‘CREATING

SHARED VALUE’

I
PRI, a leading corporate guardian of India’s natural resources, believes
in a ground-up approach to achieve end-to-end sustainability

N today’s world of busi- ‘Creating Shared Value’,

ness and governance, the which include:
two catchphrases are CSR w To re-conceive products
(corporate social responsi- and markets in a manner
bility) and philanthropy. that they meet the societal
However, over the past few needs, and address un-
years, since 2011, a new served or underserved cus-
buzz-phrase has emerged tomers. This was akin to the
— ‘Creating Shared Value’. decades-old thinking of how
Unlike the former two, corporations can benefit
which focus on ‘giving from serving the ‘bottom of
back to the society’, the the pyramid’.
latter relies on creating w To re-define productivity
crucial and sustainable in a company’s value chain
values within the corpora- and drive it through better
tion, and among stakehold- and efficient utilisation of
ers, and local communities resources, employees, and
that can be shared be- partners.
tween them. Several w To enable the develop- three fronts. Guillaume concept at PRI is largely im- Each stage in the lifecycle BETTER FUTURE: In MP, w Roll-out of an effective en-
companies like Pernod ment of local-cluster that Girard-Reydet, MD & CEO, plemented through its envi- of PRI’s products has a di- women are empowered vironmental management
Ricard India (PRI) have can improve skills and sup- PRI, explains, “Our corpo- ronment and water rect and an indirect impact with sustainable and system.
consciously adopted this pliers’ bases, and support rate social responsibility stewardship programmes. on the environment. This global best practices in w Promotion of a sustaina-
approach. institutions in the local purpose is to enhance qual- Essentially, they entail a impact is exacerbated by agriculture ble agriculture and biodi-
The co-authors of this communities where a com- ity of life towards a better ground-up approach that the climate and environ- versity protection.
seminal management ap- pany operates to boost pro- future for the communities aims at end-to-end sustain- ment phenomena that pose w Preservation of water
proach, Michael E. Porter ductivity, innovation, and around our operations. Our able practices. The multiple risks to operations, resources.
and Mark Kramer, empha- growth. belief in the long term is Environment Stewardship including on procurement w Reduction in energy con-
sised on the three levels of PRI is way ahead on these only by creating value, for Programme includes the of raw materials and water sumption and carbon
both our shareholders and management of natural re- management in particular. footprint.
for the society. We are com- sources, reduction in land To counter these risks, the w Development of sustaina-
mitted to the development degradation and biodiver- company has enumerated ble products and a reduc-
of thriving and resilient sity loss, and restoration of an overall environment pol- tion in the impact of waste.
PRI is committed to the communities, and on stew- water. Both conservation icy, ‘Roadmap For 2020’, In addition, the over-arch-
development of thriving and arding the planet’s natural and sustainable practices which sets out clearcut pri- ing policy is aligned to the
resilient communities, and resources for future genera- form an integral part of it. orities and objectives. United Nations’ Sustainable
create value for the society tions, with a particular This is done at the three lev- The five areas of commit- Development Goals (SDGs).
focus on water.” els of organisation, stake- ment under this umbrella The SDGs are a global blue-
‘Creating Shared Value’ holders, and communities. policy include: print for the UN’s member

