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  • Home
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  • Inspiration
    • Initiatives
    • Stories
    • Innovations
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      • Business
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Monthly Archives

January 2021

Initiatives

Tanishq – Giving back to Mother Earth

by Team Conscious Carma January 31, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma

Tanishq celebrates the myriad moods of nature

Tanishq jewellery brand has taken a unique initiative and launched its latest Diamond jewellery collection- ‘Moods of the Earth’ inspired by Mother Nature and has partnered with www.grow-trees.com in an attempt to give back to the inspiration; our Mother Earth. As a token of gratitude to Nature, for every product sold under the Moods of The Earth collection, a sapling will be planted in the customer’s name along the banks of river Ganga in Buxar region to help reduce soil erosion and improve soil fertility.

About the Collection

The collection is inspired by four poetic moods the planet exhibits- The Earthy Browns, Lush Greens, Blushing Pinks, and Serene Whites.

 The Moods of Earth collection beautifully weaves the story of nature’s mesmerising hues that celebrates the Earth and all her myriad moods. From Canyons and Rock formations, Woods and Foliage, Cherry Blossoms and Orchids to the enigma of Frost and beautiful Snow covered landscape; this collection encapsulates the very essence of Nature and its calming hues.

Speaking on the launch of the stunning collection,  Abhishek Rastogi, Head of Design, Jewellery Division, Titan Company Limited said, “The collection has been intrinsically crafted for fashion-forward women who love to appreciate the beauty of nature around her. The magnificence of the collection being, the jewellery pieces can be styled in different looks suiting the aesthetics required around diverse apparel choices making it apt for special occasions and cocktail parties.

The exquisite diamond collection starts from Rs 4 Lacs onwards

  • tanishq diamond jewellery
  • tanishq diamond jewellery
  • tanishq diamond jewellery
  • tanishq diamond jewellery
  • tanishq diamond jewellery
  • tanishq diamond jewellery
  • tanishq diamond jewellery
Tanishq Moods of Earth Collection

Available: Tanishq Stores and website https://www.tanishq.co.in/moodsoftheearth

January 31, 2021 0 comment
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PM moves to declare climate emergency
EconomyGlobal News

New Zealand declares climate emergency, promises carbon-neutral Govt by 2025

by Team Conscious Carma January 31, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma

New Zealand promised its public sector would become carbon neutral by 2025 as it declared a climate emergency on Dec 2, 2020, a symbolic move that critics said needed to be backed with greater actions to reduce emissions.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the climate emergency declaration was based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s findings that to avoid more than 1.5 degree Celsius rise in global warming, emissions would need to fall by around 45% from 2010 levels by 2023 and reach zero by around 2050.

Video Source: The Guardian

“This declaration is an acknowledgement of the next generation. An acknowledgement of the burden that they will carry if we do not get this right and do not take action now,” Ardern told lawmakers in parliament.

New Zealand joins 32 other countries including Japan, Canada, France and Britain that have declared a climate emergency.

Ardern, who returned to power in October delivering the biggest election victory for her centre-left Labour Party in half a century, has called climate change the “nuclear-free moment of our generation”.

In her first term, she passed a Zero Carbon Bill, which sets the framework for net-zero emissions by 2050 with an exemption for farming, and banned new offshore oil and gas exploration.

Nearly half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mainly methane.

The programme will be backed by a NZ$200 million ($141 million) fund to finance replacing coal boilers and help purchase electric or hybrid vehicles. 

Greenpeace welcomed the declaration but challenged the government to follow through with policy and action.

“For Jacinda Ardern’s climate emergency declaration to be more than just words, that means tackling New Zealand’s largest source of climate pollution: agriculture,” said Greenpeace agriculture and climate campaigner Kate Simcock.

Source: Reuters

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  • MG Motor rolls out 50,000th Hector in India: All-women crew makes it
  • SP, Indira Mukherjee from Jhargram, West Bengal saves bulls from Mafia
January 31, 2021 0 comment
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fossil solar watch
AccessoriesConscious Products

FOSSIL ‘Solar Watch’

by Team Conscious Carma January 19, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma

Fossil is committed to making a positive social and environmental impact. In keeping with this commitment, the brand has given a goal to design and produce 100% of its products to meet the pro-planet criteria by 2025. Specifically, in every product that is made, includes at least one sustainability-approved material and all of their primary packaging (i.e. the packaging you take home when you get a Fossil product) to be recyclable and/or reusable.

