Thecsrjournal App Store
Thecsrjournal Google Play Store
May 31, 2025
Home Blog Page 969

ICICI Bank Uses CSR Funds to fight COVID-19 pandemic in UP

By
The CSR Journal
-
ICICI Bank stands in solidarity with the Government of Uttar Pradesh by providing protective equipment to the state government, hospitals and police forces for their tireless efforts to safeguard citizens of the state in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
ICICI Bank is working actively with the authorities on this front. The Bank has donated protective equipment like over 1.8 lakh surgical masks, 8,500 litres of sanitisers, over 850 PPE suits and 1,000 kg of bleaching powder to the authorities in Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Gonda, Unnao, Prayagraj among others. The Bank has also provided 30 thermal scanners to the district administration of Varanasi. This initiative is part of the Bank’s nation-wide drive of contributing various protective gears to aid the front-liners to combat the pandemic.
Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Saurabh Singh, Head-Government Banking, ICICI Bank said, “ICICI Group has a legacy of supporting the development of the nation as well as providing support in times of natural calamities and disasters. Taking this legacy forward, we are standing in solidarity with various state governments, police departments and health professionals in their tireless efforts to treat and safeguard citizens of the country in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Our support to the various authorities in UP is part of these activities.
The doctors treating the COVID-19 suspects/patients and the police and paramilitary forces managing the orderly implementation of the lockdown are at the frontline of this combat. We have focussed our efforts to reach out to the government hospitals and the forces in the state. Despite supply chain challenges, we are providing them supplies in the form of sanitisers, surgical masks, N95 masks, gloves, personal protection equipment, etc. We are also providing equipment like thermal scanners and non-invasive category ventilators.“
The Bank is also facilitating Government of Uttar Pradesh in the digital collection of donations for district-level COVID19 Relief Fund Accounts of Saharanpur, Etawah, Ayodhya and Varanasi. The Bank has also supported Lucknow Nagar Nigam and Lucknow Development Authority by contributing food grains to the community kitchens that provide food to the needy people.
Additionally, the Bank deployed a mobile ATM van in Varanasi to enable residents, who are advised to stay home, to withdraw cash conveniently and safely.  The van was inaugurated by Shri. Deepak Agrawal, Divisional Commissioner (IAS), Varanasi.

Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

CSR and Sustainability in Fashion Industry After COVID-19

By
Hency Thacker
-
Sustainable fashion was slowly picking up popularity in the fashion industry before the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. The fast-fashion had dominated the fashion industry for more than a decade. However, with concerns regarding waste management and damage that it caused to the environment, the industry had started to look for alternative options to make fashion more sustainable.
Major brands of the world had launched a few experimental products using sustainable methods. Although this gained them popularity, the operations were not made sustainable to a large scale as yet. The brands had a timeline to gradually adopt sustainable practices by 2030. But the economic slowdown because of the pandemic has resulted in fall of demand, leading to huge losses in the economies. Garment factories across Bangladesh have reported a loss of more than $3 billion in cancelled and postponed orders due to decreased demand because of the pandemic. Owing to these circumstances, the industry is moving fast towards sustainability.
Andrew Busby wrote a Forbes article, “Prior to the coronavirus pandemic the direction of travel was beginning to shift away from mass fashion consumerism and brands were having to re-think their business models for 2030 and beyond. That kind of timeline now seems laughable. Most felt that this process would take years, but what the coronavirus has done is to shrink what might have happened in years to just weeks.”
In this context, let us understand the three ways in the fashion industry can take advantage of this new accelerated timeline to improve sustainability and prevent future supply chain catastrophes.

Communication and Care for Every link in Supply Chain

Companies with strong relationships with suppliers are more likely to keep commitments to them at trying times. One way this can be done is through local manufacturing partnerships. Local partnerships not only protects a company from being cut-off to manufacturing and raw material supplies during a crisis, but it also works positively towards reducing the carbon burden of the fashion industry.
Apart from this, a company needs to make sure to have clear, open lines of communication. Talking with suppliers and getting a stronger understanding of their needs can go a long way in building faithful and strong business relationships.

