Awareness Raising and Capacity Building for SMEs on Conducting Environment and Human Rights Due Diligence
Awareness Raising and Capacity Building for SMEs on Conducting Environment and Human Rights Due Diligence
Project Overview
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP-India) and support from the European Union Delegation in India, is organising workshops on sustainability trends, regulations, expectations and tools for Indian Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The workshops specifically look at Business & Human Rights (BHR) principles and provide step by step guidance towards creating effective BHR policy, undertaking Human Rights Due Diligence and grievance redressal mechanisms.
Project Focus:
The project sectors include Indian agro foods and pharmaceutical Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Objectives
The overall objective is to organise capacity building and training workshops on Sustainability, specifically BHR. Specifically, the project intends to
- Enhance understanding of Business & Human Rights per the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights
- Enable SMEs undertake Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD)
- Provide tools and mechanisms to enable SMEs integrate BHR in core operations
- Provide tools and mechanisms to enable SMEs demonstrate responsible business practices and manage stakeholders
EVENTS
1.Responsible Business Workshop for the Agri Food Sector - Shifting Gears: Advancing Sustainability Among Indian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Location: New Delhi
Organised by: Centre for Responsible Business (CRB)
In Collaboration with: Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA), organised a national-level workshop in New Delhi. This multi-stakeholder initiative served as a platform for fostering strategic dialogue and collective action to mainstream sustainability practices within the Indian SME sector. The event brought together a diverse group of participants, including industry experts, thought leaders, SME representatives, and sustainability practitioners. The workshop featured interactive sessions, expert presentations, and case-based discussions focused on enabling SMEs to respond effectively to sustainability imperatives. The dialogues underscored the importance of knowledge dissemination, capacity-building, and collaboration in facilitating this transition.







2. a. Responsible Business Workshop for the Agri Food Sector - Shifting Gears: Advancing Sustainability Among Indian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Date: 24 April 2025
Location: ALEAP Industrial Estate, Hyderabad
Organised by: Centre for Responsible Business (CRB)
In Collaboration with:Â ALEAP We HUb, B+HR UNDP, EU in India
b. Responsible Business Workshop for the pharmaceutical SMEs - Shifting Gears: Advancing Sustainability Among Indian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Date: 25 & 26 April 2025
Location:ALEAP Industrial Estate, Hyderabad
Organised by: Centre for Responsible Business (CRB)
In Collaboration with: ALEAP We HUb, B+HR UNDP, EU in India
The workshop was organised in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India and the Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP), with the objective of training and raising awareness among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on the importance of integrating Business and Human Rights (BHR) principles into core business operations. The collaboration aimed to familiarise participants with global and domestic regulations and expectations related to BHR, introduce practical tools such as Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD), and highlight good practices for responsible business conduct. As part of this initiative, over 20 SMEs from the agriculture and food sector and more than 30 pharmaceutical SMEs were successfully trained and engaged. This effort marks an important step in strengthening the capacity of SMEs to align with emerging BHR frameworks and adopt ethical, resilient, and sustainable business practices.
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3. Shifting Gears - Advancing Sustainability Amongst Indian Businesses
Date: 12 February 2024
Location: Online Workshop
This was an online workshop for business representatives (varied sectors and size) on sustainability trends and expectations. The workshop focused on Business & Human Rights (BHR) and provided tools and guidelines on how to integrate BHR principles in core business operations and demonstrate the same. To bring the business perspective, the workshop brought Speakers from Godrej Group, Gokaldas Exports, SEBI and Integrated Association MSMEs of India. This was attended by over 56 participants.
4. Shifting Gears: Advancing Sustainability Amongst the Indian Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Date: 20 March 2024
Date: 20 March 2024
Location: IIC , Delhi