CSR: Responsibility To Choose Sustainable Fashion

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April 23, 2018

Few decades ago, a lean man with a stick took the country up by a storm by boycotting all the foreign fabric to initiate a revolution and encourage people to adapt local fabric. This action was aimed towards saving and rescuing the country from the plunges of Britishers. The world needs to follow his footsteps today and boycott all the fabric that is not environmentally sustainable, in order to protect our beloved planet.

Fashion today is not just about what we wear and how we look. It is a form of expression. And environmental sustainability is something we need to take personally and express it in all the aspects of life including the fashion that we select.

The role of designers today has changed from providing the latest up and coming fashion to actually suggesting and influencing the crowds regarding their fashion choices. They are the role models for people who lack knowledge, and needs to be educated. They need to bring the shift in people’s perspective from thinking about fast fashion to durable and sustainable fashion.

The Global apparel market is valued at 3 trillion dollars and accounts to 2 per cent of Global GDP. This makes the results of its activities of significant importance on the world and the environment.

The synthetics used today in the clothing industry are non-biodegradable. The dyes used for clothes pollute and contaminate the water reservoirs. The clothes made in such manner are cheap and consume less time. This increases their demand in the market. People buy more clothes than they require, because they are easily replaceable. Since the damage caused due to them does not have an immediate effect to them, people do not care for the repercussions.

Many fashion labels are taking up sustainability in their clothing lines. Reliance Trends has launched its in-house sustainable fashion brand called as ‘Swadesh. Fabindia is also working towards establishing sustainability in its clothing and has launched a marketing campaign around handloom and western wear. Nike is endeavouring to recycle plastic bottles into shoes and fitness wear.

The brands do their bit as part of their CSR activity. However, they are in business and would focus on production that is in demand. So it is up to us, to make informed and educated choices to be a responsible global citizen and least hazardous to the planet.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

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The CSR Journal Team

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Look Deep Into Nature This Earth Day

By

Neha Bilandani

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April 21, 2018

Look Deep Into Nature This International Earth Day

On April 22, over one billion people in 192 countries will celebrate Earth Day. Established in 1970 to raise awareness about the need to conserve our planet’s natural resources, today the torch is carried by thousands of schools, non-governmental organisations and local and global institutions, starting with the United Nations.

The United Colors of Benetton is joining in on the celebrations. Leading in the Detox rankings, created by Greenpeace to recognise brands that have made significant progress in reducing the presence of harmful chemical substances in their production processes. The company is aiming to reduce CO2 emissions generated by road transport by over 25 per cent, reducing by 20 per cent the number of trucks used to transport its goods in Italy and Europe.

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), is a global programme dedicated to cotton sustainability. The cotton is grown and harvested by farmers trained to minimise the use of fertilisers and pesticides, use water and soil in a sustainable way and adhere to the principles of equity in labour relations.

To aid in the same, the Higg Index is a set of tools designed to measure the social and environmental impact of production, identify and subsequently eliminate inefficiencies and harmful practices, guarantee transparency to consumers with respect to the sustainability results of companies and generally protect the environment and the well-being of workers and local communities.

This year’s Earth Day theme is dedicated to ending plastic pollution. Dell Technologies is working to tackle plastic pollution, through sustainable design and circular thinking. Members will volunteer in their communities to clean up parks, beaches, rivers and coastal areas, as the company will go plastic bottle free – eliminating 65,000 plastic water bottles.

Indian cities generate 1.7 lakh tonnes of solid waste on a daily basis. Moreover, India’s electronic waste is estimated to reach 52 lakh tonnes in 2020.

Of an estimated 18 lakh metric tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) that India generates per annum, less than 2 lakh tonnes reach licensed recyclers. Currently, 25 per cent of the solid waste is disposed in a scientific manner, while the rest 75 per cent is disposed in a traditional way.

Belkin, a technology company, is helping its employees cut down on their commuting carbon footprints by proving van pools and cash initiatives for using public transportation. Electricity consumption has reduced approximately by 37% electricity in their offices by installing solar panels and energy efficient motion sensor lights. To reduce waste and water consumption, there claims to be a 5% reduction in waste to landfills and water consumption.

