Mainstreaming Sustainability in Business Planning & Practices   Newsletter | Sep 2019         TERI Views   Editorial by Arupendra Nath Mullick, Vice President - TERI CBS     We connect with you at a time when a significant attention lies on what shall transpire from the United Nations Secretary General's Climate Action Summit scheduled on 23rd September 2019 in New York, The Summit assumes significance – considering that in the year 2020, all countries are scheduled to re-submit their climate plans and boost their ambition under the Paris Agreement. It is our pride that 4 Indian companies find place in the UN's 2020 Climate Progress Tracker Tool , namely Mahindra Sanyo Special Steel, Dalmia Cement, Ambuja Cement, and Shree Cement. All these companies exhibit their leadership in this space. In fact, the consultations held by TERI as part of the India Industry Coalition, pointed out that the sectors iron and steel, cement, petrochemicals, fertilisers, aluminium, bricks etc. beholds the opportunity to explore net-zero pathways by 2050. Similar views emerged from a recently held webinar. We keenly wait for the outcomes of the UN Summit. Our blog series aimed to garner opinions of Chief Sustainability Officers – operating in the Indian market – are gaining significant tractions. A blog from Tata Steel – recognized from amongst the Indian industry yet again by DJSI 2019 - is one of the latest in the series. And we assure you of more such perspectives from industry colleagues in the coming weeks. Your active participation at the meeting of Chief Sustainability Officers provided the right impetus to charter the annual engagement plans with our Council member companies. Our Council for Business Sustainability serves as the interface for our research work to be connected to the corporate world and enables two-way engagement. TERI CBS engages with the core issue of what businesses must do to shape and lead in sustainability. Activities of the Council are governed by an Executive Committee - comprising CEOs from amongst the member companies. To access the array of recorded webinar sessions, articles, blogs and reports, please visit our website http://cbs.teriin.org/ We hope that the newsletter provides a good and insightful reading for you. And we look forward to your suggestions and opinions. .     Blog by Madhulika Sharma, Chief Corporate Sustainability, Tata Steel Limited   Madhulika Sharma provides insights on the 'Changing Role of Chief Sustainability Officers'     Read More           Upcoming Event highlights   7 Nov | New Delhi   India-Japan Business Forum for Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Renewable Energy Venue: The Banquet Hall, The Ashok Hotel, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi Contact: Mr. Aditya Raghwa, Email: aditya.raghwa@teri.res.in   12 Dec | Gurugram   Chief Sustainability Officers Forum Venue: December, 2019 | TERI Retreat Center, Gual Pahari, Gurugram   17-18 Oct | New Delhi   Meeting of Stakeholders for Energy Transition Commission (ETC) India Venue: Nilgiri Hall, Hotel Oberoi, New Delhi.         India Industry Coalition - Key Event Highlight   Indian Industry Coalition Workshop, 22nd May 2019   On 22nd May 2019, TERI, in partnership with the MoEF&CC, convened a workshop on Indian Industry Coalitions, to discuss potential forward-looking proposals that India could present at the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) summit to be held in New York in September. It was agreed that these proposals should reinforce areas of competitiveness in the near-term, which could benefit Indian industry, using these as real-world examples to motivate global industry to take similar action.   CEO Roundtable Meeting on Indian Industry Coalition – 12 June 2019   On June 12 2019, TERI organised a CEO Roundtable on Indian Industry Coalition in Mumbai. The Secretary Environment, Forest and Climate Change addressed the CEOs over video conference.     Highlights from Past Events     Chief Sustainability Officers Forum   11th June 2019 Bombay Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mumbai     India Sustainability Leadership Summit 2019   12th June 2019 Hyatt Regency, Mumbai     Sustainability 4.0 Awards 2019 Edition   12th June 2019 Hyatt Regency, Mumbai       Thought Leadership Webinar: 'The business case for energy transition in Indian industries'   28th August 2019 Online webinar       Around the World in Sustainable Development   What does a growing economy consume? Breaking down India's resource appetite This blog series shall explore India's current material use and resource efficiency potential across various sectors     Data collection is key to implementing conservation measures in energy intensive sectors India is facing formidable challenges in meeting its energy needs. Domestic and commercial building sectors account for approximately one-third of total electricity consumption and these sectors are likely to consume around 37% of electricity in 2020-21. India is yet to build nearly two-third of its 2030 building stock, according to a report by McKinsey & Company. This presents a huge opportunity to conserve energy in this sphere.     Why battery energy storage is key to renewables' growth The Government of India has set an ambitious target of 175 giga-watts (GW) of renewable power to be installed by 2022. This means a significant amount of power from renewable sources will be injected into India's electricity mix in the near future, raising operational issues especially for electricity distribution companies (discoms). Apart from helping smoothen grid integration of renewables, battery storage can also help discoms with demand side management.     