AMCHAM Kolkata
Event on Corporate Social & Environment Responsibility
on December 15

AMCHAM Kolkata launched its signature event on December 15, 2008, focused on Corporate Social & Environment Responsibility. It included an Opening Plenary Talk by Padma Vibhushan & Nobel Laureate Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Director General, The Energy & Resources Institute, Inaugural Session, and Debate on “Corporates Do Not Engage Deeply Enough in Nation Building.”

Dr. Pachauri painted a grim environmental scenario: some 985 million people in the world live in abject poverty earning less than $1 a day, yet only larger incomes will lead to higher consumption of goods and services. The ‘Grow now, Clean up later' approach to development has been disastrous and unsustainable, and hugely impacting adversely on the poor. It is imperative that the world moves towards a path for development answering both environmental and social concerns in one breath.

"The human ecological footprint has more than tripled since 1961. It now exceeds the world's ability to regenerate by about 25%. The global population is expected to touch 8.1 billion by 2030. World GDP growth is assumed to average 3.4% annually 2004-2030 against 3.2% in 1980-2004, factors that imply that increased competition over limited resources will trigger severe problems." Climate change is unequivocal, said Prof Pachauri, touching on the loss of glacial mass, impact on human health, food production, water resources, and coastal areas.

Corporates should integrate climate risk management into their overall strategy and operation. Businesses are vulnerable to consumer preferences and government regulation in response to climate change. Companies that lag behind will lose their competitive position.

In her Inaugural remarks, U.S. Consul General, Ms Beth A. Payne noted that CSR is an essential component for long-term vision, greater success, better profit and inclusive growth, and that CSR is synonymous with individual social responsibility. Former Chairman of Greaves Cotton and CII, currently Director of BHEL, Shekhar Datta in his Keynote Address made a case that corporates were already helping in nation building by creating jobs, paying taxes.

A panel of judges including US Commercial Officer Dr. Marilyn Taylor selected PepsiCo India/FritoLay Div’s entry Friend of the Farmer Program for the AMCHAM Kolkata Innovative CSR Award, and Oil India Ltd., Assam was runner-up. A compilation of CSR activities was released, with inputs from 18 companies including Acclaris, Coca Cola, GM, Honeywell, Pepsi India, Timken, HSBC, SAIL, Tata Steel.

"Sustainable ISR can actually help in nation building and sustainable CSR can touch more than just the skin of the problem. ISR projects could be more successful as there is passionate involvement of the individual", said Bangalore-based brand strategist Harish Bijoor. Investments in the social sector were required, and not charity. "Corporates should do what they are best at, and not indulge in excess of social responsibility activities. It is up to the government and the society to decide how to spend funds from corporate taxes", said Sugato Marjit, Director of the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences. Companies claimed that as contributors of more than half of the nation’s GDP, they had the right to know how the government took decisions relating to greater social good.

Ford India Vice President Sales, Timothy Tucker pointed out that in the past eight years, Indian companies had consistently ranked among the top three Asian corporates in CSR activities in a study by Asian governments. Ford had launched a pilot of its Megacity Mobility project in Bangalore to offer holistic transport solution based on traffic flow and density data, for which a public-private partnership model involving State agencies was required for effective running of the program, Tucker added. Other speakers were Ms. Shukla Bose, Founder/CEO, Parikrma Foundation and former MD of RCI; Jaydeep Dattagupta of Deloitte & Touche Consulting; Nantoo Banerjee, Consulting Editor, India Press Agency; and Udayan Bose, Chairman of Tamara Capital and Paritosh Joshi, President of Star India Group from Mumbai spoke of CSR, security, need for solidarity and citizens’ action. The debate was moderated by Dr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Editor, Editorial Pages, The Telegraph.

 

December 15, 2008, AMCHAM Kolkata Debate/Panel Discussion on
Corporate Social & Environment Responsibility Inaugural Session in progress

December 15, 2008, AMCHAM Kolkata Debate on Corporate Social & Environment
Responsibility Opening Plenary Talk was delivered by Padma Vibhushan & Nobel
Lauareate Prof. R.K. Pachauri, seen here talking to Chairman Gulshan Sachdev
and Advocacy & Program Committee Chairman Anirudha Lahiri

Speakers at the December 15, 2008, AMCHAM Kolkata Debate on Corporates
Do Not Engage Themselves Deeply Enough in Nation Building – Nantoo Banerjee,
Shukla Bose, Udayan Bose, Moderator Dr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Paritosh Joshi,
Dr. Sugato Marjit, Joydeep Dattagupta, Timothy Tucker, and Harish Bijoor at the podium

December 15, 2008, AMCHAM Kolkata Debate on Corporate Social &
Environment Responsibility Chairman Gulshan K. Sachdev welcoming Chief
Guest Padma Vibhushan & Nobel Laureate Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Director
General, The Energy & Resources Institute

 

The event was covered by major local dailies. Click below to view >>