As global citizens we are part of a larger eco system and have to work towards environmental sustainability, instead of being isolated. To aim at improving the sustainability in production processes, gradually limiting the amount of raw materials and energy used and reducing outgoing waste and losses.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

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CSR: Modification To E-Waste Management Rules

By

Neha Bilandani

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April 20, 2018

Recently, the E-waste Management Rule was amended. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) have simplified targets for electronics makers to collect e-waste depending on their yearly sales. As per the government rules notified late last March but effective October 2017, the life of a smartphone has been determined as five years, while that of a feature phone at seven years.

Now the e-waste collection targets of 30% from 2017-18, have been reduced to 10% with an incremental rise of 10% every year. For the first time, new producers have also been brought under the new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime wherein the target has been set 5% onwards of total sales done in 2016-2017 to recovery of e-waste in 2018-19.

“The rules will be easier to comply for newer players as per the definition of end of life of the product set by the ministry, since they have to meet a lower target than established players. This may skew the competition slightly, given that if all companies were to set up e-waste management chains on their own, the costs could rise significantly. However, if the companies were to work with a third-party provider, the cost of compliance would be negligible, not more than 1-2% of the value of a phone, which can be easily absorbed by the companies without passing it to the consumers,” says Radhika Kalia, Managing Director, RLG India.

Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) India, provides for professional collection, recycling & disposal of electronic products. They manage and operate the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) “Clean India Electronics Recycling Platform” (CIERP) to provide producers a sustainable, reliable and efficient option to comply with their extended producer obligations as prescribed in the CPCB’s Implementation Guidelines for E-waste (Management) Rules.

After 2023, the target has been fixed at 70% of the quantity of waste generation – it means electronic goods manufacturing companies will have to collect and channel 70% of e-waste from consumers to authorised dismantlers and recyclers.

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CSR: Producing Water From Thin Air

By

Hency Thacker

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April 20, 2018

Global warming and climate change has taken up the world by the storm. Floods, droughts and hurricanes have increased in different parts of India in last few years. Droughts in particular have been significantly high in many states, causing extreme water scarcity. This has also resulted in may farmer suicides. According to a study, India has seen nearly 60,000 suicides by farmers in last three decades due to climate change.

With our ground water resources already depleting, there is not much fresh water available for daily use. But with urbanisation the demands are always increasing. India is consuming more water than it is generating every year. And to be able to meet the growing demands for a long time, we might just need to learn magic to pull water out of thin air. Which is exactly what Uravu managed to do.

The process of converting the vapour in the air into water is not particularly new. The method is actually used in the air conditioners since ages. The technology that actually generates water out of vapour has been developed and is making its rounds in the market for the irrigation purposes and industrial use. However, it has not yet been introduced to a larger scale in residential use because of the inconvenience caused by the heavy apparatus and high energy consumption by them.

Uravu, a Hyderabad based startup managed to fight all odds by creating a system with a simpler interface than the refrigerating systems, which is cost effective and uses solar energy to instead of electricity. It uses a proprietary hygroscopic material that sucks vapour from the air. The solar collector uses the solar thermal energy to further convert this vapour into water.

The machine is passive. It captures the vapour at night, which gets heated after sunrise, leading to the production of water. The water can then directly be piped to homes for use. It can also be used for drinking by attaching a mineral cartridge to the device.

Uravu’s prototype produces around 50 litres of water a day currently. They are working to raise that amount to 2000 litres a day.

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Encapsulate the NCC Module in the National Scholastic Methodology

By

Jaya Chandrashekhar, Former Central Govt. Officer

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April 19, 2018

The mellifluous notes of the NCC Song “Hum Sab Bharatiya Hain, Sartaj Himalaya Hain, Desh Ki Raksha Ki Khatir,Hum Shamshir Utha Lenge…” reverberates in the air around the school wherein the NCC cadets’ Parade is being held. These words speak volumes of the goals of the cadets-the grit to defend the country’s frontiers with swords (Shamshir) and preserve the integrity of India crowned (Sartaj) by the Himalayas. These highly motivating words reveal the significance of the NCC in the Indian milieu. The Motto of the NCC is “Unity and Discipline” enshrining the oneness of the myriad faiths of India alongside systematic training and commitment.

