Green Business Practices In India

Submitted to

Submitted by Rishu Sharma Mrs. Saloni diwaan R.NO - 17 Mrs. Aparna sharma MBA(SERVICE MANAGEMENT) , PREVIOUS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT ,KU

INDEX
1)GREEN BUSINESS CENTRE , HYDERABAD 2) FIVE STEPS TO GREEN YOUR BUSINESS 3)BANKING SECTOR A) ICICI BANK 4) IT SECTOR A) WIPR0

India: Green Business Center Activity: Green Business Center Work Plan and Preliminary
Design

Program Area: Urban Energy Implementer: PA Government Services Inc. Geographic Focus: Asia & Near East Country: India Duration: April 2003 September 2003 The Green Business
Center in Hyderabad, India.

Project Background
In November 2003, the U.S. Green Business Council awarded the Green Business Center (GBC) building in Hyderabad, India its Leadership in Environment and Energy Design (LEED) 2.0 Platinum award. LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. The GBC is the first building in the world to receive the Platinum LEED award, making it the most environmentally advanced building in the world. In and of itself, it will be an invaluable marketing tool for the GBC programs and an important stimulus to more environmentally responsible building design and construction. The Green Business Center idea was conceived by USAID/India and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and codified in a joint memorandum between the U.S. and Indian governments during the Presidential visit to India in March 2000. A model clean energy/environmental center was envisioned to promote development of cleaner energy and environmental projects. In order to give shape and substance to the idea, USAID worked with the CII to develop a detailed concept and business plan for the new center. Along with a group of experts from CII, USAID and the Andhra Pradesh government, the contractor led a "design tour" of leading energy and environmental centers across the United States in the winter of 2000. This effort culminated in a plan for a center that would use market forces and business solutions

to address energy, water and environmental problems. It also produced the initial design concepts for a green building to house the GBC.

Development Objective
The broad development objective of the GBC project is to improve the sustainability, productivity and quality of the environment in India in order to increase economic growth and improve the health of its citizens. The specific objective is to create a center of excellence within India that is capable of promoting green business practices, incubating and developing green businesses, and providing training and educational opportunities to businesses across all sectors in the areas of cleaner production, green building sciences, renewable energy, pollution prevention, energy efficiency, and other areas of environmentally responsible development.

USAID Role in Project

Through the partnership model, USAID was able to leverage its initial funds (US$150,000) to gain the contribution of land from the State of Andhra Pradesh (approximate value: US$5 million), contributions from CII members (primarily the Godrej family) to build the GBC building (approximate value: US$2 million), and staff contributions from CII of 25 full-time staff. After USAID saw that the GBC was turning out to be a highly successful project, but needed seed money for program funds, USAID worked with the CII to prepare an application for a Global Development Assistance grant. The application was successful and the CII-GBC received a US$1.3 million matching grant for a three-year period.

Project Activities
The project has now been running for three years and thus there are too many activities to cover in this limited space. The most visible activity has been the design and construction of the GBC building. This building was recently awarded the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum rating by the U.S. Green Building Council under its new version 2.0 and is arguably the most environmentally advanced building in the world. In and of itself, it will be an invaluable marketing tool for the GBC programs and an important stimulus to more environmentally responsible building design and construction. Other activities include an International Green Building Congress held in 2001, a Green Business Summit held in fall 2003, a Water Summit held in December 2003, many other workshops and seminars, and the continuous provision of energy audits to industrial plants.

Project Results
The project has resulted in the creation of a dynamic, worldclass center of excellence for environmentally sustainable business and business solutions to environmental problems. The new Green Business Center is already having a significant impact on the design and construction of new buildings in India, both through its conferences and promotion of LEED rating as well as through the demonstration of green building techniques in its own building. The center is expanding its programs to include critical environmental issues such as agricultural energy and water efficiency, and is progressing toward financial viability.

