While the notion of using video games as a means of engagement may seem controversial since it would lead to a significant increase in screen time among the young people and in turn distancing them from nature and healthy activities, the most effective way to engage youth in solutions will be to embrace the spaces and platforms they use, on their own terms.

Thank you for reading. Your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please drop a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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भयंकर सूखे की चपेट में महाराष्ट्र

By
Rahuldeo Sharma
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जल है तो कल है ये कहावत हम कई बार सुनते है, लेकिन बावजूद जल को बचाने के लिए हम कुछ नहीं करते, शायद हमारी सरकारें भी कुछ नहीं करती, जल संरक्षण को लेकर अगर “कल” हमने कुछ किया होता तो आज परिस्थितियां कुछ अलग होती, “कल” यानि बिता हुआ कल, महाराष्ट्र में सूखा है, पानी की बूंद बूंद के लिए ना सिर्फ इंसान तड़प रहा है बल्कि जानवर और मछलियां भी बिन पानी के तड़प रही है |
आलम ये है कि पानी की एक बूंद के लिए लोग दर दर भटकने को मजबूर है, मवेशियां को ना पानी मिल रहा है ना चारा, नदियां सुख गयी है, नल नाले कुँए सुख गए है, मछलियां मर रही है वहीं इंसान पलायन कर रहा है।
महाराष्ट्र की ये दशा पहली बार नहीं हुई है, आधा महाराष्ट्र सूखे से पहले भी तंग था और आज भी तंग है। पहले आज के सत्तापक्ष के लिए यह बड़ा चुनावी मुद्दा हुआ करता था, अब यह आज के विपक्ष के लिए बड़ा मुद्दा है। न किसानों की समस्याएं खत्म हो रही हैं, न आत्महत्याएं रुक रही हैं।

समस्या कुदरती है, कुछ हद तक इसके लिए हम आप और सरकारें दोषी है लेकिन इन सब के बहाने सियासी फसलें काटी जा रही हैं। पूरे लोकसभा चुनाव के भीतर राष्ट्रवाद, आतंकवाद, आरक्षण, धर्म, मोदी और राहुल गांधी के आरोप प्रत्यारोप की बातें हुई लेकिन उत्तर प्रदेश के बाद महाराष्ट्र में लोकसभा की सबसे ज्यादा 48 सीटें है लेकिन महाराष्ट्र के सूखे की बाद चुनाव से नदारद रही, हो भी क्यों ना कांग्रेस एनसीपी ने सिंचाई और जलवायु संरक्षण के लिए महाराष्ट्र में कुछ नहीं किया और बीजेपी की सरकार ने कांग्रेस एनसीपी की सरकार को कोसते कोसते पांच साल निकाल दिए।

सूखे की स्तिथि इतनी भयावह है अगर इसके पहले काम किया जाता तो हाथ से मामला नहीं छूटता। पानी की किल्लत और सूखे की संकट साथ ही मानसून में देरी की संभावना ने सरकार के माथे पर पसीना ला दिया है। सरकार ने सभी मंत्रियों को उनके क्षेत्र में दौरा व तमाम सरकारी योजनाओं की निगरानी करने का निर्देश दिया है। राज्य के 12116 गांव सूखे की चपेट में सूखा प्रभावित इलाकों में 5774 टैंकरों से पेयजल की आपूर्ति की जा रही है।
सूखा प्रभावित इलाकों में जानवरों के लिए 1264 चारा छावणी बनाई गई है। वही विपक्ष अब सरकार को आड़े हाथों ले रहा है, भीषण सूखे से निपटने में बीजेपी सरकार पर असफल रहने का आरोप लगाते हुए कांग्रेस के नेता राज्यपाल के दरबार में सूखा पीड़ितों को न्याय देने की गुहार लगाई।

महाराष्ट्र में पिछले कई वर्षों से सूखा एक बड़ी समस्या बना हुआ है। 2014 में अपनी सरकार बनने के तुरंत बाद देवेंद्र फड़नवीस ने इस समस्या को समझते हुए जलयुक्त शिवार योजना पर सबसे पहले काम शुरू किया। इसके तहत बड़ी नहरों और बांधोंपर समय और पैसा गंवाने के बजाय गांव-गांव में वर्षा जलसंचय की योजना बनाई गई।

