The Sustainability Learning Forum

Mica Supply Chain: No Place for Child Labor

Gregor Hilkert
Merck

The mineral mica often lends products their alluring sheen, whether it is lipstick, eye shadows, or automotive coatings. The coveted raw material is mined in various locations, including the states of Jharkhand and Bihar in northern India, a region marked by political instability and poverty and where child labor is widespread. Merck also uses mica as the main raw material for its effect pigments. The science and technology company flatly rejects child labor and advocates for safe working conditions of the mine workers. In addition, Merck supports educational and health projects that improve the lives of families in the mining areas. more[...]

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India’s CSR Story

Namrata Rana
Dr. Utkarsh Majmudar, Futurescope

The Indian Companies Bill is a remarkable piece of legislation. With one stroke, it has mandated CSR spending across a multitude of companies. It is the result of months of discussions with NGOs, companies, politicians, and bureaucrats, and it is estimated that $3 billion in capital will be generated annually through the money spent by 16,000 companies on CSR (2% of net profits). more[...]

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In India, a community works to change sanitation and hygiene practices

Eleven-year-old Sharda and half a dozen friends beat drums and chant slogans as they walk through the narrow lanes of Lalapur. Their message is: make the remote village in Uttar Pradesh free from open defecation. more[...]

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WBCSD and IFC announce cooperation towards low carbon growth in Indian cement sector

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Rio+ 20: A mirror of the new direction to global governance?

Karen Rieckmann

When you look at global media coverage or talk to NGOs, all seem to agree: The Rio+20 summit was a failure and a setback on the road to sustainable development. But was it really a failure? And do all agree? Karen Rieckmann analyses the feedback in the BRIC countries and comes to a more differentiated view of the summit outcomes. more[...]

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Securing Yields through Sustainability

Editorial Team

How do we respond to the world’s increasing demand for food while protecting the environment and biodiversity for future generations? BASF’s sustainable agricultural work helps to address these global challenges. Our business is well-positioned to help customers become more sustainable. We provide farmers with reliable and innovative products, but also support them with our know-how. more[...]

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Greening of Saline and Alkaline Sediments

Editorial Team

Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL), which was established in 1939, today is the second largest producer of soda ash in the world with manufacturing facilities across four continents. TCL’s journey as a synthetic soda ash manufacturer began in Mithapur, on the coast of Gujarat, on India’s west coast, and for many years Mithapur represented the sum total of TCL’s soda ash manufacturing. Over time TCL’s Mithapur production volume has grown from 80 tons per day in 1944 to its current level of 2,400 tons per day. The volumes of wastes generated from its operations have grown as well. Solid waste disposal was one of TCL’s biggest concerns. Before setting up the cement manufacturing plant that converts these effluent solids into cement in 1993, all the solid waste generated was stored in a corner of the factory site called Malara. more[...]

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Our Commitment Against Child Labour in India

Andreas Streubig, Otto Group
Otto Group

Around the globe, some 300 million children aged between five and fourteen work. In India, 59 million children do not have the chance to go to school. Instead, most of them have to herd goats, crush rocks, collect rubbish, sew sequins onto textile articles, clean the houses of rich families, or do other menial jobs to survive. more[...] login_required

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Yemen Water and Sanitation Project

Jeff Flood, Nexen
Nexen

Nexen has been an active member of the UNGC since 2001. In 2005, Dr. Randy Gossen (V.P. Global Business Development - Nexen) was appointed Special Advisor to the UNGC. Nexen’s commitment to the UNGC is linked directly to our corporate philosophy of sustainability and in “doing the right thing”. Through our operations in Yemen, we have developed programmes that: 1) emphasize the hiring of Yemeni nationals and sustainable employment practices ; 2) support community investment and the development of schools, infrastructure and other projects, and; 3) the development of a water and sanitation project with the UNDP and CIDA. more[...] login_required

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Creating an Impact on Education for Girls in India

Carolyn E. Nimmy, Capgemini
Cecilia Schrijver, Capgemini
Capgemini

With girls representing two-third of the world’s uneducated children and women representing two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults, it has been acknowledged that successful education for girls and women is a necessary mechanism for breaking the cycle of poverty, myths, and social norms, for ensuring the well-being and health of children, and for the long-term success of developing countries. Project Nanhi Kali is a participatory project where individuals, groups, and companies are encouraged to sponsor the education of girls. The Nanhi Kali project is jointly managed by the Naandi Foundation and the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust. The Capgemini Group is currently the second largest corporate sponsor of the Nanhi Kali project, which supports the education of over 10,000 girls in India. more[...]

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Sanitation campaign in Indian village starts with women and youth

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF correspondent Atul Kumar reports from Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, India, on a campaign that tackles defecation in the open. more[...]

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The Whale Shark Campaign

Sujit Patil, TATA Chemicals

One of India’s most successful and internationally acclaimed conservation projects, the Whale Shark Campaign, is a collaboration of Wildlife Trust of India, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Tata Chemicals Limited, and the Gujarat Forest Department. The campaign was initiated in January 2004 to spread awareness and to educate and change perceptions about the world’s largest fish among specific target groups in the western Indian state of Gujarat. more[...]

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