Circular Fashion

Circular fashion is when organizations create apparel and production systems “that maximize the value of healthy materials through multiple cycles of use before reprocessing them into new raw materials of equal or greater quality at their very end of life.” Brands such as Puma and Nike among others have introduced their circular fashion initiatives by launching sports apparel made of recycled materials. More brands need to adopt this technique. While it is a little difficult for big brands to adopt these systems, it provides for a great opportunity for MSMEs who can recycle or re-use fashion waste and convert it in new apparels. This, in turn, will lead to a lot more innovation in the industry.

Collaboration with Competitors

A stick alone is easily broken, but five together can pass the storm. This goes for every scenario. Every business is currently struggling to sustain. The only way to survive through the crisis is by helping one another and collaborating with competitors. Collaboration can help businesses reduce their production costs by sharing the same equipment and thus reducing resource wastage. They can also help each other by sharing valuable information that is relevant to them. In this manner, the market can start to function without rivalry, but with healthy competition.

5 creative campaigns to encourage use of face masks

By
Kasmin Fernandes
-
Many of our everyday fashion needs that we take for granted were once rooted in utility; ripped jeans, for example. With Covid-19 spreading faster, wearing face masks is becoming compulsory in public spaces to avoid transmission of SARS-Cov-2. Here are 5 brands creatively encouraging Indian citizens to wear protective masks:

1. Vistaprint India

While wearing masks has been made compulsory in public places for keeping ourselves safe and healthy, Vistaprint India (an e-commerce platform for custom printing services) has started a fun contest #Makeyourmaskcontest on social media to encourage individuals to wear masks.
Since wearing a mask is now mandatory, it’s great to personalize them and wear your identity or communicate a message. The brand has launched personalised masks on their website which support images and text and easy-to-design in simple steps. Not only are these masks washable but also reusable.

2. Skinella

mask - skinella
Some folks are alarmingly avoiding masks because they find them uncomfortable. To encourage a positive attitude towards cultivating this habit, beauty brand Skinella has rolled out a ‘Best Face Mask This Season’ campaign on social media. The brand is calling on its community members and influencers to upload their selfies wearing a mask, within its customized frame, as their display pictures on social media.

3. Coal India

Mask - Coal IndiaCoal India is sharing socially important information in an appealing way to encourage more people to use a face mask to stay safe and healthy. Their company logo now has a face mask on it. The new logo is an effort to portray the importance of face masks and its relentless fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. Designer Anita Dongre

mask- Anita Dongre
Production of face masks at a community tailoring unit run by designer Anita Dongre
Renowned fashion designer Anita Dongre has started a community tailoring initiative to make protective masks to meet the shortage for protective gear. Two dozen female employees from community tailoring units in Charoti and Dhanevari (Maharashtra) are stitching protective non-surgical masks for distributing to NGOs, village residents and hospitals. They keep all social distancing norms and hygiene measures in mind during production.

5. Vivo India

In their digital campaign, the brand created a short film by sourcing and leveraging real life images and stock footage. The film showcases the efforts and resilience of healthcare professionals. As part of their CSR initiative, the company has donated over two lakh surgical and N95 masks to support these heroes.
Watch the inspiring video below:

CSR News: PNB Housing Finance, IIT Delhi Support in Developing Sustainable and Reusable PPE kits