“The NCC is the largest uniformed volunteer service youth organisation in the world”. It recruits students from High Schools, Colleges and Universities across India. The fourth Sunday in the month of November is celebrated as the NCC Day every year. “The cadets have no liability for active military service. It is an educational activity”. It forms a part of the Education Department at the State Level while at the Centre it forms a part of the Ministry of Defence. It is headed by a Director General of the rank of a Lieutenant General also also has a flag.

The NCC was formed by the NCC Act,1948 and was raised on the15th of July 1948.Its immediate predecessor was the University OfficersTraining Corps established by the British Government in 1942 to make up the shortage of the Army. UOTC’s precursor was the University Corps which was formed in 1917 by the British Govt.

Following the Indo-Sino War in 1962, NCC Training was made compulsory the same year by the Government of India but was made voluntary in 1968. According to sources, during the Indo-Pak. War of 1965 and the Indo-Pak.(B.Desh) war of 1971,NCC cadets formed the Second Line of Defence. They organised camps to assist ordnance factories to supply arms and ammunitions and were used as patrol parties to capture enemy paratroopers. They also participated in rescue works and traffic control along with the Civil Defence authorities.

After this war the NCC Syllabus was revised to incorporate leadership training, youth management, social service with military training in small arms and parades. The cadets are encouraged to join any of the armed forces whether the Army, Air Force or the Navy. “The NCC is a youth development movement”. It is reported that it has enormous potential for nation building. It provides the youth an extensive platform for their all round development with a sense of Duty, Dedication, Dicipline and Moral Values so that they become able leaders and useful citizens.

They are entitled to incentives and allowances such as Daily Allowance, Incidental Allowance etc. They are also awarded scholarships for having passed their tenth and twelfth standard respectively and for one year during their professional course. Those who have a ‘C’ Certificate to their credit do have an edge over other candidates during selection to the armed forces through the Services Selection Board, to the officers’ Trg. School and Air Force Academy, among many others. The cadets enjoy many non-tangible benefits such as Adventure Camps,Republic Day Parade, etc.

“The aim of NCC is developing character, comradeship, discipline, a secular outlook, the spirit of adventure and ideals of selfless service amongst young citizens. Further, it aims at creating a pool of organised, trained and motivated youth with leadership qualities in all walks of life, who will serve the Nation, regardless of which career they choose”. According to reports the strength of the NCC has steadily increased from 15,00,000 to 18,50,000 recently.

The Training Activities of the NCC is as follows:

a.)Institutional Training which is the mainstay of the NCC Trg.,is conducted at Colleges and Schools by the Associate NCC Officers and Armed Forces Personnel. The Trg. Syllabus comprises Common Subjects and Service Subjects in the ratio of 70:30 with case studies and emphasis on basic military training to prepare them to join the armed forces.
b.)Camp Training;
c.)Attachment Trg. wherein the cadets are with the respective units such as the Military Hospital;
d.)Social Service and Community Devlopment;
e.)Adventure Based Learning such as Trekking, Sailing, Kayaking etc.
f.)Youth Exchange Programmes with friendly countries
g.)Sports: NCC cadets are encouraged to participate in high potential sports.

History was created when the first ever Mount Everest Expedition of NCC cadets-Boys-scaled the World’s highest peak in May 2013.

This Comprehensive NCC Methodology is ideal for instilling a Defence Environment Work Ethos,Qualities of leadership,Sense of Commitment to the chosen career,Community and Social Development,Adventure clubbed with Sportsmanship,Integrity,Resolve to serve the Society,Rationalistic and Logical approach to life.

This NCC Course when amalgamated into the regular Curriculum in India with all the Boards and Universities will yield rich benefits and vitalise the Educational System. It is a postulate for Educational Sustainability in India. The fusion of the NCC Syllabus with the prevalent teaching Course is a definite Bolster. The synthesis will act as a combatant to those pugnacious whose number has seen an alarming increase in the country. The Indian sub-continent would be illuminated as a sequel to this Synthesis.