To celebrate this commitment, the company is proud to announce the Solar Watch. This solar-powered watch is the first step in the ongoing commitment to creating products that are more sustainable and #MakeTimeForGood.

Availability: www.fossil.com/en-in/

To checkout more Conscious Products, Click here

Checkout the Latest posts from Conscious Carma from here:

  • Flipkart to deploy more than 25,000 Electric Vehicles in its Supply Chain to achieve 100% transition to electric mobility by 2030
  • Cognizant Commits $250 Million to Global CSR Initiatives
  • ‘Transparent solar cells’ can take us towards a new era of personalized energy
  • MG Motor rolls out 50,000th Hector in India: All-women crew makes it
  • SP, Indira Mukherjee from Jhargram, West Bengal saves bulls from Mafia
January 19, 2021 0 comment
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hotel in the evening with lights on
MagazineTravel

INDeco Hotels: A Pioneer of Sustainable & Rural Tourism in India

by Team Conscious Carma January 19, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma

Can you believe that a sustainable and responsible hotels project in a remote rural region can change the fate of neighbouring villages and nearby towns?

The per capita income goes up from 5 odd US dollars per family per month to well over 400 US dollar. In a period of 10 years, happiness quotient goes up, NIL unemployment, finds a market for all village produce, all children go to school and the list goes on. Works with the local administration to make its town and railway station one of the cleanest. Treats 100% of its solid waste and above all has about 50 odd air-conditioned bus stops with ATM’s attached. All-girls schools have been provided with a toilet. Again, this list also goes on. The question is why we have not reproduced this model across the country?

The story of India’s first sustainable and rural tourism dates back to as early as 1992. A young man set out to revive Indian villages. After having worked globally at the UN, Government of India, Press, Films, Hotels and the Corporate, he bought a sick company in India, revived it and sold it to find the money to create these Rural Hotels. Being the hotelier wasn’t his business plan. It was his passion to work for the villages. The rural and urban inequalities causing total damage to the rural economy was his primary concern. This was followed by a chance meeting with the late Hindu pontiff Shankaracharya, who inspired him to follow his passion.

Sustainable hotel

He set out to establish big, responsible, sustainable and regenerative tourism businesses in remote rural and tribal pockets of Tamilnadu to mend their broken backbone. The person acquired three abandoned dilapidated historic villages in SWAMIMALAI near Tanjore. He redefined Hospitality from being a mere shelter to development, protection and preservation. All with what the local people know have and do. And in the process preserve their art, heritage, culture, livelihood, antiquities, flora, fauna, lifestyle, ecology, technologies, tradition, skills, traditional cuisine & sustainable practices.

The destiny changed not only for him but also for the villages and the town around. Wherever he established businesses, Per capita income increased from less than USD5 to USD 400 per family per month. In addition, the happiness quotient went up and attained high employment, hygiene and sanitization levels. Today, the man STEVE BORGIA is India’s pioneer in rural tourism.

Steve borgia man smiling

Steve is one of the founders of the Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI) which is now the Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI). He’s also the Vice President of the Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA). He is the founder chairman of Association of Agri & Rural Tourism Society of India (AARTI) and several smaller travel and tourism organisations.

His unique properties are as follows:
  1. INDeco Hotels Swamimalai, in Kumbakonam, Tanjore District, S.India established in 1992. India’s unique Heritage Hotel.
  2. INDeco Hotels, Mahabalipuram was established in 2003 to create job opportunities for the fisherman communities around.
  3. INDeco’s Lake Forest Hotel was created in 2007 with 100 rooms amidst coffee plantation without damaging the ecology.

Kumbakonam today is the cleanest town in India. Its Railway station is one of the best kept Railway Station. No beggars in the town, 100% solid waste is treated, the cost of electricity is 10 % less than the rest of the country. All girl schools are provided with toilets; the only town in India which has airconditioned bus Stops with ATMs attached.