By
The CSR Journal
-
Sustaining its commitment of contributing towards the wellbeing of healthcare workers during the COVID‐19 pandemic, with the able guidance of the Principal Scientific Advisor’s (PSA) Office to the Prime Minister, GoI, PNB Housing Finance Limited (PNBHFL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Delhi (Indian Institute of Technology). The initiative will support critical research and development (R&D) of a unique prototype material to be used in manufacturing sustainable (washable and reusable) PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) surgical gowns and masks. These will then be supplied to notable government hospitals.
In managing patients afflicted with the highly‐contagious COVID-19, healthcare workers rely heavily on PPEs in protecting themselves from being infected or infecting others. But a shortage of PPEs is exposing ill‐equipped doctors, nurses and other frontline workers to the risk of infection while caring for COVID‐19 patients. Through this MoU, PNBHFL will support the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, IIT Delhi in fast‐tracked R&D of high‐quality PPE material. The cloth technology developed under this initiative will help in producing affordable, sustainable and reusable PPEs. The prototype will be tested at government‐accredited labs.
The main objective of the current research is designing and developing critical PPE face masks and surgical gowns using Jacquard knitting technology. The knit construction for the mask will be optimized for a secure 3D‐fit around the face with a layer of melt‐blown, nonwoven material in between ensuring efficient filtration/barrier protection with good breathability. For the gown, the fabric and lamination process can be engineered in achieving a stretchable, non‐permeable gown adhering to international standards.
Typically, PPEs are made from a material that is both impermeable to fluids and ‘breathable’ – filtering the air before breathing. Thereby, healthcare workers can wear them with minimal heat stress. Some PPEs can be easily washed with soap and water for reuse. Cotton or spun synthetic material is used for isolation gowns, depending on whether these are for one‐time use or to be laundered and reused. For masks/respirators, filtration of air before inhalation ensures respiratory protection. The most popular is the N95 mask – capable of blocking any particles less than 5 microns in diameter. With the availability of this technology for production of PPEs, PNBHFL and IIT Delhi hope to bridge the gap in the availability of high‐quality, sustainable PPEs for healthcare workers.
Elaborating on the initiative, Mr Neeraj Vyas, Managing Director and CEO of PNB Housing Finance said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an unprecedented lockdown in many geographies globally. We believe all public and private stakeholders must contribute their mite in stopping its spread. As part of our societal responsibilities, PNBHFL has joined hands with IIT Delhi in ensuring we contribute to the nation’s effort in flattening the COVID-19 curve. Through this partnership, we can play a small yet meaningful role in safeguarding the well‐being of our frontline warriors, who are risking their lives by putting service before self, day after day.”
Praising the initiative, Dr Sapna Poti, COVID 19 Special Task Force, Principal Scientific Advisor’s Office, GoI said “The Covid-19 pandemic situation is globally unprecedented. Our healthcare workers, scientists and law enforcement officials are working relentlessly to combat the virus. At this juncture, it is essential that their efforts are supplemented in every way possible. The initiative by IIT Delhi and PNBHFL is of grave importance as availability of sustainable and reusable low‐cost PPE will empower a larger number of healthcare workers to fight the disease.”
Discussing the initiative, Professor Bipin Kumar, Department of Textile and Fiber Engineering, IIT Delhi said, “Along with the challenge of meeting PPE demands in the country due to the COVID-19 crisis, another threat looms ahead‐ the disposal of PPEs (including mask and coveralls) after one-time use. Though a non‐ woven layer is must for ensuring desired filtration level the loose fibrous structure in locally available PPE makes the product disposable after one-time use. Disposing of synthetic polypropylene non‐woven PPE can result in serious environmental consequences. Finding other textile solutions that offer reusability, biodegradability, affordability and scalability for PPEs is truly the need of the hour as it serves the dual purpose of supporting healthcare workers and protecting our environment.”

The water-positive CSR of Dalmia Bharat and Grundfos India

By
Kasmin Fernandes
-
Water-positive CSR needs more attention. Providing access to water to rural communities through CSR directly aligns with supporting UN’s Sustainability Development Goal 6 for the year 2030. Given the importance of water for life and society, it is natural that this is identified as a central issue for companies to manage responsibly through their CSR practices to the benefit of local populations. This is happening, if slowly.

Why is water-positive CSR important?

