Events Details
2023
India and Sustainabitity Standards, India and Habitat Centre, New Delhi, 6 - 8 November, 2023
Centre for Responsible Business ‘s annual conference India and Sustainability Standards successfully concluded on 8th November.
The event was attended by 1200+ delegates, 50+ partners, and 150+ speakers. Started in 2013, India and Sustainability Standards is a collaborative event, where diverse stakeholders converge to dialogue and develop roadmaps across key sustainability issues and industry sectors for building the momentum towards Sustainability. This year’s conference theme was ‘Solutions for Sustainability & Inclusivity: Policy, Innovation & Collaboration’.
Reckitt workshop, Reckitt & CRB & Earthworm Foundation, Delhi, 26th October, 2023
Reckitt, CRB, and the Earthworm Foundation hosted a closed workshop on 26 October 2023, focusing on sustainable palm oil production.
Driving Positive Impacts in the Apparel and Textile Sector through Transparency and Net Zero, 17th October, 2023
Solidaridad, regenagri, CITI (The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry) & Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) hosted the Business Roundtable on ‘Driving Positive Impacts in the Apparel and Textile Sector through Transparency and Net Zero’ on October 17, 2023, in Bengaluru. Stakeholders present at the Roundtable were informed by the Alliance of Cotton and textile Stakeholders on Regenerative Agriculture (ACRE). Emphasis was laid on the opportunity to engage with ACRE via multi-stakeholder collaboration.
Building Capacity to Transition to Net-Zero, ALEAP & CRB, Webinar, 9th October 2023
On 9th October a series of conversations took place with MSMEs in India as they geared up for reducing their emissions’ footprint. This webinar was organised by Centre for Responsible Business and the SME Climate Hub.
MSMEs Capacity Building on Race to Net-Zero, SME Climate Hub & Women On Wings & CRB, Webinar, 29 September 2023
ISS Curtain Raiser - Solutions for Sustainability and Inclusivity: Policy, Innovation and Collaboration, Centre For Responsible Business, Bangalore, Karnataka, 15 September 2023
Stakeholder Dialogue on Digitisation for Accelerating Sustainable Development Goals in Karnataka, EU Delegation to India $ Indian Institute of Management Bangalore &CRB, Bangalore, Karnataka, 14 September 2023
On 14 September 2023, the Centre for Responsible Business and Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to India and globalgateway, hosted a “Stakeholder Dialogue on Digitalisation for Accelerating Sustainable Development Goals in Karnataka.” The event was a success, bringing together stakeholders from academia, industry, and entrepreneurs to discuss the role of digitalisation in achieving the SDGs in Karnataka.
To read the Stakeholder Dialogue on Digitalisation for Accelerating Sustainable Development Goals in Karnataka report click here.
The Role of Technology in the Circular Economy: Can innovative solutions help us overcome the challenges? International council for Circular Economy, Virtual, 8 September 2023
Devyani Hari was invited to the webinar discussion titled “The Role of Technology in Circular Economy: Can Innovative Solutions Help Us Overcome the Challenges?” on September 8, 2023. The key highlights of the discussion were on how innovation and the acceptance of novel solutions can help us overcome the challenges faced during the transition.
MSMEs Capacity Building on Race to Net-Zero, SME Climate Hub & IamSME of India & CRB, Faridabad, Delhi NCR, 31 August 2023
For the event shown above please use this content: The Centre for Responsible Business, SME Climate Hub, and IamSMEofIndia co-hosted an event titled “MSMEs Capacity Building on Race to Net-Zero” in Faridabad, India, on August 31, 2023. The workshop on MSMEs Capacity Building on Race to Net-Zero aimed to provide a platform for MSMEs, policymakers, and other stakeholders to share experiences, best practices, and challenges in transitioning towards low-carbon business models. Additionally, the workshop explored various capacity-building approaches, including training and education, financial incentives, and policy support.
MSMEs Capacity Building on Race to Net-Zero, SME Climate Hub &The Insititute of Indian Foundrymen Belgaum Foundation Cluster & CRB, Belgaum, Karnataka, 25 August 2023
The Centre for Responsible Business and SME Climate Hub co-hosted an event at the Convention Hall, Belgaum Foundry Cluster, Belgaum, Karnataka, India on Friday, August 25th, 2023, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm and followed by another session from 7:30 pm. The event was titled “MSMEs Capacity Building on Race to Net-Zero”. The workshop aimed to provide a platform for MSMEs, policymakers, and other stakeholders to share experiences, best practices, and challenges encountered during the transition toward low-carbon business models. It explored various approaches to capacity building, encompassing training, education, financial incentives, and policy support. The Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF) Belgaum Chapter provided industry association support for this event.
