Life on earth is facing survival challenges due to climate change. Earth’s average global temperature has already warmed by 1.1°C compared to pre-industrial levels, with more intense disasters, changing weather patterns, and struggling ecosystems¹. Tackling climate crisis is now one of the greatest challenges that humankind has facing. More than 190 countries, in COP 26 have set targets to cut emissions to keep within reach the global warming limit of 1.5 degrees². For transitioning to carbon neutrality, economic growth of a country must be centered around climate-smart approaches, such as producing and consuming clean energy, moving to fuel-efficient transport systems, sustainable mining, climate-smart agriculture, and water systems, and many more.

To achieve India’s commitment of net-zero emissions by 2070, it is important for stakeholders like government, businesses, investors to come up with stringent and workable means of cutting down on emissions and accelerate climate action. The session will therefore bring together thought leaders that will deliberate on the urgent actions required to achieve net-zero commitment and deliver tangible outcomes.

Climate finance is one of the key elements to unlock resources and drive action in achieving net zero and fighting climate change. Although climate goals are set, implementation efforts require momentum. There should be robust financing mechanisms and rigorous solutions to develop and deploy climate mitigation technologies, promote adaptation, and build resilience.

India is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. Several companies, major investors and financial institutions are interested and have been adopting sustainable business plans that are in line with a 1.5°C future and transition to a decarbonized economy. But achieving this goal is a massive task as it presents huge challenges. According to a study by Standard Chartered Plc, India will require $17.77 trillion to meet its long-term net-zero goals with additional resources worth $12.4 trillion to complete the green journey ¹.

The session will focus on the challenges and opportunities in financing climate action. It will further discuss on the role of stakeholders in mobilizing finances for achieving India’s climate goals.

Climate change is now the biggest risk threatening energy, financial markets, nature, and communities. Scaling up renewable energy sources is a key pillar to mitigate the risks and reach carbon neutrality. Globally, there has been a shift in investments from thermal coal and coal power generation towards renewables in the last few years.

India’s intent is to achieve 500GW of its installed capacity through non-fossil fuels and 50% of its energy requirement from renewables by 2030 coupled with a net zero target by 2070. Out of this, 157.32 GW of total non-fossil based installed energy capacity has been achieved. Efforts have been undertaken to strengthen and expand the domestic RE manufacturing eco-system. Last year, India launched the Mission Innovation CleanTech Exchange, a global initiative that will accelerate clean energy innovation among countries. As per the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimates, by 2029-30, the share of renewable energy generation would increase from 18% to 44%, while that of thermal is expected to reduce from 78% to 52% ¹.

The session will bring together stakeholders to discuss how can India scale up renewable energy capacities to achieve the aspirational target. It will further explore the action plans by businesses and policy makers to accelerate usage of renewable energy including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon economic growth in the country.

Average global GHG emissions were at the highest levels from 2010 to 2019¹. Steps have been taken by different industrial sectors to move towards decarbonization. In this process, structural changes are going on worldwide to reduce fossil fuel production and tackle carbon intensive activities. These low carbon transitions are expected to bring several benefits such as better air quality, improved public health as well as energy security. Along with the benefits, there are challenges in creating quality jobs as new employment opportunities will not necessarily emerge in regions where carbon-intensive jobs will bephased out. It is important to take an integrated approach that accounts for environmental, economic, social, and psychological dimensionswithbetterlabour and social policies. A Just Transition will help to maximise social and economic opportunities of climate action.

The session will focus on the importance of Just Transition in achieving a low carbon economy. Insights will be shared on challenges and potential pathways for implementing Just Transition in India.

Nature is declining at a faster rate than any other time in history. More than 1 million species are threatened by extinction, 75% the world’s land and 66% of the marine environment is significantly altered by humans¹. It is important to reverse the crisis of nature loss and ecosystem degradation. The services that ecosystems provide like regulating the climate, removing toxins from the environment, providing food and fiber are essential for human health, well-being, and prosperity. Recognising the crisis, the UN General Assembly declared 2021–2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, taking a leadership role in finding nature-based solutions to restore vital ecosystems around the globe and combat climate change.

The private sector’s commitment to combat nature loss has increased momentum. Businesses are slowly starting to recognise their critical role in reversing nature loss, protecting biodiversity, and preserving species. The session will bring together stakeholders that will deliberate on actions to restore ecosystems, managing the use of natural resources and become nature-positive. It will also highlight the approaches of incorporating nature-positive actions into the decisions of governments, businesses, and individuals.