As we have seen water becoming increasingly focused as a global and local issue, it has also become more focused as a CSR issue by companies. Water-positive CSR provides an opportunity for companies to do more good for society in an area, which is critical to all their stakeholders resulting in significantly strengthened relations and brand visibility. However, this is not all. Given the criticality of water, there are also huge opportunities for companies to engage in a way that adds great value for society, while also being profitable and lowering their risk levels considerably.
Here’s how two companies are setting an example for water-positive CSR in India.

Dalmia Bharat

Activities undertaken by the Dalmia Bharat group have resulted in significant water-use efficiency improvements, creating social equity and reduced water availability risks. The water credit activities, related to water recharge and harvesting, were taken up through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) interventions as well as development of harvesting structures in plants and mined out pits.
At the same time, water debit activities which mainly relates to water intake for the production of cement, power generation through captive power plants and domestic consumption in plant and colonies at the manufacturing sites, have been made more efficient through technological interventions and behavioural interventions resulting in reduction of net water debit.
The reporting boundary for this case study covers 11 manufacturing locations of Dalmia Bharat and CSR water projects implemented by Dalmia Bharat Foundation (DBF). The activities taken up on water credit and water debit have collectively created a positive water balance for Dalmia Bharat Limited. The 11 manufacturing locations collectively recycle more than 27% of its total water withdrawn.
The initiative revolves around three different inter-related and multi-faceted components based on water conservation, integrated development of watersheds and associated communities and application of measures to increase water efficiency. As per an estimate, integrated water conservation initiative has positively impacted thousands of livelihoods in at least 7 different states (including Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka) across India. Dalmia Bharat envisions to conserve 50 million m3 by 2030 (moderate term sustainability goal related to water).

Grundfos India

Through the years, Grundfos India has been working to improve the access of clean water in hundreds of villages in India. Grundfos partnered with international nonprofit Hand in Hand India for a CSR project to provide access to clean drinking water to more than 1450 villagers from Maiyur Panchayat in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Maiyur Panchayat mostly comprises labourers whose daily struggle includes walking as much as 2 km every day to fetch water. Through a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative launched in 2019, Grundfos has sponsored a drinking water system, complete with a drinking water bore well, solar-operated water pump and storage tank for controlled use. The impact of this water-positive CSR initiative is that 290 families are no longer dependent on external sources for potable drinking water.
Through this initiative, not only is Grundfos bringing safe drinking water closer to the community, they are helping improve health, hygiene and quality of life of these families. In the long run, this water access is also helping women as they no longer have to spend hours fetching water, giving them a chance to work and earn more, enabling girls to return to school and reduce health costs of the community.

COVID-19 CSR: Cargill India pledges 16 million meals

By
The CSR Journal
-
As COVID-19 continues to spread, there is a growing need to feed the most vulnerable communities in our society. In line with its purpose of nourishing the world, Cargill has pledged support to families through dry ration kits containing Gemini Cooking Oil and NatureFresh Acti Lite along with NatureFresh Atta and cooked meals. The CSR relief efforts will impact families across cities like Delhi/ NCR, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune to name a few. This is in line with Cargill India’s pledge to support 16 million meals across the country, providing nutrition to 150,000 families across 16 states.
CSR division of Cargill India is working working with NGO partners to supply cooked meals and family kits to impacted families in the region. Akshaya Patra Foundation, Zomato Feeding India, MagicBus India and India Food Banking Network in Maharashtra, to ensure that relief and recovery efforts are being effectively directed to the communities who are most affected.