राज्य के बहुत से गांवों में एक साथ काम शुरू हुआ। फिल्म अभिनेता नाना पाटेकर के नाम फाउंडेशन और आमिर खान के पानी फाउंडेशन सहित कई और संस्थाओं ने इस कार्य में सहयोग देना शुरू किया। दावे बहुत हुए, इन दावों के मुताबिक तमाम तालाब गहरे किए गए।
हजारों किलोमीटर नहरों-नालों की सफाई कर उनकी क्षमता बढ़ाई गई। 2017 में अच्छी बरसात होने पर इनमें अच्छा जल संचय हुआ और लगा कि दु:ख कट जाएंगे। लेकिन इस साल फिर संकट, और संकट गहराता जा रहा है।

परिणाम स्वरुप आज खेतों में दरारें और बांधों में तल छूता जल साफ देखा जा सकता है। सूखे की मार झेल रही महाराष्ट्र की अधिकतर आबादी की यहीं से शुरू होती है पलायन और बेरोजगारी की समस्या। खाली बैठा मराठवाड़ा और धनगर नौजवान आरक्षण का झंडा उठा लेता है।

पिछले तीन साल से महाराष्ट्र ऐसे ही आंदोलन देखता आ रहा है। पानी की अब चोरियां भी होने लगी है, यहां के लोगों के लिए पानी सोने की तरह कीमती हो गया है। हालात इतने खराब हो गए हैं कि नासिक में पानी पर लोगों ने डाका डालना शुरू कर दिया है। यहां पर लोगों को महीने में एक बार पीने का पानी सप्लाइ होता है इसलिए पीने के पानी की चोरी हो रही है।
लोगों ने पानी की चोरी बचाने के लिए पानी की टंकियों में ताला डालना शुरू कर दिया है। राजनीति भी जमकर हो रही है, शरद पवार से सूखा प्रभावित इलाकों का दौरा किया, कांग्रेस जा रही है, राज ठाकरे और शिवसेना दौरा कर रही है, लेकिन लाख टके की बात ये है कि सूखा क्षेत्रों में पानी तो नहीं आ रहा बल्कि नेता जरूर आ रहे है इन दुखिआरों के दुःख बाटने के बहाने, अगर ये नेता पहले से तैयार करते तो आज ये दिन महाराष्ट्र को नहीं देखने पड़ते।

Quick repair of vehicles affected by Cyclone Fani

By
The CSR Journal
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Maruti Suzuki educated its customers in Odisha and West Bengal on the dos and don’ts to avoid damage to vehicles during cyclone Fani.

The Company reached out to its database of over 3 lakh customers through SMS and informed them about preventive measures on April 30, 2019, nearly a week before the cyclone’s landfall. Maruti Suzuki actioned a series of measures including distributing its team district-wise to quickly take care of any damages.

The Company’s officials were assigned a district each and their mobile number was shared with the customers in that area for help and support. All the workshops in affected areas resumed operations from next day for servicing of vehicles to avoid discomfort to customers.

Maruti Suzuki also tied up seven major vehicle towing agencies to provide seamless services to its customers and also spare parts were requisitioned on a fast track basis.

“The current scenario in Odisha and West Bengal region is heart-breaking. We have set up exclusive teams to coordinate, monitor and provide 24×7 support to customers at all service workshops in the region,” said Partho Banerjee, Executive Director, Service, Maruti Suzuki India.

CSR: Challenges of Solar in India

By
Hency Thacker
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In recent times clean energy is getting a lot of attention across the globe. With increasing temperatures because of excess use of fossil fuels, the carbon emissions across the globe has resulted in a 2-degree rise in temperature in the last century. As a result of this, about a million species in the world are at risk of extinction according to a recent study by the UN. The alarming details have encouraged the countries of the world to encourage and promote the use and production of clean energy, such as solar energy, hydroelectric energy, biomass, wind power, etc.

The solar energy sector is emerging rapidly in the world. Recently, India achieved the third rank globally for solar installation capacity. Mercom India, a clean energy research organisation, has reported that the installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in the country has reached over 28 GW as of December 2018.

However, this accounts for only about 5.5 per cent of the total global cumulative installations. India may have emerged as the third largest market for solar, but a comparison at the global front suggests that India has a long way to go in order to become a solar superpower.

India has a target of installing 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022 and is still 72 GW short of it. To achieve this ambitious goal, a ramping up of the yearly targets is the need of the hour.