Another very interesting feature of INDeco hotels is that each of these properties houses a Museum.

“The Indian heritage museum is the soul of INDeco Hotels. These museums contain very pristine objects right from the World’s smallest gramophone to the first aircraft that landed at the Madras presidency. The Gate of Madras Central prison, the prison cell in which Subhash Chandra Bose was kept overnight before being moved to the cellular jail, very interesting objects which the British brought from England and left behind. The museums are very interactive as we encourage some objects being touched and operated by the visitors. We are lucky to be in historical space, therefore it serves the very purpose of the museum”

says Steve.

Fortune magazine awarded INDeco Hotels as the 6th best idea to save planet earth minuscule all the other national and international awards bestowed.

“Steve, the creator of this facility is the Viswakarma in building heavenly resorts. This is what we must expose to the Western World. I like the way INDeco cares for insects, birds& animals, protects heritage, promote culture, work with local people with what they know, have and do. This is a workable model for the nation to develop our villages, It is truly overwhelming to know that this hotel project has had such an impact in the neighbourhood. I feel I am in a village and not in a hotel.”

This is what a Former Indian Prime Minister had to say…

Steve is now all set to take sustainable rural tourism to the next level. He is now in the process of creating a world wonder THE LAST RESORT for human wonderment and the ecoVILLE. a sustainable village for earth-loving people in the Kodai foothills near Palani in Tamilnadu.

Thanks to CORONA, the world will now be moving to sustainable, rural and responsible tourism products. And this shift will quickly be on the upward trend as it is across the globe. Today people want to go to natural spaces where there is not much of human intervention.

sustainable hotel room

On being asked, why have we not reproduced this model across the Country, Steve says, “These things like Museum, ecology are all the end products of very passionate people, govt can support in terms of tax benefits and subsidies. But passionate entrepreneurs need to take charge to reproduce this model. One has to be innocently brave, logically sane, shamefully courageous, dream big and achieve their dreams passionately. I am very hopeful of the younger generation to follow my footsteps as I see a lot of compassion, care for earth and sustainability among youngsters. I strongly believe that more and more young people will do responsible businesses and not polluting businesses. You will not find somebody put up a cement factory in a remote rural area, as my generation did.”

I just have one piece of advice for the Tourists in general who desire to holiday in Rural Areas. “if you go to villages, you need to be highly responsible, if you cannot give back to the rural community, don’t go there. You must offer benefit to the local community otherwise you are not being fair. Also, I request young people from rural areas, who go to urban cities for education to come back to your villages, revive them, regenerate them, and take care of your people. Believe me, you are going to be the winners and not the ones scaling heights in the share market.”

The government on the other hand should create policies that support such activities by entrepreneurs, maybe some tax cuts, electricity subsidies, etc. To build a hotel in a remote area or a hill station is twice as expensive as building it in the city. The government should consider this seriously as this could really give a boost to sustainable and rural tourism and make the villages self-sufficient.

There is no other country in the world that is as rich as India when it comes to Tourism. We have everything, from North to South, East to West, we have so many countries and cultures packed in India. In fact, we are the only country that can sell emotion in the whole world. If India needs to smile longer, we need to act now, the hour is now.

To checkout more articles from out magazine, Click here

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  • Flipkart to deploy more than 25,000 Electric Vehicles in its Supply Chain to achieve 100% transition to electric mobility by 2030
  • Cognizant Commits $250 Million to Global CSR Initiatives
  • ‘Transparent solar cells’ can take us towards a new era of personalized energy
  • MG Motor rolls out 50,000th Hector in India: All-women crew makes it
  • SP, Indira Mukherjee from Jhargram, West Bengal saves bulls from Mafia
January 19, 2021 0 comment
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woman wearing face mask
ApparelConscious Products

3BO – India’s First Face Mask That Provides Triboelectric Protection

by Team Conscious Carma January 16, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma

3bO is India’s first face mask that uses CeNSTech™. CeNSTech™- a patented technology of CeNS, a Govt of India, Dept of Science & Technology Lab. It provides antiviral and antibacterial protection. The masks are designed and developed by the scientists at CeNS (The Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences). 3bO is the only mask based on triboelectricity. The mask is being manufactured and marketed by Camellia Clothing, a three-decade-old clothing company based in Bangalore, under an exclusive global license from CeNS.