Development Impact
The GBC is already having a nation-wide impact on the attitudes of the business community toward building environmentally more responsible buildings and through its recent Green Business Summit, is beginning to influence industry opinions regarding corporate environmental responsibility. The GBCs energy audit program also continues to make steady progress in improving the energy efficiency of Indian industries. Other programs are too new to assess their impact but can be expected to be as successful as the other GBC programs. Overall, the GBC provides a model to other states in India, as well as other countries, of a successful effort to promote business solutions to environmental problems.

Lessons Learned
The overriding lesson learned from this project is that in a liberalizing economy there are powerful market forces that USAID can tap into to help countries address developmental issues such as improving the environment and health of its citizens. Tapping these forces requires developing a positive working relationship with industry and demonstrating to businesses how environmental responsibility leads to corporate sustainability and growth. A second lesson is in the effectiveness of public/private partnerships. In public-private partnerships, each party brings necessary resources to the project which it can provide relatively easily but which the others cannot. This creates a healthy inter-dependence, fosters mutual respect, and vastly expands the resources available to the project, thus helping assure its success.

5 Steps To Green Your Business

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Step 1: Learn what it means to be a green business

In this series, we will share a lot about starting and growing a green business. In this article, we learn what exactly it means to be a green business, some terminology, and how to become green.

What is a green business?

A "green business can be defined as an organization that uses renewable resources (environmentally sustainable) and holds itself accountable for the human resource aspect of their activities (socially responsible). Being green requires developing an attitude toward sustainability and practices that can be incorporated into our everyday lives. Being a green business means changing the way a business purchases, develops, produces, and provides products and services so it has a positive impact on the environment. Think of the planet as a warehouse of goods. When you use the goods, you have to pay for them with money or fair trade. When you use the environments resources, you have to pay the environment back to offset your consumption.

What terms do I need to learn?

There are a number of new green terms you will need to familiarize yourself with.

Sustainable / SustainabilitySustainability refers to

three areas, environmental, economic, and social. It is about making choices that meet your needs without compromising the needs of future generations.

Environmental

refers to maintaining the quality and longevity of environmental resources used by the business. This can include energy, water, waste management, emissions, etc. If a business puts back 100% of the natural resources it consumes, it is considered an environmentally sustainable business. This is because it replenishes the very resources it depends on. If a business consumes more resources than nature can replenish, uses too much energy, or causes excess waste / pollution, it is not considered sustainable. Economic Sustainability includes the overall financial model and productivity of a company. The income and expenses must provide for a financially sustainable business. If a business is constantly going deeper into debt, it is not financially sustainable. It also refers to evaluating the products and services you purchase to determine if they are more sustainable or less sustainable. For example, purchasing energy-saving Compact Florescent Lights (CFLs) is considered a more sustainable choice.

Sustainability

Social Responsibility refers to social impact of

a business. It includes ethical principles, giving back to society, health & safety, respect for human rights, equal opportunities, fair compensation, and ensuring a high quality of life. It involves eliminating unethical and corrupt behavior. It involves thoroughly investigating your sources to ensure they provide fair compensation for work performed, provide a safe work environment, and do not violate human rights in the treatment of their workers. It may also include doing things for the local community, educating / helping others, participating in community groups or your local city and chamber of commerce.

Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footp rint refers to your impact on the environment. It refers to measuring how much carbon dioxide does a particular activity, purchase, or product produces. For example, driving a car to the store produces a much larger carbon footprint than does walking to the store, as it produces much more carbon dioxide. Carbon Offsets or Carbon Credits Carbon Offsets or Carbon Credits refers to offsetting your carbon footprint instead of reducing your own carbon footprint. This used to mean planting a lot of trees to offset your carbon output. Today, this means purchasing carbon credits from a company that offsets carbon emissions. This is commonly used to compensate for air travel or use of an automobile. For example, if you take a plane to travel somewhere, you can buy carbon offsets to compensate the environment for your production of carbon dioxide. Be careful

and thoroughly research a company before buying carbon credits.

VOC
VOC refers to Volatile Organic Compounds. These include paints/thinners, dry cleaning chemicals, petroleum products, and tobacco. Sources can also include copy machines, carpets and products containing formaldehyde, such as particle-boardbased furniture and cabinets.

Why do businesses become green?