The major cause of air pollution in urban areas is vehicular emissions which lead to a wide range of issues such as global warming, environmental degradation, and health implications. The Indian transport sector is responsible for 13.5 per cent of India’s energy-related CO₂ emissions, with road transport accounting for 90 per cent of the sector’s total final energy consumption followed by rail and domestic aviation (both at 4 per cent) (IEA, 2020)¹. Vehicles are one of the major sources of air pollution in India accounting for approximately 15 to 20 % of PM₁₀ emissions.². Therefore, there is an urgent need to shift to clean, efficient and environment friendly transportation systems to achieve improved air quality, also leading to job creation as well as  economic development. The Government is also taking initiatives towards green transportation through formulation of several policies and regulations such as leapfrogging to BS VI, FAME II, PLI Scheme for Automobiles and Auto components, National Mission on Transformative Mobility and battery storage and Vehicle Scrappage policy.  A crucial aspect for India will be to effectively implement ambitious policies and schemes at all levels of government, drawing lessons from existing transport policies from around the world.

A modal shift needs to take place in mass transit options such as metros, railways and intra city buses. Encouraging facilities like pedestrians’ walkways, green urban spaces and green buffer zones will give way to cleaner transportation. The system should also be geared to last mile connectivity. Large scale integration of the new modal technology innovations is crucial for an effective and reliable modal shift. A unique confluence of IT and manufacturing skills could help in leading the way towards sustainable mobility solutions.

The session will bring together entrepreneurs working in this field to discuss actions and opportunities for industry to work collaboratively and identify actionable and specific solutions for India’s future mobility system. It will also discuss on policy support required for such transformations.

Air Pollution and its impacts on the environment and human health are threatening the integrity and security of economies and the quality of life, more so for low-middle income countries. Globally 99% of the population breaths dirty air, causing 4.2 million deaths every year due to ambient air pollution. The anthropogenic emissions responsible for ambient air pollution are intricately dependent on the current production and consumption trends. Product stewardship has therefore huge potential to address ambient air pollution as this approach extends beyond manufacturing processes and products, to include the supply chain and multiple product life cycles/stages. Companies can also gain a competitive edge by applying product stewardship for environmental friendlier products operations and services. Besides, Industry 4.0 sets forth the requirements for reducing emissions and becoming more sustainable where data management, the Internet of Things and extended product service systems are tightly linked with traditional manufacturing and logistic processes. Investors and society are looking for socially responsible businesses and Business models. ESG based investment are maturing and form a significant part of investors’ portfolio. The session will discuss how such strategies and frameworks can support the cleaner air and whether there is need of a separate framework to drive business agenda for product stewardship and clean air.

The challenge of water security is growing globally. Less than 1% of the world’s freshwater is readily available for human consumption and demand expected to increase by 40% by 2030¹. The growing stress on water resources is compounded by the impacts of climate change with severe implications overall sustainable development. The exposure of people and assets to water risks are increasing with the rise in water stress, supply inconsistency, extreme climatic events, less access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and higher levels of water pollution. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in 2021, India is at the topmost hotspot of terrestrial water storage loss (TWS), having lost TWS at a rate of three to four cm each year².

Water stress heightens the risk for communities and as well for businesses. Increasing number of businesses are proactively contributing to address water scarcity and quality issues and minimizing the impacts on communities. The session will thereby focus on the integrated approaches are taken by businesses to go beyond their operations collaborating with stakeholders to tackle water crisis and provide access to clean water to underserved communities.

Women, who are the pillars of society, are committed to advancing the ideas of sustainability. Across sectors, women’s expertise has transformed lives and livelihoods, and increased resilience and overall well-being of the environment. Women leaders play a powerful and indispensable role in driving progress in achieving a sustainable tomorrow.  Their voices are vital in the fight against global challenges and in driving bold actions on behalf of the people and planet.

The session will focus on accomplished women champions who are fighting for a healthy planet and trying to change the world for the better. It will highlight their journey on being the torchbearers of sustainability in the most inspiring way.

India has become the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world after the US and China as per the Economic Survey 2021-22. New age startups have focused on innovative and economically viable solutions to accelerate environmental and social impact. Climate change catastrophes, water crisis, health concerns, and pollution, over the last decade have attracted the attention of entrepreneurs. Evolving technologies and policies globally, as well as private investments have created a healthy ecosystem for start-ups to experiment and develop solutions suited for India.

India is making conscious efforts to change lifestyles, support communities and conserve resources. The role of startups is vital in taking leaps towards sustainable development. The session will focus on environmental and social startups who are changemakers in creating a sustainable world.