ISS Curtain Raiser - Solutions for Sustainability and Inclusivity: Policy, Innovation and Collaboration, Pune, Maharasthra, 24 August 2023
The Centre for Responsible Business is excited to announce its first #IndiaandSustainabilityStandards Curtain Raiser event, co-hosted by Mahindra Lifespaces, titled ‘Solutions for Sustainability and Inclusivity: Policy, Innovation, and Collaboration.’ This event will take place in Mumbai on August 24th, running from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM IST. To read the ISS Curtain Raiser report click here
16th Edition of Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry Environment and Energy Conclave, New Delhi, 23 August 2023
CRB moderated a session on “Sustainable Approaches and Circular Economy” at the 16th Edition of Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Environment and Energy Conclave. The panel consisted of a diverse array of participants including businesses, technical and subject matter experts, representatives from academia, and international organizations.
Multi-stakeholder Dialogue for Collaborative Actions on Sustainable Production and Consumption in Maharashtra, Pune, Maharasthra, 22 August 2023
On 22 August 2023, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and the Centre for Responsible Business co-hosted a Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG 12) in Pune, Maharashtra. The event was organised with the support of the EU Delegation to India and was attended by over 50 participants from different industry sectors and academia. The event discussed the challenges and opportunities for promoting sustainable consumption and production in Maharashtra. The participants shared their experiences and insights on how to reduce waste, conserve resources, and create a more sustainable future.
To read the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG 12) report click here.
Towards Effective Implementation of Mission LiFE: from Consumer Duties to Consumer Rights, New Delhi, 10th Aug 2023
The Delegation of the European Union to India & Centre for Responsible Business hosted an event ‘Towards Effective Implementation of Mission LiFE: From Consumer Duties to Consumer Rights’. The event was held in New Delhi (Hybrid) on 10th August 2023. This event aimed to bring together a distinguished gathering of experts including Dr. Michael Bucki, Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi, Dr. Manish Pande, Urmi Goswami, Madhuri Nanda, Ph.D., Vimlendu Jha, Yugal Kishore Joshi, Neha Tomar, to reflect upon successful EU and Indian examples of how eco-labels and other market and policy instruments could contribute to the Mission LiFE initiative principles and priorities. The event fostered collaborative action planning, providing stakeholders with an opportunity to develop sustainable strategies that advanced the cause of responsible consumption. The idea of LiFE Mission is an amalgamation of action of individuals, private sector along with enabling policy environment.
MSMEs Capacity Building on Race to Net-Zero, Hyderabad, 4th Aug 2023
Centre for Responsible Business and SME Climate Hub Hosted an event at Nimsme in Hyderabad on August 4th on “MSMEs Capacity Building on Race to Net-Zero”
Purpose Beyond Profit: Reimagining Global Value Chains for Inclusive Green Growth , July 6, 2023, at Marriott Shillong, Meghalaya
Centre for Responsible Business recently curated a session titled “Purpose Beyond Profit: Reimagining Global Value Chains for Inclusive Green Growth” during the recent T20 India Side event – Nature Solves: A New Framework for Our Sustainable Future, on July 6, 2023, at Marriott Shillong, Meghalaya.
The event brought together esteemed senior practitioners and professionals: R P Gurung, Sukanya Narain, Sabyasachi Dutta, Neha Kumar, Tim Bosch , Devyani Hari, Nicolas J.A. Buchoud, the forum aimed at identifying pathways and establishing new self-sustaining networks for further collaborative actions, ensuring nature-positive economic development for the North-eastern region of India and beyond.
G20, T20 , ORF , MEGHALAYA BASIN MANAGEMENT AGENCY MBMA ,Centre for Responsible Business, Government of Meghalaya
Watch the full session here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FeaHT34ZE0&list=PLlB_u_C13lPsmxJtyzmSuZQIx1UmZBbwA&index=5
Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on sustainability and SDGs in the North Eastern Region, 31st May 2023
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) and the Media Management Group for Literacy and Development (MMGLD) successfully hosted the “Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on sustainability and SDGs in the North Eastern Region” on May 31, 2023, in Guwahati, Assam. This event marked the second gathering in a series of roundtables organized by CRB with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to India.
The event brought together senior practitioners from the government, businesses, CSOs, and entrepreneurs, who gathered to identify potential ideas for collaborative actions on specific SDGs, with a particular emphasis on women entrepreneurship, youth, and empowerment.
The primary objective of these roundtables was to explore opportunities for strengthening collaboration between CSOs, businesses, the government, and other key stakeholders on Sustainability and SDGs.
To read the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on sustainability and SDGs in the North Eastern Region report click here.
Stakeholder Conclave on Sustainable Palm Oil, 24th May 2023 -
The Centre for Responsible Business successfully concluded the event ‘Stakeholder Conclave on Sustainable Palm Oil’ hosted by The Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition for India (I-SPOC), which took place on May 24, 2023, in New Delhi.
