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Hyderabad , Sept. 19

LAUNCHING a green campaign in the corporate world, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Friday appealed to the Indian industry to focus on environment-friendly initiatives, which not only make the industry competitive but also make sound economic sense.

Delivering the presidential address at the inaugural of the two-day `Green Business Summit 2003' here, Mr Jamshyd N. Godrej, Chairman, CII-Shorabji Godrej Green Business Centre, said realising the adverse effects of unplanned growth and development, developed countries have increased their focus on clean, green and environment-friendly technologies.

"There is a need for us too, to have higher growth rates without depriving future generations of natural resources and a healthy environment," he said.

By adopting clean energy and environment-friendly technologies, we can meet the challenges and achieve the ultimate goal of sustainable development and equitable growth, he said.

The formation of the Green Business Centre is a case in point. "It is a sort of synergy, synergising activities of energy, environment and efficiency to make the Indian industry achieve the dual goals of becoming greener and more competitive," he felt.

"Besides being competitive, it is also imperative for the Indian industry to demonstrate corporate social responsibilities. Becoming green and addressing environmental issues is a step towards achieving this objective."

A joint initiative of the Andhra Pradesh Government, Godrej, CII and the USAID, the public-private venture incorporates features such as energy and water efficiency, rainwater harvesting, solar energy and recycling of grey water. The first building to be rated under US Green Business Centre's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, the centre will be ready by November. "Several corporates such as North Delhi Power and Dr Reddy's Laboratories are keen to register for the LEED rating," he said. The system is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance and sustainable buildings.

He said CII's centre would itself offer green building rating services, green audits and green business incubation services.

Delivering the theme address, Mr G.V. Prasad, Chairman of the summit and Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, said the main objective of the summit was to put India on the international green map and to network with national and international players in the area.

"To begin with, we aim at bringing like minded people together," he said. "Companies used to work on strategies to comply with pollution control norms. The whole approach has undergone a paradigm shift and they are in the green pursuit voluntarily," he said.

"Besides enhancing competitiveness, green brings certain intangible benefits too. For one, they would attract customers who are environmentally conscious. This ensures sustainable competitive advantage in the long run," he said.

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