3bO masks use the concept of Triboelectricity to give the masks enhanced Electrostatic Filtration and aid Electrostatic Viral deactivation, over and above the mechanical filtration. Live viral filtration results have shown 90% live viral filtration in 3bO masks compared to 56% filtration in highly ranked chemically coated masks. The inner layers of 3bO face mask, continuously generate a triboelectric charge, through the natural airflow of breath and speech.

Available at: http://www.3bo.in/

woman wearing face mask

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January 16, 2021 0 comment
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Inspiration

Inspiring stories from Philanthropic & CSR World

by Team Conscious Carma January 15, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma

AZIM PREMJI, INDIAN BUSINESS TYCOON

The most generous Indian

azim premji, a generous man

Wipro’s Azim Premji emerges as most generous Indian in FY20. India’s IT major Wipro’s Azim Premji made donations of Rs 22 crore a day or Rs 7,904 crore in a year to emerge as the most generous Indian in FY20 and top a list of philanthropy.

An Indian business tycoon, investor, engineer, philanthropist and founder of one of India’s finest companies, admired globally for its uncompromising ethics and best practices in business, Azim Hashim Premji is informally known as the Czar of the Indian IT Industry.

For a man who makes donations of Rs 22 crores of his wealth every day to improve elementary education in the country, Azim Premji, has been an enigma.

RAVI KALRA, EARTH SAVIOURS FOUNDATION

A home away from home

Ravi kalra a person who makes donations

Earth Saviours Foundation (ESF), also called Gurukul is home to around 450 homeless people, including over 300 mentally-challenged persons.

Founded in 2008 by Ravi Kalra, 49, who was moved to see a beggar child scouring garbage along with street dogs on a busy Delhi road. With all the money he had, he started his foundation and, since then, has dedicated himself to improving the lives of abandoned senior citizens, physically and mentally disabled, victimised women, and people suffering from incurable diseases. “I feel all of them deserve to live with dignity,” he said. The Earth Saviours Foundation runs without any government support, doesn’t have enough beds for the 450 people who reside there, but always has its doors open for the homeless.

An astonishing fact, Kalra has come across beggars who are NRIs, retired army officers, IAS officers who were abandoned by their families in old age.

FARHAN PETTIWALA, AKHAND JYOTI EYE HOSPITAL

Passion to serve

farhan pettiwala a person who makes donations

All of 48, Farhan has a distinguished 27-year long career as a serial entrepreneur, a senior corporate executive with MNCs in India, Australia, UAE, Singapore and has been engaged in running forprofit and not-for-profit social organization.

His excellent relations, both in the government and with corporate leaders are testimony of the fact that he has been instrumental in raising donations of over Rs.50 crore every year for the wonderful work done by a little-known organization in the remote Mastichak village in Bihar, Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital
(AJEH), working towards eliminating curable blindness from poorer states like Bihar, and Eastern U.P. and empowering women through “Football to Eyeball” girl education and development program.

Now looking at getting back to the mainstream as a CEO using his experience in both sectors, Farhan has been recognized by The Honourable Prime Minister of India and The President of India as the emerging Business leader of the year. Farhan currently serves as an Honorary Advisor to the Prime Minister of India (PMO).

ANSHU GUPTA, GOONJ

True giving always respects and preserves human dignity

anshu gupta smiling

Anshu Gupta, popularly known as the Clothing Man is the Founder of an Indian based nonprofit – Goonj. One of India’s leading social entrepreneurs, Anshu left a corporate job in 1998 and founded GOONJ with a mission to make clothing a matter of concern and to bring it among the list of subjects for the development sector. Anshu is creating a mass movement and raising donations for recycling and reuse of tonnes of waste material by channelising it from the cities to the villages, as a resource for rural development.

Anshu brings to the table an instinctive empathy and connects with people, moving the focus from the conventional – giver’s pride to the unconventional – receiver’s dignity. Asia’s Noble, the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award 2015, conferred to him credited him for ‘his creative vision in transforming the culture of giving in India, his enterprising leadership in treating cloth as a sustainable development resource for the poor, and in reminding the world that true giving always respects and preserves human dignity.