The event aimed to deliberate and gather inputs from relevant stakeholders, including government, businesses, and policymakers, on the integration of sustainability into the domestic production of palm oil in India, with a specific focus on the National Mission on Edible Oils—Oil Palm (NMEO-OP). In addition, The event brought together key stakeholders from the government, businesses, and policymakers to discuss the integration of sustainability practices in India’s domestic palm oil production.
Multi-stakeholder Dialogue for Collaborative Actions on Sustainability and SDGs, 8th May 2023
Centre for Responsible Business and The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted an event titled “Multi-stakeholder Dialogue for Collaborative Actions on Sustainability and SDGs” on May 8, 2023, in Kolkata, India. This event was part of a series of roundtables organized by CRB across four cities in India, with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to India.
The main objective of the dialogue was to foster deeper collaboration among Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), businesses, government bodies, and other stakeholders in order to expedite the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event in Kolkata gathered distinguished speakers and senior-level practitioners from the state government to explore potential ideas for collaborative actions targeting specific SDGs.
To read the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue for Collaborative Actions on Sustainability and SDGs report click here.
9th Members Meeting, 12th April 2023
I-SPOC conducted its 9th Members Meeting on 12th April 2023 in Mumbai.More than 20 organisations attended the meeting.Other than giving an overview of the activities of I-SPOC and collecting insights from members and observers regarding achievements, issues, challenges and support needed, there was a launch of two knowledge products namely; Policy Input Note on Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation – Production of Sustainable Palm Oil in India and Practitioner & Guide on Mitigating Risks in Financial Agro Commodities at the meeting.
India and Fashion Forum, February 28 - 01 March, 2023
At India Fashion Forum 2023, the Centre for Responsible Business co-hosted a session titled “BRANDS WITH PURPOSE: TIME TO WALK THE TALK” on 1 March 2023 at Conrad Bengaluru. The session focused on discussing the power and urgency of sustainable fashion initiatives that create real and lasting value in Indian markets. During the session, the speakers highlighted the fashion industry sustainability landscape and launched the INDIA BUSINESS OF FASHION REPORT 2023 (IBFF), the first study on 100 Global Green Initiatives in Fashion.
Decoding Sustainability: Integrating Sustainability into Everyday Life, 27 January 2023
2022
India Food Forum 2022, 9th and 8 th December 2022
WWF-India and CRB represented I-SPOC at the India Food Forum 2022 which was held on 7-8 December 2022 at the Westin Mumbai, Powai Lake. I-SPOC booth (A01) was installed at the exhibition area. In the event Rijit Sengupta from CRB and Sanjana Das with Rittika Barua from WWF-India represented I-SPOC at the India Food Forum 2022. Senior officials from DBL, Aishwari Agro Foods, Plant Based Industry Association amongst others visited the I-SPOC booth during the event.
Reclaim to Regenerate: Towards Regenerative Cotton Sector in India, 29th November 2022
CRB had entered into a partnership with Solidaridad to promote regenerative agricultural practices starting with the cotton sector in india. Solidaridad Asia , Centre for responsible business and Regenagri launched the first regenerative cotton alliance in India – alliance of cotton & textile stakeholders on regenerative agriculture (acre) in Nagpur.
The objectives of the events were to:
● To discuss the broader dimensions of Regenerative Cotton in India.
● To convene key stakeholders and deliberate and identify roles of different stakeholders to
promote regenerative cotton in India
● To discuss the potential roadmap for Regenerative Cotton in India and announce the
Declaration for the cotton program in Nagpur
IVPA-CRB-RSPO event, 18th - 19th November 2022
The event was organized in association with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) which focused on bringing together edible oil experts, researchers, technologists and industry players having major stake in Vegetable Oils and Oilseeds. The program included specific lectures, roundtable and panel discussions related to Market dynamics, Supply & Demand, Self Sufficiency in Veg Oil, Oil Palm and Sustainability issues, among others. The meeting also hosted an exhibition space, in parallel.
2nd November - 4th November 2022 - India and Sustainability Standards 2022
The theme of this year’s event was “Prioritising Nature and People in Business to Create Measurable Impacts”. The conference convened international and Indian businesses, policymakers and other stakeholders to discuss, deliberate and develop roadmaps across key sustainability issues and industry sectors – in supporting the momentum towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
13th October 2022 - Shaping sustainability systems to achieve sustainability goals online workshop
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), ISEAL and VSS Collaboration India hosted the workshop. During this workshop, inputs were shared to help shape the Code and the future performance of sustainability systems to support the needs of companies, from multinationals to small producers. The aim of the workshop was to understand the fundamentals of credible sustainability systems, how they could help companies achieve sustainability goals, and how they should be responding to developments in the sustainability landscape.