Some people have heard of global warming and want to learn what they can do about helping to slow the process. Some see other businesses going green and aspire to be as successful. Some simply see it as a market trend while others realize the actual benefits to the planet and future generations. Whatever your motivations are, the planet will appreciate your efforts to not only reduce overall impact on the environment, but efforts to restore it. Business will benefit from it.

How do businesses become green?

Becoming a green business involves a learning curve where business owners learn how other businesses have changed their business practices, then make changes to their own practices that are appropriate to their line of business. It can involve a certification process. Becoming a certified green business can be difficult and confusing, as there are no commonly defined standards. Each organization has its own requirements to qualify. They all require you to go beyond achieving basic regulatory compliance and take additional measures to become sustainable. Some organizations have a standard that they apply to everyone, while others are more flexible and adapt their requirements to your line of business. They all seem to have some common areas for which they judge your business.

Compliance with all environmental regulations Pollution prevention Conserving energy, water and other natural resources Reducing waste Controlling chemicals & hazardous materials Tracking resource use Educating employees and customers Introducing green practices to other businesses Dont forget that you will need a tagline Become Green, Be Green, Stay Green

Some organizations require you to integrate additional practices such as verifying the fair treatment of the human resources used to produce products you buy, use and sell.

Understand the Three Rs

The Three-Rs stand for the hierarchy, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The commonly used symbol of the three Rs is a logo with three rotating arrows. To eliminate your carbon footprint, you must Reduce your Consumption and Waste, Reuse what you have, and Recycle everything you can.

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Step 2: Reduce consumption, waste and pollution

In this step, we will review processes and look for ways to reduce consumption of natural resources and ways to eliminate waste, including conserving energy, reducing water consumption, and reducing waste. Reduce is probably the most important of the Three Rs to focus on initially.

Use these 17 deas to reduce energy usage, water consumption and waste:
1. Turn off lights, install timers or motion sensors 2. Replace incandescent bulbs with Compact Florescent Lights (CFLs) 3. Buy in bulk or buy items with reduced / recyclable packaging 4. Reduce car use, consolidate car trips into one, carpool, ride a bike, take public transit 5. Keep automobiles well maintained and recycle automotive fluids 6. Remove your name from mailing lists: 7. Install low-flush toilets and water restrictors on faucets and shower heads 8. Improve Landscaping Repair broken sprinkler heads, adjust timers, install a drip system, eliminate over watering and runoff, plant drought resistant plants, use mulch to reduce evaporation. 9. Avoid using disposable products, paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins, paper towels, cups

10. Choose longer lasting products 11. Buy energy efficient appliances and durable goods 12. Buy locally-produced goods and buy from local stores 13. Avoid purchasing products that have a lot of packaging or have to be shipped to you 14. Change the chemicals you purchase to ones that have lower impact on the environment, including cleaning supplies, paint, pest control, fertilizer, etc. 15. Chemical Management: Reduce the amounts of hazardous chemicals that you purchase and store to the absolute minimum. Keep chemicals in properly sealed containers stored in a locked closet. Keep an up to date MSDS binder nearby in case of accidents or spills. 16. Have appliances cleaned and serviced regularly to improve performance 17. Check the "Power Save" mode on all electronic devices, including computers, printers, fax machines and copiers.

Step 3: Reuse what you have

In this step, we will look for ways to reuse items. This may require changing your existing methods and replacing disposable items with reusable alternatives.

Ideas for reusing items:

Purchase reusable products, such as rechargeable batteries, washable towels Save packing material you receive and reuse for shipping Use white boards and e-mail to replace sticky notes Print on both sides, write notes on scrap paper Reuse binders and file folders Use reusable shopping bags, provide reusable bags to your customers Use resealable containers instead of plastic bags Refill ink cartridges Use washable towels, cloth napkins If you cant reuse an item, sell it or donate it so someone else gets use out of it

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Step 4: Green your business from the ground up

In this step, we will go beyond the Three Rs and learn how to apply what weve learned to the core business itself. We will list things you can do to make your business greener from the ground up.

Develop a green Mission, Vision and Values statement

State what you believe, your companys green behavior, your core priorities and purpose for going green, and how your organization rises above others by being green.

Integrate green into the business plan

If you are a new business, this is the perfect time to integrate being green into the business plan. If you are an established business, it is time to revisit your business plan and rethink your strategy. Clearly state the ways in which your products or service offerings will be green as well as how the way you do business will be green. State how Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) plays a factor in your purchasing decisions.

Promote being green on your website

Add a separate web page that outlines all that you do to be green. Provide links to any green organizations you belong

to. This is a good place to promote your green mission statement.

Join a group! Get listed!

If you are a certified green business you might consider joining an organization that supports being green and adding your business listing to appropriate websites that promote green businesses. If you are trying to become green, these organizations provide good resources, forums, and ideas on how to solve your particular challenge. There are a number of reputable organizations to choose from.

Green your marketing efforts

Get a business website and e-mail address. Have professional business cards printed on recycled paper and use an environmentally responsible print shop. The same goes for any brochures, flyers, or other printed materials you will use. Leverage e-mail, telephone, voice mail, forums, blogs, and online advertising technologies to help promote your business instead of printed media and mailings. Avoid mass mailing, printed newspapers/magazines and the printed yellow pages. If you do mail out advertisements, use cards or tri-folds instead of envelopes.

Advertise carefully
Be prudent about where you spend your advertising money. There are a number of sites out there that are only in it for the green advertising dollars. There are even predatory

companies that will contact you and try to talk you into featuring your business on their TV show or in their magazine. They will of course have to charge you for TV time or ad space in a little-known magazine. Most sites that list green businesses have low-cost listings available or simply want a reciprocal link on your website, while others offer green content and have paid advertising. Do the research, check them out carefully, and dont get burned. Try starting out getting listed on a few low-cost popular sites to see what the response will be before committing a lot of money to a more costly listing.

Green your purchases

Buying green materials, products and services from local certified green businesses keeps the cycle going and helps you stay green. For items you use a lot of, buy in bulk. For items you use infrequently, but only what you need.

Green your bills

Send electronic bills or e-mail .PDF invoices to your clients instead of sending printed copies in the mail. Develop online forms instead of paper ones. Scan in forms or contracts and e-mail them. Perform banking transactions electronically online or via phone

Encourage others
Offer discounts to other green businesses. Share your successes with other businesses. Offer incentives to those who are trying to be green, such as discounts to other certified green businesses. If you serve drinks, offer a discount to those who bring their own cups. If you have a store front, offer a discount to those who bring their own shopping bags.

Education is key
Teach everyone in your company about your green mission statement, the Three-Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), and leverage their help in making changes to your business processes. You will find that they have a great deal to offer when it comes to green ideas. Use your business to promote being green to your employees, suppliers, customers and the community.

Step 5: Environmental education & networking

some helpful ideas: In this step, we will list ways you can use your business to promote positive environmental and social change. Building synergy with employees, customers, and other businesses will be a key factor in your success. Going green is like a big wave. To keep it moving, it is important for each of us to continue learning about how we can change our ways and to share that information with others. You can use your business as a tool to educate others. In the process, it promotes your business as a positive role model in the business community.

Educate and encourage your employees

Develop a training program that shows ways employees should Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Include steps such as turning off lights in rooms that arent being used, recycling paper, cans, bottles, and make sure to cover proper equipment use, such as power saving settings on computers, copiers, and printers. You might want to provide ongoing incentives to encourage participation. Some tools available to you may include the employee manual/handbook, new employee orientation, newsletters/bulletins, and your internal website (if you have one). You might also consider adding employee participation in your green business program to job descriptions and performance appraisals.

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Educate and encourage

your customers
Through the sale of your products or services, you can let your customers know the importance of going green. Provide them with information on how they can use your products or services in a greener way. Set an example by using green recyclable marketing materials.

Be a good neighbor
Assist at least one other business with becoming green. Help them learn the steps to becoming green. Share your knowledge and experience with them. Take them on a tour of your office to show them what you have done.

Green your suppliers

Work with suppliers that are green businesses. Ask your suppliers how they are green or ask them to share their plans to go green with you. You might be able to build synergy and help each other out in ways you never thought off.

For larger employers

Encourage car pooling, mass transit, biking and walking. Provide a shuttle service to large offsite events. Provide lockers and showers for employees who walk/jog/bike to work. This also helps encourage healthy exercise habits on breaks. Offer a secure location to store bicycles.

Going Green

Our Customers
Banks Green initiatives aimed at customers are driven by the objective of collaborating with each of our customers and making Green a part of all our lives. These initiatives range from Green offerings/ incentives, Green engagement to Green communication to our customers.

Green Products & Services

Instabanking

It is the platform that brings together all our alternate channels under one umbrella and gives customers the convenience of banking anytime anywhere through Internet banking, iMobile banking, IVR Banking. This reduces the carbon footprint of the customers by ensuring they do not have to resort to physical statements or travel to their branches.
-

Vehicle

an initiative towards more environment friendly way of life, Auto loans offers you 50% waiver on processing fee on car models which uses alternate mode of energy. The models identified for the purpose are, Maruti's LPG version of Maruti 800, Omni and Versa, Hyundai's Santro Eco,Civic Hybrid of Honda, Reva electric cars, Tata Indica CNG and Mahindra Logan CNG versions. Each car that hits the road impacts the environment...make an informed choice for a better earth.

Finance-

As

Home Finance- ICICI Home

Finance offers reduced processing fees to customers who purchase homes in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings.

Environmental

Sustainability at Wipro:
'Green IT' and 'IT for Green'

THE BEGINNING OF JOURNEY

WIPRO S

GREEN

Environme ntal Sustainability at Wipro: 'Green The Beginning of Wipro's Green Journey

n 2005, Wipro Infotech (Wipro), the integrated information technology solutions arm of Wipro Limited, was indicted by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board for dumping huge volumes of hazardous electronic waste in illegal recycling units in Bangalore...

The Eco-Eye

The eco-eye blueprint embraced several goals to reduce the organization's carbon footprint, manage its water and energy efficiently, develop new benchmarks in recycling waste, minimize the use of hazardous substances, become ecologically sustainable, and motivate all employees to follow green practices in their professional and personal lives...

Green Buildings
Extending its greening mission to physical infrastructure, Wipro adhered to the LEED specifications developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Two of Wipro's premises -- at Gurgaon (near Delhi) and Kochi in Kerala -- had been certified as green buildings by USGBC, with a Platinum rating for Gurgaon and a Gold rating for Kochi...

Green Data Centers and Virtualization

Typically, in any information technology organization, the data center is a storehouse of information but it is power hungry and is often criticized by environmentalists for its high energy consumption..

Energy Conservation
At the workstation level, Wipro introduced an enterprisewide policy to substitute CRT monitors with LCD monitors. Bringing in nearly 32,000 LCD monitors, Wipro realized an energy savings of 66 per cent per desktop...

Green Testing Lab Wipro had

established a dedicated testing laboratory to help customers in the telecom industry test and develop green equipment...

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Wipro undertook several proactive initiatives such as: Carbon Disclosure Project for reporting its internal carbon footprint Getting the ISO 14001 certification Ensuring that its facilities were rated as green buildings Reducing employee and management travel

Services and Solutions

Besides guiding customers to turn their power-intensive data centers into environment friendly information storehouses, Wipro also offered comprehensive water treatment solutions and renewable energy solutions to a wide spectrum of industries...

Greenware - Green Hardware from Wipro

In 2007, Wipro became the first IT company in India to launch eco-friendly desktops and notebook computers that adhered to the RoHS (restriction of hazardous substances) regulation specified by the European Union (EU). There was no legislation in India at that time on the usage of RoHS...

A Green and Rosy Future?

In November 2008, in the fifth Indian version of the Guide to Green Electronics Report of Greenpeace India, Wipro scored 3.92/10, securing the second place among Indian electrical and electronic equipment manufacturers with HCL Technologies securing the first place (Refer to Exhibit IV for the green initiatives of HCL Technologies)...