Though the industry realizes the importance of being sustainable, there is a lack of awareness of how to approach it and go forward with it, says Charles. “India holds a huge potential and we want it to be one of our basis in the region. People and companies here are constantly talking about sustainability, but there is still confusion amongst the industry about how to go about it and this is where our role is important, we guide them through the entire process starting from the supply chain to the time the products will be on the shelf and even the time when the product is going to become a waste, making their end product a sustainable one, as we have the expertise of counting the environmental impact of their product in its entire life cycle.”
The SGS carbon footprint mark provides the clients with a proof on scientific basis about the environmental impact of their product as per international standards. Though carbon is not the only factor affecting the environment, but people relate easily to it, feels Charles. “Carbon footprint is a start that moves forward in three steps, the first one is transparency, to know what the carbon footprint of a product is; the second step is reduction, the figures of the same are assessed by factory procedures, supply chain and resources available; and the third step is to neutralize it, i.e. take it to a point where it can’t be reduced any further.”
Though a social commitment, investment in sustainability is not a loss and sometimes helps companies save. “Sustainability today is not a trend; it helps organizations to improve their efficiency, attain positive cost cutting and better use of available resources. Since the main objective of any business is to increase profitability, we try and create a sustainable product at the same price and sometimes even at lesser price, applying basic common sense and management repositioning.”
Giving an example where applying better working methods made a major impact on saving, Charles recalled, “I went to a dyeing factory in Taiwan with my team, where on one hand there was a major leakage in the boiler, from where litres and litres of water was being wasted and on the other hand the water in the boiler was being overheated at 90 degrees against the required 65-70 degrees, also excess chemicals were being used because the water was overheated, which affected the dyeing quality and the material of the fabric. So there was extra cost everywhere, dyes, excess water, fabric and then treatment of the water. By just plugging the loop holes and doing things properly, without any investment the plant saved huge cost the following year.”
Charles firmly believes that Indian companies can sustain business in the long run if they invest in sustainable initiatives today. “India has always been strong with their technology and design; I believe that involvement in sustainable initiatives like life cycle assessment will make the Indian industry much stronger with a green image, which is also required at the moment as the industry is facing a lot of challenges related to cost with orders going to low-cost countries like Bangladesh, China and Pakistan.” There has to be a differentiator and sustainability is the answer, concludes Charles.