In the face of dynamic market and competitive pressure, sustainability is a vital benchmark for corporates and a key driver for growth. Success of growth is no longer measured with profit and operational metrics alone. New innovative ways of doing business through disruptive ideas and sustainable solutions help companies to operate in a long-term basis ensuring responsible growth. Such corporate champions stand out for the ways in which they define clear aspirations and goals for sustainability leading to stronger business performance. They actively engage with wider business ecosystem like suppliers, customers, communities, competitors, and other stakeholders for sustainable outcomes.

The session will focus on corporate champions who have established inspirational models to overcome environmental and social challenges, embedding sustainability and reshaping business landscapes. It will highlight on their journey of innovation and sustainable growth and the positive impact on the society.

The world has become extremely interconnected and interdependent. This is driven more by Global Value Chains, where despite the wide geographical distance, sourcing of materials and distribution and consumption of products is not restricted by borders or distances anymore. There are challenges which companies face due to evolving international regulations around climate change, environment impacts, social inequality, and other broad range of issues.  In this global scenario, the ever-growing emphasis on organizational responsiveness towards the environmental and societal impact of their products and services is changing the dynamics of the marketplace and the way organizations do business.

To stay competitive, organizations will have to work closely with their partners in the value chain by integrating sustainability/ESG agenda, for effective resource management and risk mitigation. If managed well, these challenges could provide an opportunity for businesses to drive impactful action, discover innovative solutions, build efficiencies, and enhance their market value as well as reduce waste, environmental footprint, improve labour conditions and health and safety. Thus, integrating sustainability across the entire value chain through an effective value chain management approach is not only the need of the hour but a business imperative.

The session will discuss on the importance of integration of sustainability/ESG in value chains and how it can be achieved. It will discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie while building a sustainable value chain. Also, it will deep dive into best practices of industry members and upcoming regulations that are a pathway for this integration.

There is an intrinsic link between the issues associated with climate, ecosystems, and society. Changes in one may lead to severe consequences in another. The impacts of climate catastrophes reverberate around the globe through natural and socio-economic systems. Loss of biodiversity, growing pollution, and the pandemic are intertwined with rising inequality affecting the most vulnerable. As the systems are connected, the potential for crises to spread grows ever greater.

Unprecedented global risks have given rise to a constantly changing world. There is more evidence than ever that unplanned and uncontrolled development has risked the Earth systems with irreversible consequences. In order to convert these risks into opportunities, it is important to understand the interconnections with natural, socio-economic, and human systems. Local and regional involvement is equally significant to stimulate effective bottoms-up transformation. Global and local stakeholders representing government and businesses should recognize the interdependent nature of global challenges.

The session will address global sustainability risks, the interconnections and how to convert them into opportunities. It will highlight how integrated local and regional actions can propel change for a better tomorrow.

Businesses can contribute to the development agenda of a nation by respecting human rights in their value chains and uplift millions from injustice and discrimination. In fact, many businesses are already aware of the risk that their operations may contribute to human rights abuses and are taking steps to manage these risks. Internationally recognised guidance like the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights provide a structured approach to companies in their human rights efforts.

In India, over the years, businesses are trying to embrace the inherent benefits of being socially responsible. Along with compliance with national laws, they need to assess human rights’ impacts and mitigate the potential cause to it. Special attention is required to be given to vulnerable groups such as women, children, disabled, LGBTQ, contract workers, migrants, relocated community, and tribal people. The session will deliberate on corporate responsibility and actions to address and prevent the adverse impact on human rights. It will highlight on the strategies to build impactful B&HR engagement and foster the implementation of B&HR standards.

Corporate disclosures are driven by the requirements of stakeholders, including society at large and shareholders in particular. And currently there is a huge ‘mismatch’ between stakeholder needs and reporting/disclosure contents, especially sustainability-related information, ‘which reveals extensive impression management and gaps in performance portrayal’. There is a lack of clarity about whether the real effects of reporting are aligned with its objectives – particularly in light of the growing attention to social and environmental issues.

The future of corporate disclosure will be guided by the development of a singular internationally recognized set of reporting standards, with non-financial disclosures integrated into financial disclosures. A local adaptation of such standards could follow from there.

The session will bring out the course of disclosures that the stakeholders believe to be beneficial for the Indian industry. Also, the role and opinion of regulatory bodies would be explored to establish a sync between national and global disclosures.

An increased importance and understanding of stakeholder expectations, has driven companies to integrate policies and take up initiatives, that interests and are appreciated by all stakeholders. This has resulted in ESG becoming a central pillar to organisational changes and in turn the whole economic ecosystem.