Progress Closing Event, 20 Sept 2022
| Event Name | Partner | Location | Event Date |
| PROGRESS Closing Event | Aston & IDRC | Delhi | 20-Sep-22 |
Emerging Trends in Sustainability, Responsibility & Due Diligence – Unlocking Potential for Businesses in South Asia, 15 sept 2022
The purpose of this panel discussion was to deliberate on the emerging global trends and
expectations and assess the preparedness of South Asian businesses. The Panel elaborated on the global shift and focus on human rights and environment impacts in business operations and reflected on ways businesses can enhance competitiveness with respect to ESG indicators and thereby amplify market access and investments. Read the full discussion here
Collectively Building Sustainable and Resilient Global Value Chains, 7 sept 2022
The Centre for Responsible Business and CSR-Europe organized a panel discussion entitled “Collectively Building Sustainable and Resilient Global Value Chains”, with the aim of initiating a dialogue on how should countries that are part of global value chains collaborate to achieve common goals on sustainability and resilience? What has been the experiences in such collaboration, and what are key lessons for the future? This dialogue was part of a project being undertaken by CRB in partnership with the Aston Business School, UK and with support from IDRC, Canada.
The objectives of the seminar were to:
- Reflect on recent key developments shaping Sustainable Global Value Chains
- Discuss the role of different actors in Global Value Chains
- Examine how have Global Value Chain Actors Collaborated and what are some lessons learned
- Discuss and design specific Call to Action to promote Collaboration on Sustainable and Resilient Global Value Chains
Inspire and Mobilise Action to Reduce Food Losses in Retail Supply Chains, 6 sept 2022
| Event Name | Partner | Location | Event Date | Objective of the Event |
| Inspire and Mobilise Action to Reduce Food Losses in Retail Supply Chains | WRI | New Delhi | 6-Sep-22 | WRI India, CRB and FOLU India Coalition are organizing this consultation to focus on understanding scope, challenges, and opportunities for reducing food loss in the context of the retail value chain in India. |
Dialogue on Advancing Sustainability and Responsible Business in the North Eastern region 9th July 2022
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB – www.c4rb.org) and Media Management Group
for Literacy & Development (MMGLD – www.mmgld.in) are keen to facilitate dialogue and
actions on Sustainability and Responsible Business in the North Eastern region of India, to
meet the interest of the local people, economy and the environment. Read the full discussion here
Mapping and Conceptualising of EU CSR and Sustainability Action Platform in India Report release on 29th June 2022
CRBand the delegation of the European Union to India released the report, “Mapping and Conceptualising of EU CSR and Sustainability Action Platform in India.”
Awareness and Capacity Building on Sustainable Electronics on 27th June, 2022
Awareness session was organized for employees of BHEL electronics division as part of world environment month.
Consultation with Ahmedabad RMG Suppliers 15 June 2022
A consultation with RMG suppliers in Ahmedabad cluster. The discussion revolved around the challenges faced by suppliers, social sustainability, it’s risk to the business and possible solutions.
A regional consultation to 'explore feasibility of a value chain alliance for bamboo in the northeast' with WRI India 8 June 2022
Discussion with Tiruppur RMG Exporters 8 June 2022
A productive discussion with Tiruppur rmg exporters on the existing compliance system, self-Assessment, challenges the local industry faces, environment and social sustainability and co-creation of industry-led initiatives.
International resource panel (irp) the 10 yfp forum 2022 31st May, 2022
Rijit Sengupta, CEO- CRB, spoke at a session hosted during the one planet network – 10yfp forum. The session focused on the role consumer information can play in enabling the required transformations towards scp, highlighting current challenges, and discussing key solutions to increase the effectiveness of consumer information and how to upscale the best available tools to drive more substantial changes.
Retailers leadership summit on 28th April 2022
CRB supported WWF ndia at retailers leadership summit on 28th April 2022. An insightful panel discussion was held on incorporating responsible sourcing in retail supply chains
Quarterly Partners Meeting FOLU India CREST 26 April 2022
After the official launch of the CREST initiative at the India Sustainability Standards conference held in 2021, a quarterly Partners’ Meeting under FOLU India CREST program was organised on 26 April, 2022. The lead up to the partners meeting entailed the holding of Stakeholderconsultations. During this time, Centre for Responsible Business was identified as the Co- ordinating Unit for FOLU CREST. An agenda of the meeting was shared with all partners prior to the meeting. Read the full discussion here
Meeting with Owners of Apparel Export Factories in Jaipur Apparel & Textile Cluster 23 April 2022
CRB and UNICEFIndia with support from AGES Jaipur gathered to discuss making the Jaipur rmg industry a family-friendly and sustainable model cluster.
Circular apparel paper release on 19th April 2022
CRB released its paper on circular apparel in India on 19th April 2022 . CRB has developed this report to identify priority areas for circular economy interventions in the Indian textile and apparel value chain. It aims at delivering an aggregated understanding of the sector and stakeholder perspectives, as well as at informing policy on circular economy integration.