Firstly, to achieve the target, India needs an investment of $65 billion in the next four years. In the last 18 years, the country was able to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $7.5 billion according to a report by the India Brand Equity Foundation. Other than this, a major part of this investment has to be raised within the country.

Second, the factors causing negative growth of the solar sector in CY 2018 such as the confusion along the GST and the import duty on solar equipment, are yet to be resolved completely.

Thirdly, India needs to buck up on the domestic manufacturing front. Various efforts by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to attract bids for the development of the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) connected Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Plant since May 2018 has been in vain.

Lastly, the Indian manufacturing sector has yet to kick-start. Therefore, the capacity addition will be done at the expense of imports. Solar cells and PV modules worth about $20 billion need to be imported in the next four years.

India needs a more comprehensive approach in order to achieve its targets. Alternate demand has to be generated through open-access platforms in the situation when discoms are violating the Power Purchase Agreements.

Thank you for reading. Your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please drop a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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CSR: Will global UN pact be enough to curb plastic pollution?

By
Kasmin Fernandes
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Discarded plastic clutters pristine land, floats in huge masses in oceans and rivers and entangles wildlife, sometimes with deadly results.
An agreement on tracking thousands of types of plastic waste emerged at the end of a two-week meeting of United Nations-backed conventions on plastic waste and toxic, hazardous chemicals.
One-hundred-and-eighty-seven participants agreed to make global trade in plastic waste more transparent and better regulated, and to ensure that its management is safer for human health and the environment.

Rolph Payet of the United Nations Environment Program said the “historic” agreement linked to the United Nations-supported Basel Convention means that countries will have to monitor and track the movements of plastic waste outside their borders.
The deal affects products used in a broad array of industries, such as health care, technology, aerospace, fashion, food and beverages.

Impact doubtful

The new rules will take a year to come into force, however. The biggest polluter of them all, the USA, hasn’t signed on either. So, how effective is this pact going to be? The agreement is likely to lead to customs agents being on the lookout for electronic waste or other types of potentially hazardous waste more than before.
German media outlet DW reported that the government in Berlin was proposing to go even further than the terms of the agreement, by banning all plastic bags.

India-inspired mural in London

Meanwhile, The Body Shop has launched its first Community Trade recycled plastic from Bengaluru. The initiative highlights the lesser-known, human side of the plastic crisis.
To mark this launch, the company unveiled a giant artwork of a female Indian waste picker in London’s Borough Market. Made using recycled plastic collected by waste pickers in Bengaluru, the artwork was on public display from May 10-11, 2019.
An artwork of a female Indian waste picker by perceptual artist Michael Murphy is unveiled in London’s Borough Market to celebrate the launch of The Body Shop’s first Community Trade recycled plastic initiative, supporting marginalised waste pickers in Bengaluru. Pic: Jeff Spicer/PA Wire
The artwork was created using 1,500 pieces of recycled plastic collected by the waste pickers being supported. Pic: Jeff Spicer/PA Wire
India has 1.5 million waste pickers who collect and sort over 6,000 tonnes of plastic every day that would otherwise pollute rivers and oceans. The majority of them are Dalits, previously known as ‘untouchables’. They have virtually no visibility in society and have limited rights. They are vulnerable to discrimination, poor living and working conditions and an unpredictable payment system. With over three decades of working with disadvantaged communities around the world, The Body Shop is applying its expertise to help fight for people and the planet.

The Body Shop will increase the amount of Community Trade Recycled plastic over time. Working with a start-up company and small waste picker communities means starting small and scaling up slowly and sustainably. In three years, the aim is to purchase over 900 tonnes of Community Trade recycled plastic and help empower up to 2,500 waste pickers in Bengaluru.

Thank you for reading. Please drop a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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Collaborative efforts – Binding CSR with healthcare

By
Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala, CEO & Trustee, Wockhardt Foundation
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Healthcare as an industry has seen major developments in the past decade. There has been a constant requirement of qualified doctors, medical practitioners, and public-private collaborations that will promote better quality healthcare services to the masses. Corporate Social Responsibility in India has the maximum contribution towards education followed by healthcare.
Although the contribution towards improving health infrastructure has seen support in the form of corporate social responsibility in India, there is a need to streamline and focus efforts in a particular direction to draw out maximum output. A specific plan to derive the objectives, reasoning, timeline, methodology and geographical roadmap, will be helpful in rationalizing efforts made in this direction.
According to a report by KPMG last year, the CSR spends stand at a total of about Rs 7,536 crore in the financial year that ended in March 2018. Only second to education, health CSR expenditure stood at Rs 1,691 crore. However, if you dig deep into the statistics you realize a different picture. If you compare 2017’s data, it turns out that in 2018 the spend was only 0.02% more from last year. This demands a planned approach to address issues related to the industry. The objective should be to reach out to the rural pockets of the country and build a robust infrastructure to deliver health services to the less privileged.
Equal access to healthcare has to be addressed by the private entities through a step by step approach. Through collaboration with public units, the outreach of the programs widens and there stands a chance to increase the number of beneficiaries. The disease burden has been on the rise and there is an urgent need to tackle and control the increasing burden. This cannot be achieved alone through healthcare providers that practice it as a business but through extended efforts from corporate social responsibility initiatives.
In terms of a healthcare service provider, identifying the geographies based on the organization’s offerings followed by the knowledge of the prevalence of a particular disease/s in that area can be helpful in determining the focus of efforts that the company plans to have. Post identification of these factors, specific tools need to be shortlisted to deliver the services. Tools form a significant part of the process of problem-solving and hence need to be picked based on the maximum output that could be relevant for the use case developed before.
Numerous tools can be designed to transfer the services to the underprivileged. These could range from health vans stationed at important spots like the market, main road, etc. to reach maximum audiences. In addition to this, regular health check-up camps in municipal schools to keep a check on the health of students can also be arranged. The most crucial aspect of these activities will be the deployment of qualified medical professionals to deal with medical requirements.
In order to have a far-reaching effect of corporate social responsibility in India on the communities in terms of healthcare delivery, a structured approach and a planned collaboration of healthcare service providers will go a long way in changing dynamics and bringing about a transformation in the health setting of poor and the deprived communities.
Equal access to healthcare has to be addressed by the private entities through a step by step approach. The attitude of understanding and contributing towards corporate social responsibility in India will work best when corporates do it by will and not just as a mandated responsibility. That is how problems can be solved at the macro level.

Dr Huzaifa Khorakiwala heads the non-profit organisation, Wockhardt Foundation, which runs several programmes in health, education, water and sanitation across India. He is also the Executive Director of Wockhardt Limited. An MBA from the prestigious Yale University in the USA, he has won numerous awards and is associated with many social causes. He is also the Founder of “The World Peacekeepers Movement”, an online movement.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

Thank you for reading. Your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please drop a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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Kangana Ranaut donates 1 lakh rupees to Aamir Khan’s Paani foundation

By
Kasmin Fernandes
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Kangana Ranaut has always been a vocal and responsible star. The Bollywood diva has established herself as a symbol of resilience against the patriarchy ingrained in the industry.
Last year, after the devastating floods that shook Kerala, Kangana had donated to those who had been affected. She had said, “I want to urge to people of this country that in whichever capacity they can, they should contribute, even a small amount will make a difference to Kerala. To my people there, I want to say, the whole nation is praying for them and supports them. We feel their pain and sense of loss. And by the grace of God, they will be soon back to their glory.”
Recently, the actress and her sister donated INR 1 lakh to Aamir Khan’s Paani foundation, which is spearheading the campaign Jalmitra.
Kangana’s sister Rangoli took to Twitter to share this piece of information. Rangoli wrote: “Kangana donated 1 lakh and I donated 1 thousand to jalmitra.org please donate whatever you can to help our farmers, it’s not charity, we have been unfair to them for way too long. India got independence but still cruel British laws and policies weren’t changed to favour our farmers, we eat because of them, on this earth day let’s show our gratitude to “Dhartiputras” our dear farmers.”
Organised by Aamir and Kiran Rao’s NGO – Paani Foundation – the ‘Jalmitra’ campaign was started on World Water Day (March 22) last year as part of the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup initiative.
After the release of her film Manikarnika, the star released a statement saying that women are already empowered but its time that people stop suppressing them.
“We don’t need to empower them, they are powerful, and they are the very reason why humanity and human race exists. How can we empower them? We just don’t need to suppress them, that’s all… we need to recognise their subtle, sophisticated and superior strength and respect that.” Amen to that!