The author Jaya Chandrashekhar was an Income-tax Officer and recently quit after decades of service. She also compered for the Yuva Vani English, AIR for a short while. Jaya has a keen interest in socio-economic issues and contributes to the GOI Portal, Indian Express amongst several others. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga and cooking.

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

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

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CSR: Reducing The Income Gap

By

Hency Thacker

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April 19, 2018

India is the sixth richest country in the world according to a report by New World Wealth, a global wealth intelligence and market research company. However, India houses largest number of people living under poverty line.

Income inequality in India has risen substantially since the 1980s. According to a report by the World Inequality Lab, adoption of globalisation has benefited just a tiny fraction of population in India. In 2014, the share of national income captured by the top 1 per cent of earners was 22 per cent, whereas the bottom 15 per cent was able to capture only 15 per cent share.

It is crucial for people with more personal earnings than they need to spend it on others as part of their Citizen Social Responsibility, in order to bring back the balance.

The Shah family does their bit in order to restore the balance in the society. The Shah family are into diamonds and stock business. They are a well to do family residing in the breach candy area of Mumbai. They lead a comfortable lifestyle for themselves while making sure to do their bit for the society.

The family is associated with a private caterer who provides free food to the city’s old rag pickers. They contribute a certain amount of their income every month to provide for these meals. However, in order to boost their campaign, the Shah kids as part of their school activity conducted a Cyclothon on April 15.

About 75 participants including the school children and their guardians, cycled from Trident Hotel to the Teen Batti circle at 6 AM, on Sunday, to collect over 125000 rupees for their kitchen. This will be enough to feed 3 meals to about 70 old age rag pickers for a whole month.

“We do this at least three to four times every year and invite our friends and family to participate to fund our venture. This gives us all an opportunity to get together, enjoy and work for a cause,” said the Shahs.

The Shahs do not belong to the super rich elite. They can certainly not afford an IPL team or a private jet, but can definitely afford to buy box tickets of the IPL or travel business class. They however choose not to do so, and prefer to live life of comfort and dignity, while giving back the excess to the society.

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Welfare For All For CSR

By

Hency Thacker

-

April 18, 2018

Clothes Distribution Drive by Emaar India CSR

Charity begins at home. If you cannot help yourself and keep your own people happy, how will you ever keep the world happy? It will be nothing but hypocrisy.

After the enactment of the CSR mandate, many corporates have associated themselves with various NGOs, or have started their own foundations as part of their CSR wing. However, several times, the employees or the board members of the corporate do not have any clue about their employer’s CSR activities. This is why sometimes; the help does not reach to the employees of the company who might be potential beneficiaries, for the activities claimed to be happening are just to show numbers on paper.

Emaar India does not work like that. The leading global property developer directly works with many laborers. Hence they are in direct touch with the underprivileged. The organization has directed its CSR activities towards its own employees who are at the lowest level in their hierarchical structure. This is in order to uplift their life style.

With the philosophy of ‘Welfare For All’ Emaar India organized a free clothes distribution drive at ‘Gurgaon Greens’ project in Gurugram, for the construction workers of the project and their children. The social welfare initiative was conducted in collaboration with Clothes Box Foundation.

Under the initiative, more than 1000 construction laborers along with their children – were provided new pair of clothes.

The organization has been conducting several social engagement programs for its construction workforce which comprises the bedrock of growth for the real estate entity. The Company has also been conducting regular free Health check-up & medicine distribution camps for its project workers across Gurugram, which has also benefitted close to 800 laborers thus far.

The initiative by the organization doesn’t just improve the standard of living of these laborers, but it also makes them loyal towards the company. This is a total win-win for both the sides.

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‘HelpMeServe.in’- a digital initiative for a social cause

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The CSR Journal

-

April 17, 2018

‘Help Me Serve’ (www.helpmeserve.in) is a digital crowdfunding platform that will help serve society and unprivileged section of the society. The website is launched by the Wockhardt Foundation, in association with like minded NGOs such as Desire Society (Hyderabad), Seruds India (Andhra Pradesh) and Blind People’s Association (Ahmedabad) among others, to work together for helping serve the unprivileged section of the society, thus making a big impact.