Disability inclusion in south asia : perspective for labour market (in collaboration with fnf) 24 March, 2022
8th meeting of voluntary sustainable standard collaboration india 9 February 2022
The 8th meeting of voluntary sustainable standard collaboration india was held on 9 february 2022 virtually. This meeting’s focus was on “vss and climate change in india”. It was attended by prominent leaders from different industries who are working on sustainability and issues related to climate and climate change in india. The steps taken by the indian government to address the issue such as highlighting a pathway to reduce the use of fossil fuels, lower carbon intensity, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 were also discussed. The role of the vss collaboration india in supporting the vss organisations to achieve india’s climate ambitions by 2070 was also highlighted. View the recording here.
2021
Accelerating and Reinforcing Transformative change for Societal Resilience, 27th - 29th Oct 2021
Circular Economy (CE) considerations (design out waste & pollution; keep materials and products in use, and regenerate natural systems) are emerging as a key factor in facilitating a resource efficient, resilient and equitable growth for countries involved in global supply chains. While the discourse on CE principles has primarily emanated from countries in the Global North, countries in the Global South, as major producer economies, have different incentives and needs when it comes to applying CE principles. There is need for awareness and capacity building, technology and business model innovation, more conducive policies and regulations and availability of requisite finance. CE principles also provide the opportunity to facilitate inclusive and equitable growth through creation of new employment opportunities, upskilling/reskilling and factoring in the requirements of just transition.
To ensure sustainability of operations keeping in mind the identity and values of SMEs, the webinar titled, “Unpacking Business and Human Rights for SMEs – The forefront to steer Responsible Business Conduct across industries”, co–organised by Centre for Responsible Business and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) South Asia, endeavours to address the topics of relevance, expectations and implications of Business and Human Rights for SMEs through a webinar series.
Rijit Sengupta, Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), shared his views on Food Loss and Waste at the webinar on Fostering Friends of Champions 12.3 in India organised by WRI India. CRB has recently authored a Briefing Paper on Food Loss and Waste
His insights at the webinar include that businesses need to be engaged with the SDGs and calls for better capacity building on the business case of addressing Food Loss and Waste.
Furthermore, he shared that the principles of Circular Economy can be applied in the approach of addressing Food Loss and Waste and that there is a need for a dedicated policy at the national level.
With the goal of enabling change, helping businesses and governments to be more responsible and ethical by adapting sustainable practices, the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), and the Melton Foundation organized a panel discussion on the topic “Rethinking Sustainable Consumption and Production: Shifting Business and Consumption Patterns”.
This informative session included speakers from businesses, academia, research organizations working on sustainability and sustainable development. One Planet network – 10YFP and Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy – India were among the key panelists.
Catch the conversation here.
I-SPOC Open Day, 23rd June 2021
- Building a business case – how to develop a business case for sustainable palm oil,
- Marketing – communication and branding
- Research – availability and access to information on sustainable palm oil, awareness creation and capacity building and
- Sustainability initiatives – Relevant sustainability initiatives on Sustainable Palm Oil by various stakeholders
CRB, with support from The Refashion Hub and Water Management Forum (under Institute of Engineers India), is working on a campaign on increasing awareness among stakeholders about wastewater reuse, especially in the textile sector in India. CRB organized a multi-stakeholder workshop on various aspects of wastewater reuse and how it can be supported through policies and incentives. Catch the full conversation here.
Read more about the initiative here.
Inclusive Finance India Summit, 22nd April 2021
Devyani Hari represented CRB as a speaker for the Inclusive Finance India Summit session on Sustainable Finance, organised by ACCESS ASSIST. She shared her views on practicing Sustainable Finance & what it means for financial institutions.
TEEB-AgriFood for Business training program, offered by the Capitals Coalition in collaboration with the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), is an opportunity for businesses to learn and hone skills to measure and value their business’ impacts and dependencies on natural, social and human capital. Guiding them through each stage of the TEEBAgriFood Operational Guidelines a tool for businesses, this program aimed to arm businesses with the knowledge to identify the risks and opportunities associated with their business’ interaction with the capitals, and learn how to integrate and apply these considerations into their business decision making.
Consumer Assisto International Conference, 15th March 2021
On the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day, Rijit Sengupta represented CRB as a panelist at the Consumer Assisto International Conference, and shared his views on the present & future of consumerism & role of sustainable living.
Retailers Association of India’s Retail Leadership Summit 2021, 24th February 2021
CRB and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) were the silver partners for Retailers Association of India’s Retail Leadership Summit 2021. Rijit Sengupta, represented CRB as a panelist for the discussion on, ‘Leadership in Sustainable Sourcing – How to transition to certified Sustainable Palm Oil in India.’
The One Planet Network – 10YFP and the International Resource Panel (IRP) have released a new report on the Value Chain Approach to action on sustainable consumption and production SCP. The purpose is to identify key points of intervention within economic systems to reduce natural resource use and environmental impacts caused by production and consumption to define a common agenda for action. The report shares findings from its application to three critical sectors: food, construction and textiles. Read the report here and learn more about this action-oriented approach.
