'Energy Conservation, Green Technologies Can be Great Opportunity Areas for SMEs'

Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Secretary C K Mishra said that Indian industry needs to cease the opportunities present upfront, be it for providing energy access, reducing emissions, developing the greener technology.

Addressing the 5th edition of India Sustainability Conclave (ISC), organised by FICC, the official highlighted that there has been a transition from the MDGs to SDGS and everyone is hopeful that this change will complete the unfinished agenda and  also emphasized that India is a unique country and we need to find unique solutions to address climate change issues and take forward the sustainability agenda.

The Indian government is there to support India industry in helping take industry its green sustainability agenda forward by providing technical support and required resources, added Mishra.

"Sooner we adapt to greener and cleaner technology, better it is going to be for us," he said.

Speaking at the event, Mukund Rajan, Chair, FICCI Environment Committee and Chief Ethics Officer & Chairman, Tata Global Sustainability Council emphasised that the attitude towards sustainability investment is not merely defined by compliance requirements, but by the pressing demands of climate change and expectations of corporate environmental stewardship.

Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in India said that it is important to have a deep and abiding commitment to engaging corporate sectors in the discussions on Sustainability. In India, a major part of the progress is driven by private sector, therefore, there is need to capacitate the business on build on the existing agenda.  

He pointed out that there is need to promote business models that are economically viable and profitable, integrate the informal sector in India in a way in which sustainability agenda makes sense to them and educate millions of people involved across the supply chain so that scalable development solution can be replicated and propagated.