INTRODUCTION

 

The Indian corporate sector has taken initiatives on the social and environmental front for several decades, either driven by compliance or by a market pull. The sustainability dialogue has in the last four years taken a new turn because of various regulatory requirements such as Business Responsibility Reporting (BRR) arising out of the National Voluntary Guidelines for Social and Environmental Responsibility (NVGs) and the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provisions under the Companies Bill. This has started a new conversation within the corporate sector on the appropriate paradigm for sustainability.


Rapidly proliferating corporate sustainability initiatives are restoring the balance between regulation and voluntary activities. Today, the attitude towards sustainability investment is not merely defined by compliance requirements, but by the pressing demands of climate change and reasonable expectations of stakeholders. In today's scenario, sustainability has ceased to be an optional topic in the strategy harvesting process, and has become a medium to filter risks and optimise opportunities for growth. Companies are ensuring that the key focus is not merely on accumulation of financial returns, but a curation of leading practice and material issues, that are aligned with the company's business priorities. This is a multidimensional benefit scenario, achieved through a combination of improved resource-accessibility, cost-reduction, marketing and recruiting benefits.


Most corporates feel the need to define, implement, measure and communicate their sustainability strategy. It helps to identify and address the concerns of key external and internal stakeholders. It contributes directly to triple bottom-line profitability, mitigates risks, enhances brand image, creates a competitive edge and boosts employee morale. Executives recognise that tangible, results-focused sustainability strategies are evidence of sound management, resulting in increased readiness to adapt to changing markets and respond to customer needs. A clear sustainability strategy helps to provide confidence and reassurance to stakeholders that a company has a solid foundation for future success.


Corporate sustainability in India is currently a multi-level learning process, where regulators, companies and other stakeholders are experimenting with innovative approaches to establish sustainability benchmarks. Companies have started to weave their corporate policies within the fabric of sustainability in order to add value to the society within which they operate. Indian Businesses are increasingly taking up corporate sustainability initiatives as it makes good business sense for them in the long run.

 

FICCI as the voice of Indian business and industry launched its annual flagship event– India Sustainability Conclave in March 2012 in New Delhi as an annual platform to engage businesses and other stakeholders on corporate sustainability and its mainstreaming in India, and to create a momentum towards adoption of sustainability practices. Since then the Conclave has become an annual event and attracts diverse stakeholder groups from industry, government, multilateral and bilateral organisations, private sector engaged in sustainability services, academia, civil society, consultants, financial institutions and international community on a common platform. The Conclave has built a continuing dialogue since the last three years on various topics like sustainability reporting, sustainable supply chains, and sustainable financing while exploring the needs, drivers, enablers and advantages of building a sustainability paradigm. New topics have also been introduced each year relevant to the theme to add a new dimension to the Conclave and make it more meaningful and enriching for participants.

 

India Sustainability Conclave 2019


The Sixth Edition of India Sustainability Conclave is scheduled on November 5 - 6, 2019 in FICCI, Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi. India Sustainability Conclave has always endeavoured to highlight the direction that corporates have taken to reach their sustainability goals. The Conclave in the previous years has focused on the changing paradigm of businesses towards integration of sustainability oriented goals. This year conclave will focus on following important dimensions:

 

  • Importance of corporate sustainability in the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Environmental concerns and threats are increasingly becoming a risk to business continuity
  • Embedding sustainability in corporate goals and strategies is becoming an imperative for companies to build their business resilience.

 

The sixth ISC would deepen the discussions on areas Role of Corporates towards Sustainable Development Goals; Sustainability Reporting Framework; Supply Chain Sustainability; importance of linking sustainability to companies' financial decisions; Green Procurement and Resource Use Efficiency.