CRB & the Capitals Coalition co-hosted a virtual roundtable discussion to review and discuss the Agri-food Operational Guideline that has been developed by Capitals Coalition under the aegis of The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity for Agriculture and Food (TEEB AgriFood). The guidelines were presented to a wide range of stakeholders, and participants were given the opportunity to learn, provide comments and input into the development process.
2020
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) together with Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) & Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) organized a webinar on “Responsible Business: Practitioners Guide to Business & Human Rights”, on 10th December 2020. Nandini Sharma represented CRB for the discussions & dialogue.
CRB organized a virtual workshop on ‘Delivering on SDGs: Aligning action by the Global North with Southern priorities’ on 10th December 2020 under the aegis of PROGRESS project. The session with two parallel sessions was focused on ‘decent work & gender equality in global value chains’ and ‘managing food loss & food waste – a multi-stakeholder approach’.
TX-PROGRESS-GLOW Korero-Roundtable discussion was organized by CRB under the aegis of the PROGRESS Project (c4rb.org/progress) in collaboration with Traidcraft Exchange & Project G.L.O.W. The discussion explored what resilient livelihood structures could look like in the context of a pandemic/post-pandemic world.
Bhavya Sharma represented CRB as the youth leader to collaborate & find collective climate solutions. The Youth for Sustainability (YfS) India Alliance brings together like-minded youth-oriented organisations focused on SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 13 – Climate Action on a common national platform in the form of an Alliance to help India achieve its targets under SDG 12 and 13 with the youth as the accelerator. CRB is actively working as the member of the alliance.
The three-day conference brought together over 200 speakers from across the world, over 60 partner organisations committed to the theme of the conference – as they dissected and discussed a number of critical sustainability issues across the 28 thematic and sectoral sessions. Four high-level plenary sessions brought the most experienced practitioners from government, industry, civil society and academia to discuss complex issues around – (i) designing an enabling ecosystem for business behaviour; (ii) role of businesses post COVID19 in creating sustainable and inclusive recovery; (iii) strengthening business disclosure and leadership and (iv) building a responsible forest economy.
Catch the conversation and discussion of CRB’s Annual Flagship India & Sustainability Standards Conference 2020 here.
Find the conference booklet here.
The webinar was organized by CRB together with RAI, RSPO & I-SPOC with the aim to explore the business case for sustainable procurement in food retail in India. The discussion addressed supply chain risks & transparency along with consumer trends.
Event on ‘Private Sector Contribution to the Decade of Action: Catalyzing Collaboration across the Global North & South’, 30th September 2020
CRB together with World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), co-hosted a parallel event at UNGA2020 titled, ‘Private Sector Contribution to the Decade of Action: Catalyzing Collaboration across the Global North & South’. The event explored how we can ensure closer alignment between the North & South to facilitate concerted and accelerated action on sustainability, how international businesses and their partners can expect to collaborate post COVID19 given changes to global value chains, what kinds of collaborative models/approaches have worked, and how future collaborations & stakeholder engagements are likely to develop.
CRB held a national-level workshop on how public policy can enable and accelerate circular economy transition in the apparel and textile industry in India, in partnership with Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF) & Fashion For Good & supported by Laudes Foundation. Findings on cluster-level challenges to circularity, their solutions and relevant policy support were presented, followed by a panel discussion by representatives from the Government as well as industry experts. Need for R&D, industry benchmarking, shared responsibility and accounting for embedded natural resources emerged as some of the important themes.
CRB was the cooperating partner for the 8th World Sustainability Forum 2020. The themes for the year 2020 were:
- Food Security and Agriculture
- Mobility and Transport
CRB, along with CAIF and FFG, held this workshop to solicit inputs from stakeholders from the apparel and textile sector in Tamil Nadu, on priority issues and solutions required for a transition towards circular economy. Policy intervention ideas were also discussed, which could help a sector-wide transition in the state. The workshop was attended by manufacturers, innovators, brands, and government agencies from Tirupur, Coimbatore, Karur, etc.
Webinar on, ‘Circular Apparel & Textile – A Strategy for Better Preparedness’, 20th July 2020
The webinar was organized by Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya, Indore together with CRB & The Textile Association of India. The agenda of the webinar was to provide an overview of the apparel & textile sector & impact of COVID19. Various aspects of circularity in apparel & textile & promotion of sustainable development in the sector were discussed.