Along with this, contractual workers at Kurkumbh where Cargill’s edible oil plant is located, are being provided cooked meals daily. Cargill is also allotting hygiene kits for all contract workers, distributing masks and making sanitizers available to local communities near the plants.
Cargill is also contributing to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) to help fight the pandemic. Given its extensive distribution network, the oils business is also leveraging its own distribution network and working with local state authorities to meet hyper-local needs with in-kind donations across the country.
Piyush Patnaik, Managing Director, Cargill’s oils business in India, spoke about the CSR initiatives for COVID-19: “The present circumstances have impacted every industry and community across the world. Given the nature of our business, we are aware of our responsibility and are working tirelessly to supply essential commodities where most needed. We are also ensuring distribution of sanitization kits to our workers and the communities where we operate. We are supporting local authorities and reaching out through NGO partners to provide food items and meals to nourish those affected. We will continue to support our employees and communities in this time of need.”
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

Yuva Unstoppable Scales up Humanitarian Aid Amidst COVID-19

By
The CSR Journal
-
Yuva Unstoppable, an India based non-profit organization founded by Amitabh Shah, recently distributed family essential kits to daily wagers, supporting about 15000needful people across the country. In addition to this, the NGO also distributed hygiene kits for police personnel and their family members under its ‘Unstoppable Police Project’, benefitting close to a total of 60000 people countrywide.
Here’s what Amitabh Shah, the Founder & Chief Inspiration Officer of Yuva Unstoppable, had to share about the organization’s COVID-19 relief initiatives – “the pandemic has not only created a global health and safety risk but has also created another health concern which is the lack of basic nutrition to last an individual during a single day. During this time it is essential not only provide food and safety to those in need but equally important to reach out and support those who are the frontline warriors in today’s time. Through our collective foot & safety kits distribution, we have been able to give support to more than 70,000 people and plan to reach many more.”
The family essential kits distributed by Yuva Unstoppable consist of basic groceries and hygiene essentials like cereals, pulses, oil, essential spices, tea, sugar, soap or hand wash, and hand sanitizer for the family of daily wage labourers that lasts them at least a month. The hygiene kits being distributed under the NGO’s‘Unstoppable Police Project’ consist of basic hygiene equipment like masks, hand sanitizers, soaps or hand wash, and a ‘thank you’ note acknowledging the efforts and spirit of the police personnel and their family members as they continue to fight the battle on the frontlines to protect the general masses. 100% of the donations received from this campaign go straight towards benefitting the beneficiaries.
The COVID-19 induced lockdown brought the majority of the economic activities in India to a halt. As a result, thousands of daily wagers are facing deprivation and penury in the underdeveloped and rural regions of the country, hence, making them even more susceptible to contracting the virus. On the other hand, thousands of police personnel are working tirelessly, with limited food or sleep, to ensure that the nationwide lockdown is followed strictly and the common public is safe. This not only exposes them to the risk of being infected by the Virus but also their family members, especially children and the elderly when they go home. Many policemen and women have already been affected by the Virus in India.
Reportedly, YuvaUnstoppable’s interventions have brought about great relief to the daily wage labourers, police personnel and their family members in different parts of the country in their fight against the pandemic. During the distribution of these kits, all necessary precautions are being taken to ensure that appropriate norms of social distancing and personal protection are followed by the volunteers as well as the beneficiaries at the grassroots.

Utkarsh Foundation distributes 5 lakh chocolates, 10 lakh wafer packets among children

By
The CSR Journal
-
Utkarsh Healthcare Foundation India, which has been working for health and education of women and children since 1998, has distributed more than 5 lakh chocolates among the needy and children since the lockdown began.
“It was with the aim to bring smiles on their faces that we decided to distribute chocolates and cheese wafer packets among children during the lockdown. We have distributed over 5 lakh chocolates and 10 lakh cheese wafer packets among children in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, so far,” says Kusum Vyas Kaul from the foundation.
The backbone of the project was India Food Banking Network, which is supported by various FMCG companies such as Britannia, Nestle, and Mondelez.
To recognize their efforts, the Foundation has also started distributing Hershey’s Protein Milkshake and protein cookies among doctors and medical staff of different Hospitals in Ahmedabad.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