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The CSR Journal Team

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अमेरिकी मैगजीन टाइम ने कवर पेज पर पीएम नरेंद्र मोदी को बताया डिवाइडर इन चीफ

By
Rahuldeo Sharma
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जहां एक तरफ अपने देश भारत में नरेंद्र मोदी के पक्ष में मोदी मोदी के नारे हर गली हर कूचे में लग रही है वहीं अमेरिका की प्रतिष्ठित टाइम मैगजीन ने प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी को अपने कवर पेज पर जगह देते हुए नरेंद्र मोदी को डिवाइडर इन चीफ की संज्ञा दी है। साथी एक विवादास्पद सवाल भी पूछा है पूछा है कि क्या विश्व का सबसे बड़ा लोकतंत्र फिर से मोदी को पांच साल का मौका देने को तैयार है? मैगजीन ने अपने कवर पेज पर ‘इंडियाज डिवाइडर इन चीफ’ शीर्षक से मोदी का फोटो लगाया है। मोदी पर आधारित यह लेख आतिश तासीर ने लिखा है। कोई पहली बार नहीं है कि टाइम मैगजीन ने भारत के प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी पर लेख पहली बार लिखा है इसके पहले टाइम ने 2014, 2015 और 2017 में प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी को विश्व के 100 सर्वाधिक प्रभावशाली लोगों की लिस्ट में शामिल किया था। 2012 फिर 2015 में अपने कवर पेज पर जगह दी थी।
टाइम मैगजीन में प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी के लिए कई विवादास्पद लेख लिखे गए हैं सिलसिलेवार तरीके से अगर जो बताए तो मैगजीन में लिखा गया है कि साल 2014 में लोगों को आर्थिक सुधार के बड़े-बड़े सपने दिखाने वाले मोदी अब इस बारे में बात भी नहीं करना चाहते। अब उनका सारा जोर हर नाकामी के लिए कांग्रेस को जिम्मेदार ठहराकर लोगों के बीच राष्ट्रवाद की भावना का संचार करना है। साथ ही भारत-पाक के बीच चल रहे तनाव का फायदा उठाने की भी कोशिश नरेंद्र मोदी की सरकार द्वारा किया जा रहा है। पीएम नरेंद्र मोदी को लेकर टाइम मैगजीन ने बिल्कुल शक जाहिर नहीं किया की लोकसभा चुनाव में नरेंद्र मोदी की ही सरकार बनेगी लेकिन साल 2014 वाला करिश्मा इस बार इस चुनाव में नहीं रहेगा।
टाइम मैगजीन में नरेंद्र मोदी को लेकर कई टिप्पणियां की गई है स्टोरी की शुरुआत भारत-पाकिस्तान के विभाजन से यानी 1947 से की गई है। स्टोरी में कई बातें और कई तथ्य बताए गए हैं। इन सब के अलावा मैगजीन में यह भी बताया गया है कि देशवासियों को एक बेहतर भारत की उम्मीद थी लेकिन मोदी के कार्यकाल में अविश्वास का दौर शुरू हुआ। हिंदु-मुस्लिम के बीच तेजी से सौहार्द और भाईचारा कम हुआ। गाय के नाम पर एक वर्ग विशेष को निशाना बनाया गया। सबसे अहम यह कि सरकार ने इस पर कोई ठोस कदम उठाने की बजाए चुप रहना ही बेहतर समझा। मैगजीन का कहना है कि अपनी नाकामियों के लिए अक्सर कांग्रेस के पुरोधाओं को निशाना बनाने वाले मोदी जनता की नब्ज को बेहतर समझते हैं। यही वजह है कि जब भी फंसा महसूस करते हैं तो खुद को गरीब का बेटा बताने से नहीं चूकते। यही बात अक्षय कुमार को दिए हुए इंटरव्यू में हम साफ तौर पर देख सकते हैं कि पीएम नरेंद्र मोदी अपने आप को किस तरह से प्रोजेक्ट करते रहे।
टाइम मैगजीन में नोट बंदी का भी जिक्र किया गया है, नोट बंदी की मार से भारत आज भी नहीं उबर सका है। मोदी को लगता है कि सत्ता में बने रहने के लिए राष्ट्रवाद ही बेहतर विकल्प है। वह भारत- पाकिस्तान के बीच चल रहे तनाव का फायदा लेने से भी नहीं चूक रहे। इसीलिए आर्थिक विकास पर वह राष्ट्रवाद को तरजीह दे रहे हैं।
इन सबके बीच मैगजीन में विपक्ष के बारे में भी लिखा गया है कमजोर विपक्ष नरेंद्र मोदी की ताकत है यही कारण है कि नरेंद्र मोदी अपने शब्दों के बाण विपक्ष पर चलाते रहते हैं और विपक्ष है कि सिर्फ एक दो मुद्दों को छोड़कर दूसरे मुद्दों पर नरेंद्र मोदी को घेर नहीं पा रहा है।भले ही टाइम मैगजीन ने नरेंद्र मोदी को लेकर नकारात्मक लेख लिखे हो लेकिन सकारात्मक बात यह है खासकर नरेंद्र मोदी के लिए कि साल 2014 के चुनाव के बाद साल 2019 का भी चुनाव नरेंद्र मोदी ही जीत रहे हैं और पीएम खुद नरेंद्र मोदी बन रहे हैं। मैगजीन की माने तो नरेंद्र मोदी को भारत देश की जनता दूसरा कार्यकाल जरूर देगी, दूसरी कार्यकाल मिलने में मिलने में पीएम नरेंद्र मोदी को ज्यादा अड़चनें नहीं हैं। बहरहाल पीएम नरेंद्र मोदी के बारे में टाइम मैगजीन में चुनाव के दरमियान नकारात्मक लेख छपना अपने आप में बड़ी बात है जिसका असर सीधे तौर पर नरेंद्र मोदी की छवि पर और पार्टी और एनडीए की सीटों पर पड़ेगा।