CRB convened the fifth meeting of the VSS Collaboration India (a coalition of VSS organisations working in India) on July 2, 2020. The objective was to discuss and learn from the perspectives and experiences of the VSS organisations over the course of the pandemic and the lockdown. The discussions covered the following: Understanding the impacts of COVID19 on business continuity and sustainable business practices in India Discussions on COVID19’s impact on VSS organisations & mitigation measures – sharing of experiences Perspectives and suggestions from VSS organisations to ‘Build Back (Forward) Better’
CRB hosted a virtual roundtable discussion on ‘COVID19 & its Impact on Food Waste – a multi-stakeholder dialogue’ on 19th June 2020. The webinar discussed the impacts on the agricultural value chain – specifically the problem of food waste due to COVID19 and how policies, private sector initiatives & ground-level interventions can help find lasting solutions, especially in the context of SDG12 – Sustainable Consumption & Production.
CRB at the NIFT Webinar on ‘Significance on Information & Communication Technology in Integrating Sustainability during COVID19 Lockdown’, 29th May 2020
A workshop on ‘Significance on Information & Communication Technology in integrating Sustainability during COVID-19 lockdown’ on 29th May 2020, organised by NIFT Delhi, was moderated by Rijit Sengupta, CEO, CRB. The webinar saw eminent speakers who discussed how the ICT sector has incorporated sustainability in India; and emerging/new ways of promoting sustainability post COVID-19.
To mark the launch of TEEBAgriFood business implementation project by UNEP in India, a webinar was organised by CRB together with The Capitals Coalition on 29th April 2020.
The Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition for India (I-SPOC) organised its third meeting of Members virtually on 24th April 2020, which was attended by the Members and Observers of the Coalition. Representatives from 20 organisations and businesses came together to discuss the government policy, supply chains and consumer behavior involved in the uptake of sustainable palm oil in India. The objective of this meeting was to formally introduce the members to their Working Group and their Group Chairs and finalize the Action Plan 2020-21.
The media can play a critical role in creating awareness and sensitizing businesses, consumers and other stakeholders on the concept of ‘businesses with purpose’. Understanding the importance of media engagement, a webinar was organised on the theme “Businesses with Purpose Future-Proofing Businesses in a Post COVID-19 World” by CRB, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and WWF-India on 16th April 2020. The webinar saw various actors from the field of businesses, media, think tanks and civil societies express their thoughts and opinions on media and businesses working together during and post the pandemic to push the sustainability agenda forward collectively. They also mentioned that efforts like creating awareness, helping consumers as well as businesses understand sustainability and sustainable growth can create demand for sustainable goods and intensify sustainable business practices.
The fourth meeting of the CRB initiative was held on 18th March 2020 at New Delhi. CRB started this initiative to enable better and closer cooperation among Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) organisations working in India on issues of common interest. VSS organisations participated in this meeting & shared their contributions towards SDGs in India. Sundar N Mishra from NITI Aayog also participated in the meeting.
CRB at the First South Asian Conference on Sustainability in Textile & Apparel Industry 2020, 3rd March 2020
Devyani Hari, Director Programmes, CRB, spoke on the opportunities in Circular Apparel, emergency trends, challenges and the way forward at the First South Asian Conference on Sustainability in Textile & Apparel Industry 2020 held on 3rd March 2020.
Enabling Child and Human Rights with SEED Organisations ECHO event, 2nd March 2020
Devyani Hari, Director Programmes, CRB spoke on Decent Work place standards in the Seed Supply chain and addressed responsible agri supply chains at the ECHO event.
CRB organized a half-day workshop on Circular Economy in Karnataka’s Textile and Apparel sector on 19 February 2020 in Bengaluru, in association with Intellecap and Fashion For Good. The workshop saw participation from spinning mills, brands, start-ups, apparel manufacturers and the state government. The participants brainstormed on challenges in the state’s textile ecosystem against a circular economy transition, and what policy interventions could enable such a transition. The workshop provided CRB with input from relevant stakeholders to identify and propose policy intervention ideas to the state government.
CRB and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) announced the Youth for Sustainability (YfS) fellowship in January 2020 to offer an opportunity to the youth (students and young professionals) to take charge by engaging and shaping the sustainability/SDG agenda based on their own ideas and actions. The fellowship seeks to engage youth specifically on SDG 12 (responsible production and consumption) and SDG 13 (climate action) linking it to the uptake of sustainable palm oil. An orientation meeting for the selected fellows was organized on 17th Feb 2020 at CRB’s office.
‘Financing Local Green Enterprises- Building A Stake of Micro Enterprises in India’s Transition to an Inclusive Green Economy' at the Green Economy Coalition's Global Annual Meeting, 6th February 2020
The Centre for Responsible Business & The Global Green Growth Institute facilitated a session on ‘Financing Local Green Enterprises – Building a Stake of Micro Enterprises in India’s Transition to an Inclusive Green Economy’ at the Green Economy Coalition’s Global Annual Meeting held in New Delhi. The session aimed to consolidate policy asks for ease of financing LGEs. The roundtable participants delved deeper into identified challenges, and explored the potential of new financing models, instruments, regulations and fiscal measures to support LGEs financing. The summary and key recommendations of the session will be shared with the Ministry of MSMEs and UN-PAGE India team will be incorporated in the national policy frameworks and the action plan of PAGE India, which has a special focus on scaling up MSMEs.