Checkout more articles of the magazine from here

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January 15, 2021 0 comment
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EPI written underwater
EconomyMagazine

Decarbonization propels countries to top sustainability rankings- 2020 EPI

by Team Conscious Carma January 15, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma
India ranks near the bottom of all countries with particularly low scores on air quality and climate change mitigation

India ranks 168th out of 180 countries in the 2020 EPI (Environmental Performance Index) according to researchers at Yale and Columbia universities who produce this biennial scorecard of national results on a range of sustainability issues.

Commenting on the rankings, Yale professor Dan Esty, who directs the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy that co-produces the EPI, observed that “our analysis suggests that countries with broad-based sustainability efforts and particular emphasis on decarbonizing their economies come out at the top of the pack”. India’s decarbonization agenda needs to accelerate and the country faces a number of serious environmental health risks, including poor air quality.

Now in its 22nd year, the EPI report has become the premier metrics framework for global environmental policy analysis, ranking 180 countries on 32 performance indicators across 11 issue categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The 2020 EPI features new metrics that gauge waste management, carbon dioxide emissions from land cover change, and emissions of fluorinated gases all important drivers of climate change. Project director Zach Wendling noted that “the expanded issue coverage promises to deepen the global capacity for data-driven environmental policy-making, clarifying sustainability leaders and laggards and helping to identify best policy practices”

In the 2020 EPI, Denmark ranks first in the world, reflecting strong performance across nearly all issues tracked by the EPI. Other nations in the top tier include Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and France. Beyond providing issue-by-issue and country-by-country results, the 2020 EPI offers new insights into the factors associated with success on environmental sustainability goals. As Alex de Sherbinin of Columbia’s Earth Institute, one of the lead authors of the report explained, “good governance more than any other factor separates the nations that are moving towards sustainable future from those which are not.” High scoring countries generally exhibit long-standing commitments and carefully constructed program to protect public health, conserve natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

India comes in near the bottom of the global rankings at 168th place worldwide, and only Afghanistan (178th place) ranks below India in Southern Asia. Leading the region is Bhutan (107th), with relatively high scores in biodiversity & habitat protection. Sri Lanka (109th) and Maldives (127th) round out the top three countries in Southern Asia, followed by Pakistan (142nd), Nepal (145th), and Bangladesh (162nd).

EPI Logo

India struggles to perform well on several of the 2020 EPI’s environmental issue categories. For air quality, India and Pakistan both rank at the very bottom of the 2020 EPI, at 179th and 180th places, respectively. By comparison, low air quality also continues to plague China, although its recent pollution controls and other environmental investments have helped it climb to 120th place in the EPI, 48 places ahead of India’s 168th overall ranking. On biodiversity & habitat, India places 148th in the world, failing to maximize the conservation potential of its protected areas, especially in marine ecosystems. Perhaps most critically, India places 106th in the world on climate change mitigation. As one of the most significant emitters of greenhouse gases, India should be applauded for recent gains in renewable energy investment. However, the data shows India is not on track to decarbonize quickly enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Low EPI scores for India suggest a need for national sustainability efforts on a number of fronts, including air and water pollution, biodiversity protection, and the transition to a clean energy future.

EPI rankings have long highlighted the environmental changes that India faces. India’s 168th ranking in the 2020 EPI reflects our improved knowledge about the current state of the world. Ten years ago, these same metrics would have given India a rank of 163rd in the world. The EPI finds essentially no overall improvement in India’s environmental performance over the past decade, though there are gains and losses on individual issues.

2020 EPI Global Trends

The 2020 EPI reveals that global progress on climate change has been halting. The metrics on CO2 emissions from land cover change and black carbon emission growth rates show that critical aspects of the battle to address climate change are trending in the wrong direction. Despite its high regional ranking in the 2020 EPI, Sri Lanka’s climate change score dropped by 12.5 out of 100 over the past decade, due to heavy reliance on fossil fuel,s and India’s score dropped by 2.9. China, by contrast, improved its climate change score in the last ten years by 24.5. Meeting the goals set out in the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement requires sustained cuts in emissions of all greenhouse gases, and the 2020 EPI finds that no country is decarbonizing quickly enough to meet these climate change goals. Some of India’s neighbours do excel on individual greenhouse gas reductions, most notably Sri Lanka on methane and Pakistan on fluorinated gases. To spread best practices around the world, policymakers must pay greater attention to how climate leaders achieve success. Such lessons can be drawn from countries that have recently made notable improvements in climate change mitigation around the world, such as Seychelles, Bahrain, and Luxembourg.