00 OUTLOOK 3 June 2019 3 June 2019 OUTLOOK 00

 nations to address the chal-
lenges that the planet faces,
which are related to poverty,
inequality, climate, environ-
mental degradation, pros-
perity, peace, and justice.
Sunil Duggal, Vice
President (Corporate
Affairs), PRI, adds, “All our
programmes are aligned to
the SDGs, and provide us
with a common language to
contribute to India’s
Development Goals, and
then measure how we are
also contributing to the
world’s sustainability.”
Take the case of biodiver-
sity in the country. At a pos-
itive level, India is one of
the 17 mega-diverse nations,
as identified by the
Conservation International,
and has four diversity hot-
spots. It has 668 protected
areas, which comprise sanc-
tuaries, national parks, tiger
reserves, elephant reserves,
community reserves, and
conservation reserves.
Recognised as one of the
eight Vavilovian centres of
origin and diversity of crop
plants, it possesses more
than 300 wild ancestors and
close relatives of cultivated
plants, which are still evolv-
ing under natural condi-
tions. India is home to
89,000 animal species,
46,000 plant species, and
nearly half of the world’s
aquatic plants. With only
2.4% of the planet’s land
mass, it houses 7-8% of the
recorded species.
Unfortunately, at the neg-
ative level, rapid economic
growth and limitations in
integrating environmental
concerns with development
planning have put pressure
on the existing biodiversity.
With half of the country’s
land under cultivation, ris-
ing population, and the in-
creasingly-evident threat of
climate change, the protec-
tion of diverse habitats is
posing a formidable chal-
00 OUTLOOK 3 June 2019
lenge to the conservation-
ists and local communities.
PRI’s environment policy
is closely attuned with the
country’s target of SDG 15.5,
which includes urgent and
significant action to reduce
degradation of natural habi-
tats, halt the loss of biodiver-
sity and, by 2020, protect
and prevent extinction of
threatened species. Under
the company’s biodiversity
RURAL INTERVENTION: upgrade plan, it has regener-
In Behror, the Gram ated the Kudikunta Lake
Sangathan conducts a (Hyderabad), and Hauz Khas
meeting under the Lake (Delhi). This has ener-
Samridhi programme to gised the local biodiversity
help villagers become and ecosystem, as well as en-
self-sufficient abled the neighbouring pop-
ulation to breathe fresh air.
One of the most critical
component of any environ-
mental strategy, especially
in a country like India, has
to include water. The situa-
tion is frightening, to say
the least. By 2050, it is esti-
mated that the per capita
availability of water in the
country will drop by 40-
50% due to rapid population
growth and higher commer-
cial use. A report by the Safe
Water Network (SWN) con-
cludes that the government
will need to spend Rs
44,000 crore on 220,000
small water enterprises to
provide safe drinking water
to 370 million people, who
reside largely in urban
slums where piped water
infrastructure is difficult to
build, and in rural areas
with contaminated water
sources.
More than 820 million
Indians do not have access
to piped water, and 70% of
the country’s sources are
contaminated by pollutants.
Hence, the government
needs to act urgently, and
immediately. Small water
enterprises are cheaper, but
they require policy changes,
and at least a doubling of
tariffs to help bridge the na-
tional water gap, according
tive to becoming a ‘wa-
At the heart of PRI’s Water ter-neutral’ organisation by
2021. In order to achieve
Stewardship Programme is the this aim, multiple far-reach-
principle of 4-R’s — Reduce-Re- ing initiatives and innova-
use-Recycle-Recharge tions, which limit
environmental stress while
enhancing manufacturing
efficiency, have been em-
to the SWN’s report. states. At the heart of the bedded at our production
Fortunately, the policy mak- programme lies the princi- sites.”
ers have realised the impor- ples of 4-R’s – Reduce- For example, the group’s
tance of such enterprises, Reuse-Recycle-Recharge. regular water audits im-
which include water ATMs At the organisational level, prove the process efficiency
and community purification according to P. Sriram, Vice in its manufacturing plants
plants, as an alternative. President (Operations), PRI, through sensor-based taps,
Under its Water “Through the ongoing prac- interlocking of water
Stewardship Programme, tice of reducing water con- washer for No run-No water,
PRI has implemented a sumption by 50%, we are optimisation of the rinse
360-degree plan in several looking at the larger objec- water pressure for minimal
SAMRIDH
BHARAT
PRI’s initiative, “Samridhi”, in Behror,
Rajasthan, which is being implemented by its
partner, S. M. Sehgal Foundation, seeks to cap-
ture, conserve, and harvest rainwater with the