‘Business has the power to make a difference’: Shriti Malhotra, CEO, The Body Shop

By
Kasmin Fernandes
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Long before I heard the term ‘cruelty-free’, I had switched to using skincare products from a brand that proudly refrained from animal testing. As an animal lover, I didn’t want my personal grooming to bring any harm to other living beings. I didn’t know back then (more than a decade ago) that the brand I was growing so fond of — The Body Shop — was the first global beauty brand to fight against animal testing.
I grew up to eventually write about sustainability and life came full circle when The Body Shop’s team took me to Bengaluru to witness the initiation of another project that could prove momentous for advocates of the circular economy… Community Trade Recycled Plastic.
With over three decades of working with disadvantaged communities around the world, The Body Shop is applying its expertise to help tackle the plastic crisis. In its first year, the brand will purchase 250 tonnes of Community Trade recycled plastic to use in nearly three million 250 ml haircare bottles by the end of 2019.
This marks the start of a wider ambition, which is to introduce Community Trade Recycled plastic across all PET plastic used across the world by the beauty label within three years. Over the course of three years the programme will scale up to purchasing over 900 tonnes of Community Trade Recycled Plastic and help empower up to 2,500 waste pickers in Bengaluru.
They will receive a fair price for their work, a predictable income and access to better working conditions. The Body Shop and Plastics for Change will work alongside local partners such as Hasiru Dala, a non-governmental organisation that fights for waste picker rights, and Hasiru Dala Innovations, a social enterprise dedicated to creating essential employment opportunities for waste pickers. The Body Shop will buy recycled plastic collected by the waste pickers in Bengaluru and introduce it into its packaging following a thorough cleaning process.
“By utilizing such recycled resources and incorporating them for ingredients, gifts and accessories in a fair way, we are creating sustainable trading relationships with marginalized communities around the world,” says Shriti Malhotra, CEO, The Body Shop India.
Excerpts from an exclusive interview where she talks community trade and responsible business:

What is your association with The Body Shop?

I have been a part of The Body Shop since the beginning. It’s been an incredible 12 years for the brand in India. The brand journey has been exceptionally fast paced, exhilarating and dynamic.
Our business principle is that business is a force for good and we are committed to giving back to the planet, environment & communities through our community initiatives and far reaching impact.

This business principle has led to a historic ban on animal testing in cosmetics.

The Body Shop was the first international cosmetics company to be recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard supported by leading international animal protection groups.
Over the last three decades, we’ve worked with our campaign partner Cruelty Free International and our collective efforts helped lead to a European Union ban in 2013. But that isn’t enough. 80% of countries don’t have laws against animal testing, including the U.S. Animals continue to be used in testing, and we want to end this practice everywhere and forever.

In 2018, The Body Shop had submitted 8 Million signatures to United Nations in a petition to ban animal testing in cosmetics forever and in every country of our world.

India has one of the earliest connections with the company’s community trade programme. What is the story behind it?