Here is how marine pollution is challenging environment and economy of South Asian Seas region Coastal populations of countries in SAS region are constantly expanding, also leading to increase in coastal pollution, making great demands for marine resources. There is growing evidence of further degradation of the marine environment and continued exploitation of living as well as non-living resources.     Reversing land degradation in India Nearly one-third of area in India faces the threat of land degradation. India strives to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030.     Coalition of industries and countries needed to decarbonise high-emission industry sectors Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General TERI, speaks at the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development       IN-FOCUS   As India prepares to welcome its next government, TERI proposes a Green Agenda for the new government, highlighting the choices and decisions it should prioritize to ensure that India's growth story is rooted in sustainability. This Green Agenda covers five thematic areas – air pollution, energy transitions, resource efficiency, water management, waste management. Click here to read consolidated report. A green agenda: Clearing India's air TERI's analyses suggests that industrial sector and secondary particulates are key sources of air pollution that should be focussed on.   A green agenda: Accelerating India's transition to clean energy The transition to a largely renewable power system will require clear, long-term and stable policy   A green agenda: Realising gains from resource efficiency for India Rising costs of accessing resources, shrinking geological availability, and risk of material exhaustion can be addressed with an integrated resource efficiency policy   A green agenda: Converting waste to wealth A key issue in management of urban waste streams is to generate reliable data on waste inventory.   A green agenda: Destressing India's water situation Declining water levels and over-exploited groundwater reserves point towards a grave future       TERI Video Bytes   It's time for utilities to manage power demand creatively Demand Side Management, or DSM, can help power utilities manage rising electricity demand without compromising consumer interest. The full potential of Demand Side Management (DSM) as an effective tool for achieving demand-supply balance has started getting recognition in many parts of the world only in recent years. This has been triggered by the challenges in grid management in the context of the transitions taking place in the energy sector while moving towards a low-carbon economy through a larger focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency.   TERI CBS Future Unfolded video series TERI Council for Business Sustainability's 'Future Unfolded' series addresses a variety of critical issues– ranging from low carbon pathways to circular economy- within the sphere of sustainable development. It showcases ideas, insights and essential commentary from some of the premier thought leaders, academics and industry champions of today. Decarbonizing the 'hard-to-abate' sectors: In our first video of the series, Lord Adair Turner, Co-Chair - Energy Transition Commission Global offers insights on the 'hard-to-abate' industry sectors and pathways to decarbonisation. Watch the video here...     Publications       Discussion paper: Rural Roads and SDGs All the trends and patterns put together in this paper have long-term implications for incomes and new livelihood opportunities not merely for the farm and off-farm sector but also for a range of people who directly or indirectly depend on the rural road network, and constitute new classes of stakeholders in the network, including industry, service sector, those who access local labour markets, primary producers including mining and quarrying; as well as manufacturers of consumer durables and consumer products.       Making Indian Cities Energy Smart The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Australia, have collaborated in the area of Sustainable Habitats and Cities, with focus on energy management, energy efficiency and local climate action.       Solar PV Manufacturing in India: Silicon Ingot & Wafer PV Cell - PV Module TERI has come up with a policy paper which suggests that India should take up full value chain solar manufacturing in a phased manner. It's main recommendations are that the government should consider prioritising PV manufacturing value chain as a strategic industry and local manufacturing capacity of 15 GW of 'full value chain silicon ingot to solar modules' should be operational at competitive prices by 2024. For this it suggests initiating a Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP), under the Make in India plan.       Reference report for 'National Resource Efficiency Policy' for India India is second only to China in material consumption. However, compared to the rest of the world, its recycling rates are low and resource extraction very high. With a growing economy, India's resource use would reach unsustainable levels with high import dependence, material extraction, and waste generation. An integrated resource efficiency policy can help address these issues. TERI has submitted a reference report for a national resource efficiency policy to the Government of India, which has in turn prepared a draft policy.