COVID-19 initiative: Admitad launches $300,000 social fund to support employees

By
The CSR Journal
-
COVID-19 has resulted in massive job cuts across the world, causing deep mental stress among people. As an organization that understands and promotes mental well-being among its employees, Admitad global affiliate network has launched a ‘Social Fund’ with a corpus of $3,00,000 for the staff, whose family members have suffered a job loss recently.
The initiative to launch the fund was taken after considering the results of an in-house survey in which 20% of the staff confirmed going through mental-stress due to financial loss that their close relatives had suffered during COVID-19 crisis. As an employee-friendly organization, Admitad organizes regular surveys to gauge the morale and well-being of its employees.
“During such an uneasy time we decided not only to keep the salary level for all the employees but also to care about their psychological health. It is hardly possible to concentrate on work when your family members are faced with challenges, including the financial ones. That is why we took a very important step further to create this fund,” commented the Founder and CEO of Admitad – Alexander Bachmann.
The social fund provides compensation of $1,000 each to the parents or spouses of Admitad employees who are left with no income due to the COVID-19 crisis. The compensation will be credited to the salary account of Admitad employees as a one-time bonus payment. Employees would be able to avail of the facility after filling out a questionnaire and a follow-up review of the information by the company.
The social fund will be operational between the period of May 1, 2020, and August 1, 2020, for over 600 Admitad employees across its offices in Germany, India, Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Belarus, and China.
The Admitad global affiliate network urges all the companies to join such social initiatives to support their staff and families in this fight against the global pandemic.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

CSR News: DBS Asia Hub 2 Sponsors 435000 Meals as COVID-19 Relief Measure

By
The CSR Journal
-
DBS Asia Hub 2 (DAH2) announced that it has raised over INR 6.5 Million to date, in support of COVID-19 relief measures. This will be utilized for providing over 435,000 meals and supporting the local hospitals with testing equipment.
In partnership with United Way of Hyderabad, DAH2 organized a donation drive for employees to support hard-hit sections of the society and bolster the Government’s efforts in healthcare delivery. For every donation made by an employee, DAH2 made a matching contribution of double the amount, thereby tripling the impact.
DAH2 in partnership with United Way of Hyderabad has provided grocery kits and other essentials to about 1500 families affected by the pandemic. Out of these, 300 kits were donated to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) sanitation workers in the Gachibowli area of Hyderabad. Each kit worth INR 2000 contains essential supplies including groceries and sanitation materials for a family of 5 which will enable them to meet their needs for at least a month, amounting to 435,000 meals.  Part of the donations will be used in funding the rapid testing equipment used for fast testing of fight Covid-19 cases in the state as requested by the Telangana State authorities for the Government hospitals. In response to the evolving situation and with the aim to increase capacity at local hospitals, DAH2 has joined hands for the ‘IT4TS’ campaign. DAH2’s donation will be utilized towards an RNA extractor, which is critical for COVID-19 testing.
The organisation had also donated 15000 masks to health workers and sponsored 2000 meals through the Akshyapatra foundation earlier in March. 
Globally, DBS has introduced the ‘DBS Stronger Together’ campaign and committed SGD 10.5 million to help sections of the society that are hard hit by COVID-19 across the region. Through the ‘DBS Stronger Together Fund’, it will provide about 4.5 million meals and care packs to affected individuals across Singapore, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
Alex Woo, CEO, DBS Asia Hub 2 said, “We aim to extend our support to underserved communities that are hard-hit by the pandemic through this initiative. We thank our employees for pledging their support and participating in the donation drive. DBS has been committed to making valuable contributions to the society and we will continue to join hands in the nation’s fight against COVID-19 through such measures.” 
Rekha Srinivasan, CEO, United Way of Hyderabad, said, “We are grateful to DBS Asia Hub 2 and their employees for their generous contribution. This contribution will go a long way in supporting underprivileged families and build community resilience. United Way of Hyderabad is working with the communities at the grassroots to ensure support reaches the needy in these crucial times of Covid-19 spread.”
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content
1...968969970...1,306Page 969 of 1,306

Hindi Manch

Editor's Pick

© Copyright 2024 The CSR Journal. All Rights Reserved | Powered by : Inventif Web