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Focusing on a Sustainable Future

Sandeep Chandna, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tech Mahindra
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Sandeep Chandna, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tech Mahindra
Headquartered in Pune, Tech Mahindra caters innovative and customer-centric information technology services & solutions, enabling enterprises, associates and the society to grasp tangible business value.

There is a new interest about sustainability and increased curiosity about what constitutes sustainable development. From Environment protection to maintaining a sustainable governance policy and long term relationships with its stakeholders is also crucial hence in a simple language it can be said that following 17 SDG's (Sustainable Development Goals) by United Nations can define the scope of Sustainability.

With increasing global warming and decreasing natural resources, responsible business have to now mean sustainable business and include practices that ensure growth today without jeopardizing similar growth in the future. Organisations have to design and implement policies and strategies that ensure sustainable development on all dimensions- social, economic and environmental and establish a commitment towards a sustainable business growth. The strategy is to focus on next generation solutions for customers; attract, mentor and retain the right talent through affecting an assured career development path and a feasible work-life balance; and identify & emphasise a green eco-system through its environmental goals, thus ensuring a sustainable business value for all its stakeholders.

Recently India has ratified the Paris agreement with its INDC's (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions), the Global and National efforts will align to reduce Carbon emissions and other Green House gas emissions. This will happen as per the targets set for CO2 reduction and promotion of renewable energy. It is indeed a challenge and an opportunity for the businesses and will ensure advancements both technologically and economically. Organizations of the world today have to look at combating carbon emissions and global warming in a phased manner. Companies could set up internal carbon reduction targets with emphasis on carbon emissions, carbon pricing and aim to becoming carbon neutral, all backed up with robust measurement mechanisms.Investing in alternate sources of energy, recycling waste, reducing emissions and implementing waste treatment all lead up to the reduction of carbon footprint.

Ensuring conservation of water, maximizing recycling and reuse of waste water, ensuring protecting the diversity of your surroundings, all go towards making your organisation environmentally sustainable. The initial investments in clean energy sources may marginally affect the company's bottom-line but the ROI in the long run fully justifies this effect and helps an organisation in their long term vision of being a sustainable organisation. Even in the initial periods, there are obvious and visible non-monetary benefits. The company is appreciated for its various ESG (Economic, Social and Governance) friendly initiatives, their impact on the organisation and its surroundings, the brand image improves and there is a feel-good factor about the organisation internally and externally. Another factor driving low-carbon ambitions would be the company's global client base. More and more Investors and customers are discussing and valuing the importance that an organisation gives to their ESG parameters. Similarly an organisation should insist on including their vendors and customers also in their stand on approach to sustainability.


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