Taking into account historic data on environmental performance, the 2020 Index also recognizes countries that have made significant progress over the past decade. Many countries have improved health outcomes related to sanitation, drinking water, and indoor air pollution, demonstrating that investments in public health can translate into rapid advancements in human well-being. Environmental health gains can be traced to successful campaigns to reduce household use of solid fuels in a number of countries, particularly in the Middle East. Such efforts need to be expanded to all countries, especially as the world tackles persistent problems like poor air quality. As the 2020 EPI builds on data mostly from 2017 and 2018 and collected earlier, the results do not capture impacts from very recent events, including the burning of the Brazilian Amazon, wildfires in Australia, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional performance on protecting and enhancing the vitality of ecosystems reveals both gains and stubborn challenges. In the 2020 EPI, Morocco, UAE, Croatia, and Kuwait substantially improved their scores on the protection of biodiversity and habitat. On other issues, the world community is doing well, while a few countries are trending in the wrong direction. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia, for example, have experienced significant deforestation over the past five years. Fisheries are also in global decline, with significant trouble noted in a range of countries including Bahrain, Argentina, and Australia, and regionally in Pakistan.

EPI and Global Sustainability Data

old man and child gardening

The EPI builds on the best available global data from international research entities, such as the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the World Resources Institute, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, CSIRO, the Mullion Group, and the Sea Around Us Project at the University of British Columbia, as well as from international organizations like the World Bank and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Complete methods, data, and results are available online at epi.yale.edu. The EPI team is dedicated to transparency and constant improvement and invites critique and commentary from the global community.

The push for better data analytics as a foundation for policy choices has gained momentum in recent years, particularly after the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. And while more environmental data have become available, the EPI research team decries the lack of methodologically rigorous and globally comprehensive indicators on a number of fundamental issues including wetlands protection, toxic waste management, and groundwater quality and availability.

About the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy

The Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy advances fresh thinking and analytically rigorous approaches to environmental decision-making across disciplines, sectors, and boundaries. In addition to its research activities, the centre aims to serve as a locus for connection and collaboration for all members of the Yale University community who are interested in environmental law and policy issues. The Center supports a wide-ranging program of teaching, research, and outreach on local, regional, national, and global pollution control and natural resource management issues. These efforts involve faculty, staff, and student collaboration and are aimed at shaping academic thinking and policymaking in the public, private, and NGO sectors.

About the Columbia Center for International Earth Science Information Network

The Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) is part of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. CIESIN works at the intersection of the social, natural, and information sciences, and specializes in online data and information management, spatial data integration and training, and interdisciplinary research related to human interactions in the environment. Since1989, scientists, decision-makers, and the public have relied on the information resources at CIESIN to better understand the changing relationship between human beings and the environment. From its offices at Columbia’s Lamont -Doherty Earth Observatory campus in Palisades, New York, CIESIN continues to focus on applying state-of-the-art information technology to pressing interdisciplinary data, information, and research problems related to human interactions in the environment.

Checkout other articles of the magazine from here

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  • Cognizant Commits $250 Million to Global CSR Initiatives
  • ‘Transparent solar cells’ can take us towards a new era of personalized energy
  • MG Motor rolls out 50,000th Hector in India: All-women crew makes it
  • SP, Indira Mukherjee from Jhargram, West Bengal saves bulls from Mafia
January 15, 2021 0 comment
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man pointing to wooden block having CSR written on it
BusinessEconomy

CSR & Branding- The Missing Interconnect

by Team Conscious Carma January 15, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma

On April 1, 2014, India became the first country in the world to legally mandate corporate responsibility. The new rules in section 135 of India’s Companies Act make it mandatory for companies having a net worth of rupees 500 crores or more, or turnover of rupees one thousand crores or more or a net profit of rupees five crores or more shall constitute a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee.

UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) on the other hand has been advocating the ‘Triple-Bottom-Line’ (TBL)-Social, Environment and Financial accountability for quite a while now. This integrated approach is relevant to all enterprises, small, medium & large.

While the key purpose of any Business to exist, is to generate economic wealth and employment, it has to also fulfil its responsibilities of being a ‘responsible citizen’. Therefore, an organization needs to willingly accept and participate in building the society at large. Businesses can see CSR activities as opportunities to move above charity or pure philanthropic endeavour to something more useful and meaningful for their business.
They can leverage this to enhance their brand equity. This is an oft-forgotten role of CSR – to be
able to build purposeful brands!

What is a Brand?

To fully appreciate what brand equity is all about, we need to first define the ‘Brand’.There are many definitions of what a brand is. At Vertebrand we define it as below:

“A Brand is a bundle of functional benefits and added values that some people value enough to buy into repeatedly”

In this competitive and digital era, brands struggle to keep a sustainable differentiation (added values). This is something that keeps them ahead of their competition. A well-thought through efficiently & effectively run sustainable CSR can provide that differentiation, so vital in building a Brand Equity.

Brand equity is both for Internal customers (current and future employees & Investors) and External stakeholders – customers, vendors, government bodies & society at large. Therefore, a well-executed CSR makes the Internal customers proud and happy leading to brand loyalty, which we know builds strong brand champions.
But unfortunately, few companies in India have truly leveraged CSR for the benefit of their corporate brand equity.

Based on Annual Reports, Top 3 companies for CSR in 2019 have been Tata Chemicals, Infosys Ltd. and Bharat Petroleum Ltd. Employees of BPL contributed rupees 4.27 crores as CSR for Covid-19 relief fund. From the way CSR is managed in these organizations, it clearly fuels the passion of Internal Champions to build the brand equity.

What is CSR?

Concept of CSR is not new to India. The term maybe. Philosophers like Kautilya from India promoted ethical principles while doing business. Moreover, most of the religions of the world have cited the concept of helping the poor and disadvantaged. “Zakaat” followed by Muslims, is a donation for one’s earnings which is specifically for that purpose. Similarly, Hindus follow the principle of “Dharmada” and Sikhs the “Daashant” to cite a few.

man pointing to wooden block having CSR written on it

Almost all Fortune 500 companies practice and report CSR activities. However, there is no single definition of CSR that is universally accepted. Three key definitions that are widely accepted –

  • Philip Kotler and Nancy Lee (2005) define CSR as “a commitment to improving community well being through discretionary business practices and contributions of corporate resources” whereas
  • Mallen Baker refers to CSR as “a way companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society”.
  • Archie Carroll describes CSR as a multi-layered concept that can be differentiated into four interrelated aspects – Economic, Legal, Ethical and philanthropic responsibilities.

Many corporations around the world are already engaging in CSR. Here we are shortlisting just two such interesting examples showcasing CSR, impact on Brand Equity:

Corporations showcasing CSR impact on Brand Equity

  1. Chipotle and Intermarche –Food waste statistics are very shocking. Nearly 33% of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted $990 Billion. (Source: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations). “The Inglorious Fruit and Vegetable” campaign, aimed at reducing waste of less-than-perfect-looking food by Intermarche, a French Supermarket. By selling “inglorious” produce at a 30% discount, and heavily publicizing the initiative. They even ran an ugly fruit and vegetable contest on their Instagram page. As per Intermarche: “This initiative is a complete success because it’s the win-win-win campaign: consumers get the same quality products for cheaper, the growers get money for products that are usually thrown away and Intermarche increased its business by selling a brand new line of products”.
  2. Cadbury Diwali ad -Cadbury created sweet surprises for local businesses across India. Powered by AI, Cadbury created a hyper-personalized ad to reach out to over 1800 local retailers, across 260 pin codes, whose businesses are being promoted locally through the campaign. The campaign has caught the attention of netizens as it is being applauded across social media – Brand Cadbury has won hearts & eyeballs!