‘Help Me Serve’ will raise funds through micro donations which will be voluntary donations made to help serve the needy section.

On the new initiative Sir Dr. Huz (Sir Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala), Trustee & CEO of Wockhardt Foundation said, “Help Me Serve will create a big impact as many like minded people will work together for the benefit of society. This will create a greater impact in improving the social status and serve various causes which affect quality of life and thought in the society.”

The initiative will serve various causes related to Health, Education, Water & Sanitation, Skills & Livelihood, Children & Elderly, Rural Development and Environment. The donors can select options among the mentioned causes that they are concerned and would like to donate to improve the condition.

To know more and contribute to the project you can mail us at editor@thecsrjournal.in

CSR: Encouraging Blood Donation To Save Lives

By

Hency Thacker

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April 17, 2018

India is currently facing blood shortage. It has about 10% less blood corresponding to its requirements. This accounts to 12 lakh blood units. The eligible blood donor population is more than 512 million people in India. However, because of ignorance, lack of knowledge about the simple process, and myths associated with it, India has not really been able to cover the deficit.

India faces almost 1200 road mishaps every day. About 60 million trauma induced surgeries are conducted in the country every year. Apart from this, millions of complicated pregnancies, major operations, cancer treatments, thalassemia treatments, etc. require huge amount of blood transfusions.

Earlier, the blood donors were reimbursed for their donation. This activity has been banned by the government since 1995. This is cause further shortage in blood donors. However, this has also stopped unsafe blood donations made in the greed of money.

Several organisations are working towards sensitizing the public of the benefits of blood donations. This has increased the voluntary donations from 54.3% in 2006 to 83% in 2012. The shortage has gone down from 17% to 9%. However, people still die because of lack of blood.

On the occasion of its 124th year milestone, Punjab National Bank organised blood donation camps across 200 blood donation centres in 76 circle offices covering over 6500 branches across all states and union territories.

The camp was inaugurated at PNB Head Office in Dwarka in association with the Red Cross Society of India and AIPNBOA (All India Punjab National Bank Officers Association). The blood donation drive resulted in over 15,000 units of blood being donated. A large number of local staff members voluntarily came forward to participate in this initiative.

Blood donation is a simple and harmless process. An average body has 10 pints of blood in it. Roughly one pint is taken out during blood donation. It only takes 6 to 8 weeks for the body to replace that blood.

Also, There are four types of transfusable products that can be derived from blood: red cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate. Two or three of these are produced from a pint of donated whole blood. Thus, we can save more than one life by donating blood just once.

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CSR: Giving Every Dream a Chance

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The CSR Journal

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April 17, 2018

Every child has a dream and each dream is valid. This is because their dreams, thoughts, and aspirations make children what they are. An event showcasing the beneficiaries of Akshaya Patra’s “Giving Every Dream a Chance”—a special initiative to nurture children with unique dreams was held at Taj Yeshwantpur, Bangalore. It is a humble attempt to identify children with special dreams and give them the opportunity to realise these dreams.

Starting with three children, ‘Giving Every Dream a Chance’ as an initiative has scaled up to mentor more than 300 children from 15 Government Schools in Bengaluru, Hubballi, Hyderabad, and Vrindavan. Taking due note of their passion, these children were supported with mentorship programs, wherein they were coached, groomed, and guided by the experts of their respective fields. The children were provided training in various fields, including Dance, Theatre, Origami, Math, Science, English, and Football.

The event was graced by Padma Shri Honoree Shri D. R. Kaarthikeyan, Advisor- Law Human Rights – Corporate Affairs and former Director General of National Human Rights Commission, Director of CBI, Special Director General CRPF as the Chief Guest.

As a part of the Giving Every Dream a Chance initiative, children with unique dreams were identified and mentored by experts from various fields. This unique programme was launched on June 11, 2016, at the Vivanta by Taj by Chief Guest, Mrs Sudha Murty – Chairperson, Infosys Foundation. The event was presided by Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa – Chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, in the presence of Mohandas Pai who also serves as an independent trustee of the Foundation. Akshay Patra is aiming to reach 5000 beneficiaries across the country in the coming year.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

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