Now businesses slowly realise
That profit is a short-term prize.
After all what do businesses gain
If they die out and don’t sustain?
But how much can they afford to spend
To ensure their existence doesn't end?
That answer's not easy to find
But a thought still comes to my mind.
If the efforts of all are combined
The synergies that we can find
Reduces costs and raises gain
And obviates inevitable pain.
There’s a capitalistic strain
That enthrones shareholder gain.
And Milton Friedman could see
That this simplistic philosophy
Could lead to great efficiency
But wherever there's externality,
This capitalism, red in tooth and claw,
Can prove to be a dismal flaw.
Correction can come from regulation
Or even from self-remediation
And Adam Smith himself foresaw
That business could address this flaw.
It should be clearly understood
One can do well by doing good.
Doing it smartly we do better
So why not be the trend setter!
And here I think that we all ought to
Pay careful heed to Michael Porter.
With Shared Value there's no cost
For doing good as nothing's lost.
All it takes is a thinking brain
To remove a societal pain
And combine it with a business gain
To create a sustainable chain
Of endless mutual benefit.
This concept is a tremendous hit.
We thought that we should also try
And see if we could apply
This philosophy to our group
Our employees also joined the loop.
In the year 2010
Studies were commissioned and then
With the help of Dasra and FSG
Our new program, one could see.
We aptly named it Good and Green.
And what a journey it has been!
It is no longer Climate Change
Within a tolerable range.
A crisis is what it’s about
With fires, floods as well as drought.
Every week a constant blast
Far worse than seen in the past.
If we must, we will adapt
Prevention though would be more apt.
There is a cost to adaptation,
It’s rising fast in every nation
As well as for the world at large.
This will be a heavy charge.
In fact, we should all conclude
Prevention would be really shrewd.
In practice it would cost much less
And avoid a lot of stress.
All industry should play a role
In the carbon neutral goal.
GHG emissions should be reduced
More green energy should be produced.
And so, without partiality
Our goal for all's neutrality.
Whether water, carbon or solid waste
And very soon we will make haste
To make our net emissions zero.
Will that make the group a hero?
In 2010 the goal looked tall
But we took a reasoned call
Technology would save the day.
So far it has turned out that way.
To achieve these goals, we will strive
To do it all by 2035.
As technology takes a leap
Green energy gets very cheap.
Keen observers quickly saw
That Solar also tracks Moore's law.
Whether groundnut shell or bagasse
Our India's full of biomass.
At first, we thought we'd have to spend
But that's not true, for in the end,
The more we thought and the more we slaved
We did invest but we also saved.
There are many paths that we can see
For achieving Carbon neutrality.
But the cheapest way is certainly
Through energy efficiency.
Real interest rates are rather low.
And high returns quickly flow
From any energy saving device.
For business this is very nice.
Not only are returns quite brisk,
There’s also very little risk.
The vision that we should now share
Is a brave new world both green and fair.
The environment isn’t all.
On society let’s take a call.
Throughout the chain let’s keep in sight
Every person’s human right.
It’s business as usual, not bravery
To end child labour and slavery.
And in all businesses, we should see
The broadest reach of diversity.
Not only is it fair and right.
It would give us the best insight.
Since life is full of many hard knocks
We need to think out of the box.
Diversity’s the perfect aid
When we are required to wade
Through troubled waters or quagmires
Unusual thought is what inspires!
Lack of health and education
Leads to the perpetuation
Of inequality through generations
In almost all our nations.
Without good health you never learn
If you don’t learn you cannot earn.
For health as well as climate change
It certainly isn’t strange
That prevention’s better than a cure.
On public health we should spend.
It is much cheaper in the end.
With little cost and greatest ease
We could reduce lifestyle disease!
At any rate I am quite sure
We would spend less than for a cure.
In order to achieve this goal
Businesses could play a role.
Through business models and CSR
Together we can go quite far.
And similarly, through education
We can serve ourselves and the nation.
We often think that charity
Can address disparity.
But tackling health and education
Are better means for alleviation.
Through action and advocacy
We can help all humanity
To create a world that’s just and fair
And everyone is free to share
Nature’s bounty and be fulfilled
And then I’m sure we’d all be thrilled.
Our people also volunteer,
Together all of us can steer
A world in which there’s harmony
Between business and society
A mutual reinforcing loop
Benefitting every group.
And once again our CSR
Can serve to take us very far.
The projects that are the biggest hits
Provide us all with benefits.
Ingeniously we can plan it
Serve profit, people and planet!
Sustainability is not a pain.
For after all it is a gain.
It helps us all to survive,
Last long as well as to thrive.
It’s a license to operate.
The ecosystem finds it’s great.
Society, Governments, Banks
Cooperate, convey their thanks.
Together with both heart and brain
Sustainably let’s sustain!
With ESG spends nothing’s lost
As benefits outweigh the cost!
And Governance also pays.
It’s an effort in the early days
But over time you are rewarded
Implicit trust is then awarded.
The values for which you stand
Help to enhance your brand.
You must persist and never balk
Consistently walk the talk.
If your Governance is strong
The payback won’t be very long.
Always keep these facts in sight
Don’t hesitate to do what’s right.
This strategy is tried and tested
In the long haul it can’t be bested.
Now ESG will take you far.
Don’t just be a shooting star
Rising high before you fall
Instead take the enduring call.
All of us can forge ahead
If we only learn to shed
The barriers that can divide.
And if cooperation's tried,
With the help of business, I foresee
A helpful, thriving society.
And today GIL is awed.
To receive this award.