construction of watershed structures; improve
farm livelihoods to bring prosperity to more
than 8,000 villagers through promotion of wa-
ter-saving agriculture practices; and digital lit-
eracy and life skills education for youth. The
project targets Goal 1 and Goal 6 of the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), i.e. ‘No Poverty’, and ‘Clean Water and
Sanitation’, respectively.
Project Samridhi is an integrated three-year
plan to benefit the five villages of Karoda,
Antpura, Untoli, Banhad, and Maharajawas. It
will create and rejuvenate ponds for surface
water storage that can be used by communi-
ties for domestic, irrigation, and animal hus-
bandry purposes; create groundwater recharge
structures, viz nala bunds and recharge wells;
construct soak wells for wastewater manage-
ment and groundwater recharge; promote wa-
ter-saving irrigation practices; and facilitate
digital literacy and life skills education classes.
Community engagement will be an integral
part of the project with continuous capacity
building and training.
Anjali Makhija, Chief Operating Officer, Sehgal
Foundation, says, “Emphasis will be laid on or-
ganising community members into a gram san-
gathan that will be trained to ensure
sustainability of the physical assets and social
capital created during the course of the project.”
3 June 2019 OUTLOOK 00
 In Behror, 8,000 farmers
co-nurture with PRI to mitigate
groundwater depletion, and
improve agriculture efficiency
water usage, use of aerated
taps for reduced consump-
tion, and level sensors in
water storage tanks to pre-
vent overflow. An overall
water efficiency system is
linked to the management
system through:
w Reuse of RO reject in back
wash of toilets, gardening,
and floor washing.
w Reuse of ETP, STP, and
tertiary treated water for
gardening.
w Recycling of empty bottle
washing water up to 80% by
passing through multiple
barrier treatment system.
w Standardised water recy-
cling process across all the
sites, and training and
awareness for water conser-
vation allows delivery on
the reuse/recycle
commitment.
From the organisation, this
responsibility then extends
to the local communities
around the manufacturing
sites. Several initiatives are
undertaken to protect and
preserve water in the imme-
diate ecosystem. Duggal ex-
plains, “We realise that our
business relies on this lim-
ited and precious natural re-
source, and we are
committed to use these re-
sources responsibly, and
preserving them for future
generations. Harvesting the
depleting ground water and
aquifers is paramount to our
commitment, and we are
continuously striving to de-
crease our water footprint.”
For instance, the ongoing
projects in Behror,
Rajasthan, actively engage
agri-communities in con-
00 OUTLOOK 3 June 2019
servation and sustainability
practices. Over 8,000 farm-
ers co-nurture with the
company’s key objectives to
mitigate groundwater de-
pletion, increase availability
through surface storage and
groundwater recharge, and
improve water efficiency in
agriculture. These co-join
to the larger societal aims to
effect social transformation
through effective participa-
tion of the locals, especially
women, and the participa-
tion of the youth in digital
literacy and skills education.
Yet another key initiative is
to replenish water in wa-
ter-stressed areas through in-
terventions of over 30 rain
water harvesting and re-
charge structures, over 50
ponds, dams and de-silting
projects in Chattisgarh,
Nashik (Maharashtra),
Behror and Phagi (Rajasthan),
Kolar (Karnataka), and
Medak (Telangana). These
have resulted in the recharg-
ing potential of over 540 mil-
BETTER QUALITY: lion litres.
Guillaume Girard-Reydet, In addition, the Group is
MD & CEO also engaging in agriculture
intervention through high-
er-efficiency agri-practices
and reforestation. Initiatives
include imparting insights
on improved farming tech-
niques to the local commu-
nities, setting up harvesting
reservoirs that cater to the
demands for drinking water,
sanitation, agriculture and
livestock. For example, a
project in Shivpuri, Madhya
Pradesh, aims to enhance in-
comes of 4,500 marginal
women through high-den-
ALIGNED TO SDGS: Sunil sity nano-orchards to in-
Duggal, Vice President crease productivity by 30%,
(Corporate Affairs) women-producer groups in
non-timber forest products,
and marketing efforts via vil-
lage-level collection centres
and an Apex FPO.
At PRI, creating shared
value addresses the undeni-
able linkages between soci-
etal development and
environmental preservation.
Through tailored activities
targeting disparate commu-
nity needs and challenges,
the company has created a
portfolio of highly innova-
tive solutions that are mod-
ernising entire
communities, while also de-
livering measurable bene-
fits to the environment.
3 June 2019 OUTLOOK 00