15th September, 2015

Of late many new notifications are being issued by both the Central and State Governments with regard to sustainable initiatives for the common good of the public. While these notifications indicate the growing acceptance of the need for sustainable practices for industry to grow and compete on a global platform, the slow implementation and cold-shoulder response of the industry is disappointing. 

Environment and energy conservation seems to be the two biggest focus areas today and most states are following Tamil Nadu’s example and asking for ‘zero-discharge’ effluent treatment plant. The textile industry is among the biggest polluters of water bodies that has been well documented, and while most experts were of the opinion that zero discharge was unattainable with textile effluent, Tirupur region proved everyone wrong and devised a foolproof system, which has been appreciated by international buyers.

The journey for Tirupur to become a role-model in ‘zero discharge’ effluent treatment was not without its roadblocks and after initial resistance from the industry, and subsequent crackdown by the pollution board, the matter went to the judiciary, and after a long-drawn out battle the High Court’s verdict forced the units to take action. 

Today Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, UP and many other states are issuing notifications for pollution control. But sadly the industry is putting the blame of non-compliance on the Government, many even claiming that the demand is unnecessary pressure on units to invest in ‘expensive’ technology. In May this year, there were a number of news items from Rajasthan and Maharashtra bemoaning the blatant violation of pollution norms pertaining to water effluence… My regular readers will remember the article we carried on the same topic in our sustainability pages of Apparel Online, June 16-30, 2015. 

Even as dyers and processing houses resist implementation of pollution norms in Haryana and only 50% of the affected units submitted a plan by the 30th June deadline, as per a notice from the pollution control board to explain their intention to install ‘zero discharge’ facility by the end of 2016, the Government has taken a soft stand and no crackdown as initially indicated has been put into action. 

No one seems to be really concerned about the environment; what surprises me is the laidback attitude of the industry in addressing the problem areas in implementation and grouping together to find a solution… If the issue is regarding labour wages or taxation, a loud noise is always heard… Are sustainable practices so low down on the priority list of the industry? 

The most recent example of industry apathy is the low adherence to the mandatory solar energy implementation in Haryana, even as the deadline draws near… Even the biggies in the region and which are many in the Delhi-NCR, still debating on how to go about it!   

Is the industry so busy at working towards making their factories profitable and compliant as per buyers’ norms that larger issues of the society and nation are left unheard? 

I still remember the way the industry, albeit reluctantly, started working on factory compliance more than a decade ago because the buyers were determined to bring in the change. Now they are happy to follow the norms as it has not only improved factory conditions, but has also made business sense… Do we need external commercial compulsions to move the industry to action? 

Even the 2% turnover norm as defined by the Government to be put into CSR activities is finding few takers in the industry… Agreed, there are many ambiguities in the notification and no real help in interpreting the law, but it is also a fact that most of the industrial areas are not even thinking about it. When the bigger companies are approached, their standard reply is, “We are already into many CSR activities,” while smaller ones feel that their margins are too tight to even contemplate ‘charity’. 

I appreciate that concerns larger than ‘just’ industry are on the agenda of the Government, but sharper and clearer laws need to be made to help the industry in decision making. The industry on its part has to be more vocal in its problems; they need to share data more transparently and on a larger platform for open debates, and deliberations on new policies pertaining to sustainable initiatives have to be initiated… I would love to be part of such a forum.