While all customers are important, the millennials and Generation Z is driving the business of today. They believe companies should invest in improving society and look for solutions that will assist the environment at large. In addition to this, they believe companies must transparently share the positive impact they are making.

A sustained and well run CSR will go a long way in enhancing the Brand Equity of any organization. Be small or large.

High time Indian Corporates look at CSR as a strategic initiative that will positively impact brand equity. Rather than a mere charity for a social cause!

nalin raj

Nalin Raj Khanna
Managing Director and Senior
Partner, VERTEBRAND, India’s
only end-to-end outsourced Brand
Strategy and execution firm.

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ReEarth Natural toothpaste and brush on palmtop
Conscious ProductsWellness

ReEarth Natural Toothpaste

by Team Conscious Carma January 14, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma

There are certain products in our lifestyles that have become a habit for us especially when it comes to personal hygiene. We simply cannot begin to function without proper oral care in the morning or even without a bath, but we don’t always consider the effect of ingesting or utilising synthetic chemicals often found in commercial products has on our health. ReEarth Natural’s Toothpaste is not only good for health but also for the environment.

ReEarth Natural Toothpaste is tremendously effective in cleaning the teeth and strengthening the gums. Each ingredient is carefully selected to serve a unique function. Baking Soda gives the paste the necessary abrasion to clean the tooth surface. Coconut oil and essentials oils are anti-bacterial in nature. Xylitol gives it the sweetness and Arrowroot and Chalk aids in making gums stronger. Activated charcoal in toothpaste helps remove surface stains on the teeth. Charcoal is mildly abrasive and is also able to absorb surface stains to some degree.

“Premium quality of Essential oils are used to not just give the burst of flavour, consumers are all accustomed to in the morning but will also freshen up the breath. Brushing with ReEarth paste is a unique experience as it is free of all chemicals and toxins. No SLS means no foaming. And no Fluoride means no Fluorosis. The paste is good to you and wouldn’t pollute our loving nature”.

says the duo Swapnil & Soniya

Inception of ReEarth

Being Environmentalist at heart and striving to live a zero-waste lifestyle, Swapnil & Soniya were always on the look-out for natural and environmentally friendly products. As a result, they found that there is a dearth of natural products in the market, and if available they are priced exorbitantly. This sparked a need to produce products first for themselves and then for circulating it within their friends and families. Gathering reviews, feedbacks and encouragement, ReEarth was born.

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The Earthen Urban lifestyle products
Conscious ProductsWellness

The Earthen Urban range of eco-friendly lifestyle products

by Team Conscious Carma January 14, 2021
written by Team Conscious Carma

The Earthen Urban unveils a range of environment-friendly and sustainable lifestyle products using bamboo, coconut shells and jute.

“The Earthen Urban believes in coexisting and making sustainable living affordable. The products are ethically sourced, up-cycled, completely cruelty-free, handmade by local artisans and without a doubt, biodegradable!”

says the young entrepreneur Binju Babu.

And to give back to the fauna, a segment of the returns from the sales go towards feeding and rehabilitation of the stray dogs across Delhi and look at reaching far and wide in days to come. One good deed leads to another good one.

The Earthen Urban strives to foster conscious consumption by reducing waste and carbon footprint. Not only by creating sustainable products but by ensuring sustainable packaging as well. The packaging is plastic-free, up-cycled and eco-friendly.  

The world needs us to switch now more than ever. Switch to sustainable today.

  • sustainable mat on grass
  • wooden toothbrush in the middle of a shrub
  • wooden pen kept standing on soil
The Earthen Urban products

About The Earthen Urban :

A purely sustainable studio founded last year, ie. 2020, amidst the unpredictable times of Covid-19 pandemic, by a young-minded, environmentally-conscious woman entrepreneur.  A PR professional, Binju Babu left her job to pursue this as she wanted to do something for the environment, including both, the flora and fauna. She believes, it is because of our exploitation towards our mother earth resources that we are facing such an epidemic across the world today. She has also been rescuing several street dogs across Delhi but couldn’t do so wholeheartedly since we were running out of funds to feed and rehabilitate them. At this she started The Earthen Urban. The proceeds that come from selling these sustainable – upcycled products go towards feeding street dogs/cats/cows in and across Delhi- NCR.

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