Institute for Sustainable Communities Launches India EHS+ Center with Support from Mahindra & Mahindra
Will Train Factory Managers in Environment, Health and Safety Skills
Mumbai, October 15, 2015 – The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) and Mahindra Group announced their partnership yesterday to support the new EHS+ Center in Pune. The EHS+ Center began trainings for factory managers earlier this year, is India’s first training center for environment, health and safety plus energy (EHS+) training designed to help managers improve worker safety as well as energy management and environmental performance. Initial funding for the EHS+ Center has been provided by the GE Foundation and The Walt Disney Company.
Mahindra & Mahindra, a leader in Indian industry, has made a $1 million (US) commitment to support the EHS+ Center over the next four years. With this donation, Mahindra & Mahindra joins The Walt Disney Company and the GE Foundation as donors in a public-private partnership with ISC and the Symbiosis Institute of International Business. Representatives from Symbiosis University joined Mahindra Group President Rajeev Dubey and ISC President George Hamilton at a partnership ceremony on October 14, 2015 at Mahindra Towers.
Rajeev Dubey, Mahindra & Mahindra’s Group President of HR & Corporate Services, and CEO of the Aftermarket Sector, noted, “It is exciting for Mahindra to be involved in helping India’s small and medium enterprises get the skills they need to lead in sustainable manufacturing. Environment, health and safety training is critical to India’s economic success, and equally essential to protecting our environment. As part of our deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, we are delighted to partner with the ISC to build these strengths in India, and look forward to the impact this commitment will have on building EHS leadership in India.”
Said George Hamilton, President of ISC, “Our work to advance environment, health and safety training in India is critical to building a strong local commitment to sustainable manufacturing. We are very proud to be partnering with such a leading company as Mahindra & Mahindra to grow the EHS+ Center and usher in a new era of resource efficiency and responsible management.”
India is pursuing an aggressive economic growth strategy predicated on attracting domestic and foreign investment in a strong manufacturing sector. The vast majority of India’s recent growth has come from manufacturing, and the government has set an objective to expand the share of manufacturing in overall GDP from a current level of 15% to 22% by 2022. The objective is to accelerate development and expand economic opportunities for Indian citizens.
This rapid growth of Indian industry presents a critical opportunity to pursue growth which is inclusive, environmentally friendly and leads to overall sustainable development. To achieve such growth, factories need to integrate environment, health and safety practices into their business operations. Small and medium enterprises need affordable and industry-relevant EHS training and technical assistance. The EHS+ Center strengthens the ability of India’s manufacturing sector to reduce water and energy waste, reduce GHG and toxic pollution, and serve as a high-quality partner to Indian and global businesses.
The India EHS+ Center is part of ISC’s EHS+ Network, which also includes two EHS+ Centers in China and one in Bangladesh. The EHS+ Network has completed over 20,000 instances of training and has partnered with leading global brands such as GE, Adidas, Walmart, Pfizer and many others. ISC developed the Network to provide high-quality training and support the principles of sustainable manufacturing in Asia.
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ISC’s innovative EHS programs began in the heavily industrialized region of Guangdong, China, in 2009; their second Center opened in Jiangsu in 2011. ISC launched two more Centers in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Pune, India in 2014. Each EHS+ Center is a public-private partnership that pairs international nonprofit ISC with a local host organization, provides technical training in essential skills for EHS management and sustainability leadership. After completing the training, factory managers work to improve health and safety on the job and drive improvements in environmental health, energy efficiency, and greenhouse gas management. Hundreds of global brands have sent their local EHS managers and suppliers to the EHS+ Centers, and consider the program an integral part of achieving their global sustainability goals.
An international nonprofit organization, the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) has 24 years of practical experience working with local leaders to accelerate climate change and sustainability solutions. ISC’s programs are designed to facilitate peer learning and engagement among local leaders charged with the work of making their communities more sustainable. ISC has led 103 projects in 30 countries, and currently works in China, India, Bangladesh and the United States. www.sustain.org
The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.
A USD 16.9 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra provides employment opportunities to over 200,000 people in over 100 countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles and two wheeler industries.
In 2014, Mahindra was featured on the Forbes Global 2000, a comprehensive listing of the world’s largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by revenue, profit, assets and market value. The Mahindra Group also received the Financial Times ‘Boldness in Business’ Award in the ‘Emerging Markets’ category in 2013. Visit us at www.mahindra.com