From the stakeholder perspective, ESG metrics provide a transparent assessment of the positive and negative impacts of the company on the economy, the environment and society in which it operates. Climate change and natural resource shortage are examples of environmental issues. Working conditions, employee development, and inclusive development are examples of social issues. Ethics, board diversity, executive compensation, tax transparency and risk management are examples of governance issues.

From the company perspective, ESG helps identify risks and opportunities, create a ground for brand differentiation and helps investments.

And with such interest from all stakeholders, a larger set of organisations have also mushroomed over time to rate these companies on their ESG performance.

The aim of the session is to understand the impact and importance of ESG for corporates and to assess the materiality of these issues in organisations across different sectors. Further, the session also seeks to understand the impact and reliability of the various ESG rating agencies on the economic ecosystem.

Investors have a particular latitude in determining the factors they consider for safe investing. However, the climate change crisis and ongoing pandemic has highlighted the interdependence of financial returns, environmental constraints, social trends, and human behaviour. This has strengthened the case for incorporating sustainability into investment decisions, which is evident from the significantly increased asset inflow in the Sustainable Investing funds.

However, the vast proliferation of the ESG frameworks and standards, has resulted in hundreds of metrics floating into the Sustainable/ responsible investing ecosystem. Further, the complex nature of the associated risks, like on climate change issues, leads to subjective reporting, evaluation and hence misinterpretation. The investors, hence, seek regularisation and standardisation of not only the ESG frameworks but also ESG Rating agencies, to be able to protect themselves from greenwashing.

In this session, we plan to understand the likelihood of an increased interest in ESG investing by traditional investors in India and the underlying motivators as well as the deterrents of the same. Also, we plan to understand which ESG investment instruments are likely to gain more momentum in the market and how do corporates align to such changes.

The world is experiencing an unprecedented rate of resource consumption; from 2015 to 2021, the global economy consumed 70% more than what the Earth can safely replenish¹. With material requirements outstripping supply, there is an urgent need for a regenerative system – where resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakage is minimized by slowing, closing, and narrowing energy and material loops – such a system is called circular economy².

There is a close link between greenhouse gas emissions and circular economy. 62% of global greenhouse gas emissions (excluding those from land use and forestry) are released during the extraction, processing and manufacturing of goods to serve society’s needs; only 38% are emitted in the delivery and use of products and services³. A circular economy offers a systemic and cost-effective approach to tackle global greenhouse gas emissions. When applied to four key industries – cement, steel, plastic and aluminum – circular economy strategies could help reduce emissions by 40% in 2050⁴.

Being a major resource consumer and emitter of greenhouse gases, industry has the responsibility to transition to a more sustainable growth model. Over the course of last decade, circular economy models have garnered support from a growing number of businesses and governments. Transitioning to a circular economy allows industry to decouple resource consumption from economic growth while remaining competitive.

Industries in India are increasingly integrating circular economy principles into their operations to help achieve targets related to emission reduction, biodiversity conservation and water conservation. This session will aim to showcase some initiatives on circular economy taken by Indian industry, deliberate on alternative business models, technology and innovations, and present a case for collaborative, data-driven platforms to transition towards a circular economy.

Plastics have become an important part of our lives, they are used for numerous applications and across many sectors, ranging from packaging to construction. By 2040, production of plastics is expected to double. Nearly 40% of plastics are used in packaging, making it the single largest application of plastics. ¹ In India, six million metric tons of plastics are used for packaging applications every year. To avoid mismanagement of plastics and to create circular economy of plastics packaging, the Government of India amended Plastics Waste Management rules to: a) ban problematic single-use-plastics items, b) allow the use of recycled content in food contact plastics packaging, and c) set quantitative EPR targets for businesses. Internationally, UN Member States endorsed a resolution to forge an internationally binding treaty to end plastics pollution. Businesses
in India are also signing up to the voluntary targets under the India Plastics Pact, a business-led initiative with the vision a world where plastic is valued and doesn’t pollute the environment. Together, these initiatives are working towards a common goal, i.e., help to create a circular economy for plastics in India.

In recent years technology is changing the ways of life. Countries around the globe are making plans setting various targets to make the world a sustainable place. Businesses, governments, institutions, and investors are working together to innovate, finance and establish technologies that can enable the future with zero emissions, zero waste, and zero inequality. These ambitious plans and targets have the potential to become a reality with the advent of progressive technological development.

Technologies enhancing public electric transport, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen in the energy transition, accessible solar power, LED light efficiency, plastic recycling, energy storage, big data and analytics are shaping the sustainability agenda. Businesses are now innovating and implementing such technologies that enable and drive a redefined business processes with positive impacts. The session will focus on the how to accelerate the pace of adopting environment friendly technologies and delivering technological solutions at the national and local level.