Return
to Story Page
To print: Select File and then Print from your
browser's menu
Vidya Deshpande
How do you make companies comply with environment norms? Lecture them? Use coercive means? Or, simply give them a step-by-step guide which will not only make them environment-friendly but also adopt qualitative production methods.
Using the last option, Clean Technology Initiative (CTI), a US Aid sponsored NGO, will be helping nine companies in three core sectors to adopt the right methods to qualify for the environment-friendly standards of ISO 14000. ``We approach the problem by initiating the company into better resource planning and production methods, which will not only increase the company's profits but also make them environment-friendly,'' says P Dutta, coordinator of the programme. He adds, ``Moreover, no industrialist would be interested in
going green unless it helps to improve business performance.''CTI will use its resources through US Aid and look for companies in the US which can provide better technology and production practices to these companies. These will then be altered to suitIndian conditions. The financial assistance for these companies will be provided through a tie-up with ICICI Bank. The interest rates for the loans obtained through this scheme will be lower than the commercial borrowing rates. The three sectors that have been chosen are automobiles, paper and pulp and textiles because of the high pollution levels of these industries. The proposals for the companies to become environment-friendly will be tailor-made to suit each one. ``We will first carry out a survey of the supply chain management of the company and then formulate the best action plan for improvement. If a company successfully uses enterprise resource, it will automatically be more environment-friendly,'' he says.
The nine companies which have been chosen by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for this programme are: Automobiles: Maruti Udyog, Marc and Ricoh (automobiles); Century Mills, Padamjee Paper Mills and Birla Agro (paper mills); Winsome Textiles; Alps Textiles and Luthra Dyeing andPrinting (textiles). The programme is time-bound and will be completed within two years. ``The aim of this programme is to demonstrate to the industry that going green need not eat into their profits and can actually be beneficial,'' says Sanjay Srivastava of CTI.
Simultaneously, CTI is also helping companies introduce enterprise resource management (ERP) into their working systems. ``Supply chain management is important to increase production and decrease waste. If waste is decreased, the pollution is also decreased,'' he says. CTI will be helping four major Indian companies in introducing ERP systems. They include Ranbaxy, Arvind Mills, Hindustan Lever and Bajaj Auto. Several workshops have been held for these companies where experts in the field from the US have shared their expertise with these companies.
Once the sample programmes are over, CTI will continue the programme by initiating other interested companies into ERP.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
------------------------------------------------------------
This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
------------------------------------------------------------