On Friday, the 11th of October 2019, IGCC SustainMarkets held “Fridays for Sustainable Future – Conference on Sustainability and CSR” at German Days 2019 in Mumbai
On Friday, the 11th of October 2019, IGCC SustainMarkets held “Fridays for Sustainable Future – Conference on Sustainability and CSR” at German Days 2019 in Mumbai. With a participating audience of 103, high-level speakers from different industries and NGOs gathered to discuss on environmental and social aspects of sustainable development and responsible business conduct. The conference brought together companies, NGOs, foundations and special initiatives showcasing best-practices on sustainability and CSR while creating a momentum for the private sector and civil society to join forces and facilitate innovative solutions with mutual benefit.
In the first session, our speakers Anil Mane (COO, Fuchs Lubricants pvt.Ltd.) and Anil Ranglani (CEO, Sunsaar) shared their contribution on how they leverage local sustainability by transforming waste into value. The way treated effluent water can be used shows us the importance of how well recycling can be done, while the adaption of waste management habits we all can adhere to and incorporate into the dynamics of urbanisation. Water is a scarce resource within our time and especially in India as approximately 42% of its land area is facing drought. Suhas Joshi (Head of CSR South Asia, Bayer CropScience) and Arun Krishnamurty (Founder, Environmentalist Foundation of India) showed us their exceptional work on fighting drought and the relevance of restoring water body’s in India.
In the second session, our speakers Sandhya Kedlaya (Head of Corporate Communications, Henkel) and Bettina Schmidt (Senior Advisor Global Programme Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, GIZ) addressed the importance of inclusion of differently-abled individuals. There is no doubt that raising awareness about social inclusion and integrating people with disabilities at the workplace adds value to not only these peoples’ lives, but also to the businesses they are employed in. Sanjeev Taneja (President and Managing Director, Evonik) and Natasha Majumdar (Network Representative India, amfori) clearly agree on the relevance of women empowerment. Women’s empowerment is crucial for sustainable business conduct and development, hence to increase productivity, creativity and economic growth, not only in India, but globally.
The most essential take away of the conference was: Our effort is to sustain the markets, our environment and our community at once. The solution lies within everyone’s ranks!
Here are some insights from our professionals:
"This conference highlighted an array of initiatives and was a unique platform to explore synergies that are mutually beneficial. At Bayer, our focus is to promote societal engagement in the fields of Rural Development, Climate Proofing Agriculture and Health & Wellness. A congenial ecosystem is the need of the hour where we work hand-in-hand with partners towards a shared goal of sustainable development." - Suhas Joshi, Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, Bayer South Asia
“Sustainability and climate change are some of the most pressing challenges we face today. Therefore this conference is very well-timed. I highly appreciate the work of IGCC Sustain Markets of providing a platform for businesses to exchange ideas and share best-practices on responsible business conduct. This conference shows how companies can positively impact the community and the environment while sustaining business growth.” - Marja-Sirkka Einig, Deputy Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany
IGCC SustainMarkets believes in its strong network and the benefits it provides for the Indo-German Business & Sustainability Community. At our expanding Indo-German platform, we are connecting players from different backgrounds and support their knowledge development by best-practices sharing and know-how transfer. The event Fridays for a Sustainable Future contributed to an inclusive approach bringing all relevant stakeholder together for the goal of a more sustainable development.
If you have questions or enquiries, please do not hesitate to connect with us:
sustainmarkets(at)indo-german.com
A special thanks goes to:
Fuchs Lubricants (Indida) Pvt. Ltd., Sunsaar, Bayer CropScience Ltd., Environmentalist Foundation of India, Henkel Adhesives Technologies India Pvt. Ltd., Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Evonik India Pvt.Ltd., amfori, General Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany.