“Industry being wealth creators need to come forward with new technologies to reduce pollution in cities and create job and tourism opportunities in rural and tribal areas, making development more decentralized”
Says Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India
Eight companies received Outstanding Accomplishment and two companies received Commendation for Significant Achievement in Corporate Excellence; eight companies recognized for Excellence in Environment Management; seven companies were awarded Commendation for Significant Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility; and two companies won for Excellence in Biodiversity and one company awarded Commendation for Significant Achievement in Biodiversity
NEW DELHI, 10 May 2023: Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India recognized the winners for Excellence in Sustainable Business at a special presentation of CII-ITC Sustainability Awards in New Delhi on 10 May 2023.
The minister expressed, there is a need to develop indigenous new technologies with respect to energy, and electric highways and using wastelands from mining activities in a sustainable way. “We can grow bamboo on wasteland and use it to substitute imported coal,” he said.
He emphasized that big corporates need to come forward and build sustainable business models. The honorable minster stated that there is a need to convince people that making hydrogen from water, ethanol etc. is possible and our talent and knowledge pool can be leveraged for this.
He highlighted that adopting a circular economy can significantly bring down manufacturing costs and reduce imports. Recycling metals like copper, aluminium etc. can reduce the auto component manufacturing costs by 20-25%.
Mr. Sanjiv Bajaj, President CII, Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv Limited, expressed that over the past 17 years, over 1100 businesses have applied to these prestigious Awards and 375 have been recognized. All of them play a major part in mainstreaming and embedding sustainability into business practices.
The uniquely credible Awards are layered around 16 aspects and 250 indicators that cover governance, ecology, biodiversity, and social dimensions of doing business. What makes these awards impactful is the integration of all facets of sustainability into business operations.
Congratulating the winners of the 17th CII- ITC Sustainability Awards, Mr. Sanjiv Puri, Vice President, CII, Chairman, Advisory Council, CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and Chairman & Managing Director ITC Ltd. expressed that the winners are a source of inspiration for many others. He added that climate crisis is an issue of great urgency and as businesses we need to collectively rise with innovative solutions for environment sustainability and inclusive growth.
Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII appreciated Shri Nitin Gadkari’s deep involvement with the Indian industry. He highlighted that under his dynamic leadership, many milestones have been achieved by the ministry in terms of sustainable and green initiatives.
These Awards are a part of CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development’s continued efforts to create awareness, promote policy and practices, and create capacity to mainstream sustainability practices. Not only do the Awards help reward exemplary enterprises for their pioneering efforts, but these recognitions also help create beacons of inspiration for others to follow.
The ceremony was attended by some of the most illustrious and distinguished CEOs, Jury and Assessors who came to receive their Awards under various categories.
This year, 79 applicants underwent a rigorous evaluation process that includes on-site assessment by a peer team of CII-certified sustainability assessors, who spent approximately 1,000 man-hours per application over a period of six months. The final shortlist of winning applicants was validated by a pre-eminent jury comprising leaders from government, civil society, and academia.
To get more information about the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards pls visit:
https://sustainabledevelopment.in/brands/cii-itc-sustainability-awards/
About the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development
A pioneering effort by CII, CESD is on a mission to catalyze innovative ideas and solutions, in India, and globally, to enable business, and its stakeholders, in sustainable value creation. Its knowledge, action and recognition activities enable companies to be future ready, improve footprints profiles, and advocate policymakers and legislators to improve standards of sustainable business through domestic and global policy interventions.
CESD leverages its role of an all-inclusive ecosystem player, partnering industry, government, and civil society. It has been a pioneer of environment management systems, biodiversity mapping, sustainability reporting, integrated reporting, and social & natural capital valuation in India, thus upgrading business in India to sustainable competitiveness.