2019
Sankalp Global 2019, 27th November 2019, Mumbai
Devyani Hari was invited to speak in the panel discussion on ‘Closing the Gaps: An interactive session on Circular opportunities across the Textile & Apparel Value Chain’ at Sankalp Global Forum 2019 organised by Intellecap as a part of initiative on Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF).
Business and Human Rights Seminar, 25th November 2019, Pune, India
CRB in partnership with Friedrich Nauman Foundation and Indo-German Chambers of Commerce (IGCC) conducted a training workshop on Business and Human Rights in Pune on 25th November 2019. Rijit Sengupta represented CRB and together with Markus Loening, former Human Rights Commissioner of Germany interacted with a group of over 25 participants drawn from various German companies in this session. The discussion was an endeavour to raise awareness among businesses about the purpose and importance of the National Action Plan (NAP) on BHR for businesses. Integration of human rights at the national policy level and current thinking and intent within Government of India on this issue was also shared.
RSPO RT17 Global Conference 2019, 4 - 6th November 2019, Bangkok, Thailand
Rijit Sengupta participated as a speaker at the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) RT17 global event held in Bangkok, Thailand from 04-06 November 2019. He highlighted the urgent need for moving towards deforestation free supply chain in India and collaborating with businesses, government agencies, standard organisations and others to drive forward sustainability in the palm oil sector.
Asian Youth for Sustainable Palm Oil Summit (AYSPO), 3rd November 2019, Bangkok, Thailand
Bhavya Sharma, Programme Officer, CRB represented the organisation in the Asian Youth for Sustainable Palm Oil Summit (AYSPO) on 03 November 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. The summit comprised 50 young people from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand who gathered to discuss methods on co-creating their commitments towards a shared responsibility for making sustainable palm oil the norm.
A stakeholder consultation was organised in IIM Ahmedabad (Gujarat) on 22 October 2019 to gather input on circular apparel policy priorities among the Gujarat stakeholders – inviting participants from Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara clusters. The workshop saw participation from design institutes, brands, suppliers, innovators and state policy actors. The discussions were focused on the role of innovation, and integrating sustainability and circular economy practices in the way of doing business. A policy brief was prepared and submitted to the Commissioner of Industries and can be seen here.
An International Interface Meeting was held under the auspices of the PROGRESS Project & was organised on 9 October 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland, in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC), Geneva. The aim was to engage with international actors/ organisations to highlight contributions through this GVC approach on SDGs, particularly in an emerging economy like India. The discussions highlighted that if we are to accelerate the action on sustainability, closer alignment between different interests is the first order of the day. Need for continuous dialogue between actors from the Global North and the Global South was emphasised. Read the brief report of the full discussion here.
The workshop held on 10 September 2019 at NID Ahmedabad, featured speakers from the government, academia (design, textiles, strategic business management), industry (brands, exporters) and entrepreneurs. The discussions emphasised on incorporating circular economy principles in production and consumption as it’s no longer a choice but is a must do for the survival of businesses in the long run. Another important aspect that emerged from the discussion was the need to educate consumers & increase awareness about circular & sustainable apparel. Read the brief report of the full discussion here.
Workshop on Future-Proofing Businesses through Sustainability, 4th September 2019, Birmingham
A workshop titled ‘Future-proofing businesses through sustainability’ was organised as a side event during the British Academy of Management Conference on September 4, 2019 in Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham. The workshop aimed to engage business school scholars and researchers to deliberate on the role of sustainability for safeguarding and strengthening businesses by addressing supply chain risks including those pertaining to working conditions, environmental degradation and transparency/ traceability.
International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union) and Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) in association with Okhla Garment and Textile Cluster (OGTC) co-organised a half day sensitization program and discussions on understanding and management of TB. Read the brief report here.
3rd Circular Economy Symposium of FICCI 2019, 17th - 18th June 2019, New Delhi
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) and Intellecap organised a session on ‘Circular Apparel Policy Innovation’ at this symposium. Rijit Sengupta, CEO represented CRB as a panelist in this session. There was consensus of the need for policy actions to promote circularity in the sector.
A workshop for stakeholders from the Gems & Jewellery sector was organised in Mumbai on May 28th, 2019 with the objective to engage and onboard key stakeholders from the Gems & Jewellery sector (brands, buyers, manufacturers, standards organisations, public agencies, etc.) and to further identify the key issues to promote responsible gems and jewellery supply/value chains. Read the brief report of the full discussion here.
An inception meeting was organised on 9th April, 2019 in New Delhi with key stakeholders from Apparel & Textiles, Agro-processing and Pharmaceutical sector with an objective to introduce the project to key stakeholders and to share the overview of the project across the sectors and receive inputs into the proposed research and practice level interventions. Read the brief report of the discussion here.