A firm believer in empowering people, The Body Shop’s founder Dame Anita Roddick founded Community Trade as Trade Not Aid in February 1987. It was a movement to give developing communities a hand up, rather than a hand out.
The Body Shop’s association with India goes back across decades as Teddy Exports from India is our first Community Trade supplier since 1987 and continues till date to craft wooden massagers and organic cotton tote bags for us.
Since 1987, Community Trade has helped Teddy Exports grow from 5 employees to 600 craftspeople from over 30 villages. This initiative has helped provide vital employment & empowerment to the marginalized community including women, HIV positive patients & disabled members. Teddy Exports also supports training, education and health schemes benefiting the community holistically.
The Body Shop is also sourcing mango seed oil from Manorama Industries, located in Chattisgarh, India. The new CT mango seed oil will be included in the entire mango range  starting with Body Butter.
Today, The Body Shop launched the first ever Community Trade Recycled Plastic, from Bengaluru. The initiative highlights the lesser-known, human side of the plastic crisis. Through this campaign, The Body Shop wants to fight more than plastic pollution — it wants to drive social change and help empower people at the same time.
Shivasiddha at work in a segregation centre which participates in The Body Shop’s recycling programme

The Body Shop engaged in CSR long before it became standard practice. What is the brand’s history with corporate social responsibility?

The Body Shop pioneered social activism from the 1970s, long before it became fashionable. We are often credited with being one of the founders of modern corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Our Founder, Dame Anita Roddick always believed that business should be a force for doing good. Activism and positive campaigns to bring in change will help to inspire, educate and motivate communities around the world. We would like to do it with passion, irreverence and humour.
Community Trade was born from our founder Anita Roddick’s belief in ‘trade not aid’ and a commitment to developing lasting relationships with communities from around the world. We are continuously on the lookout for more! The Body Shop has always worked hard to do things differently and we still operate this way today.
The Companies Act 2013 calls for a company to fulfil its CSR obligations including ensuring environmental sustainability and ecological balance, animal welfare & community welfare. This obligation entirely aligns with our own Community, Environment and Sustainability programmes which we have been working on for over 40 years.

Take us through some of your ongoing CSR projects and activities in India.

We have worked strongly in the areas of Animal Cruelty and Environmental protection over the last 2-3 years. In 2017, we launched the campaign ‘Forever Against Animal Testing’. Conducted in partnership with Cruelty Free International, the campaign aimed to collect 8 million signatures globally.
On October 4, 2018 we submitted these 8 million petitions signed from consumers around the world to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City to create a global framework to end animal testing. This campaign received huge support from consumers in India and we are one of the Top 3 countries in the number of consumer petitions by country.
The Bio Bridge programme in Garo Hills is another key environment project for The Body Shop India. In 2017, The Body Shop pledged to protect the endangered Indian Elephant and Western Hoolock Gibbon with its Bio-Bridge project in Garo Hills, India. The programme is part of the brand’s existing commitment to protect and regenerate 75 million square metres of habitat through Bio Bridges around the world.
Bio bridges are an innovative way to create protected corridors of biodiversity that allow the wider forest to flourish and its inhabitants to breed and thrive. In addition to protecting the environment, this project also catered to improving health and sanitation facilities for the Garo community. Poor access to medical healthcare and sanitation facilities has been a concern for the communities of Garo Hills. Even the healthcare centres that exist, lacked basic equipment and hygiene.
The Body Shop, partnering with Wildlife Trust of India, provided modern healthcare equipment at Siju and Baghmara (in South Garo Hills). It extended support to upgrade the Asanang Health Centre (in West Garo Hills) by construction of public sanitation facilities.
The support from The Body Shop India and WLT will go a long way in achieving the aim of securing approximately 4500 hectares of Canopies, Corridors and Catchments of Garo Green Spine for enhancing the survival prospects of elephants, gibbons, chocolate mahseer and other key wildlife indicators by 2025.

Who are the implementing partners? How are they chosen?

The Body Shop works with different partners who are specialists in the field. Our Partners are chosen on the basis of the area of work, shared ethics and values. For the current recycling program, we have collaborated with Plastics For Change (PFC).

Through this partnership, The Body Shop will be helping waste pickers with access to fair and consistent income opportunities. PFC have applied mobile technology to create sustainable livelihoods for the urban poor, while transitioning the industry towards a circular economy.
In addition to PFC, Hasiru Dala (‘Green Force’), a non-profit organisation helping the marginalized waste picker community in Bengaluru is also our implementation partner.

What are some of the measures being taken to ensure responsible business practices?

The launch of our Community Trade recycled plastic is just one part of our approach towards sustainable packaging.  We believe in taking a responsible approach, in this case helping marginalized communities working on waste, protecting our planet by collecting used plastic and re-purposing it responsibly.
The Body Shop is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and we know we have a lot to do. As part of this commitment, we are undergoing a full review of sustainable packaging, exploring a variety of options that can be delivered at a global scale, in a socially and environmentally sustainable way.
Our long-term vision is that ‘Our products do not cause harm to people or the environment and can be repurposed’. We have also tied up with Children on The Edge in association with their local partner Parivartan Kendra which supports 10 learning centres, educating 230 Dalit children in the rural communities of the Vaishali District.
Since 2014-2016 for Support Her Education (S.H.E) campaign, we have fundraised INR 30 lakhs for the education, nutrition, healthcare and self defence training of 100 girls in need, in partnership with Food For Life Vrindavan (FFLV), an NGO dedicated to this cause.

What makes The Body Shop one of the most ethical and conscious beauty brands today?

We believe that business has the power to make a difference to the world around us, and the best way to convince others is to lead by example. All our products are made with a love of the life and world we live in, our individuality, our community spirit and a commitment to trading fairly.

The Body Shop was one of the first international beauty brands to use an alternative to sperm whale oil, pioneering the use of Jojoba oil as an alternative. In 1986, the Save the Whale campaign was launched with Greenpeace – the first major campaign that Anita Roddick and The Body Shop launched, drawing attention to the continued threat facing the great mammals.
The Against Animal Testing campaign led to a UK-wide ban on animal testing on cosmetic products and ingredients in November 1998 and the largest ever petition (4 million signatures) being delivered to the European Commission.
We introduced 100% post-consumer recycled PET bottles in 2008. The Body Shop and ECPAT International launched The Stop Trafficking of Children & Young People campaign in 2009.  It inspired change on an unprecedented scale, gathering over 7 million signatures from customers globally, resulting in over 20 countries across the world committing to adopting new legislation in response to our petitions.
Community development and social impact is the soul of our business. To me, it means to transform the way we conduct ourselves our business on a daily basis. Responsible business means driving awareness, creating sensitivity and bringing action towards social and environmental challenges. Businesses should be no longer only about the ideals of success but the ideals of service.

Thank you for reading. Your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please drop a line.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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Regional UN training promotes conservation agriculture to address land degradation and declining yields

By
The CSR Journal
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Policy makers, practitioners and researchers from 15 countries across the region wrapped up a four-day training in Cambodia underscoring the need for appropriate agricultural machinery to enable the adoption of conservation agriculture approaches in the Asia-Pacific region.

Despite its growing significance as a means to address land degradation and declining yields in the agricultural sector, the area under conservation agriculture in the region is still very limited. The poor availability of suitable agricultural machinery, restricted investment capacities and inadequate application of mechanization solutions, particularly for resource-poor smallholder farmers, have been recognized as key constraints.

The ‘Regional Training on Appropriate Scale Mechanization for Conservation Agriculture’ was organized by the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the General Directorate of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia, the French Agricultural Research Institute for International Development and Swiss contact.

The hands-on regional training served not only to enhance the knowledge of participants on the subject and exchange good practices but also to build strong linkages and networks with other stakeholders including the private sector to enhance the collective scale and impact of their work.

Participants were further introduced to new ideas and innovations on the mechanization aspects of conservation agriculture, which can help bring benefits to farmers by improving productivity, and enhancing profits and food security while preserving the environment.

Commenting on the occasion, Head of CSAM Dr Li Yutong said: “CSAM is pleased to collaborate with our partners to strengthen capacities for appropriate scale mechanization for conservation agriculture in the Asia-Pacific region, thus serving the plan of action for ‘people, planet and prosperity’ embodied in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Successful adoption of conservation agriculture in the region can contribute towards achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets including increasing agricultural productivity, alleviating rural poverty, strengthening adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards, and restoring degraded land and soil.

CSAM is making concerted efforts to increase the awareness of the role of sustainable agricultural mechanization in promoting conservation agriculture and the understanding of policy issues favouring appropriate scale mechanization in the Asia-Pacific region. The training was held as a follow-up to last year’s ‘Regional Workshop on the Role of Mechanization in Strengthening Smallholders’ Resilience through Conservation Agriculture in Asia and the Pacific’.

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