“My Grandfather bought faraway marshy land.
His critics just couldn’t understand.
They concluded he had gone quite mad
But today we are glad, not sad.”
“A township then slowly arose
And this is where our business grows.
We provided every needed tool
Housing, hospital, and school.”
“My uncle, known as SPG
Way back could clearly see
The environment was under stress.
Neglect he knew would be a mess.”
“Our creek side land was reserved.
The mangroves there well preserved.
And from my office I gaze out there,
A Mumbai view that’s very rare
With greenery all the way
Until you sight New Bombay.”
“In saving tigers, he played a role.
The environment was a major goal.
And doing good is very sound
What goes around does come around.”
“Doing good isn’t just a cost
The gain outweighs all that’s lost.
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!”
“And how do we define our role
What could be a proper goal?
Now the UN has a lengthy list,
So, in recounting, some would be missed!
So, I will focus on just three
That I think would be the key
For all the others to fall in place
And enable us to win the race.”
“Good health through perfect sanitation,
Environment and education.
All of these can be seen
In our program Good and Green.”
“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.
In India mandated CSR
Can help us go very far.
Multiple benefits are what one sees
With water projects or growing trees.
Good livelihoods are created
Our carbon emissions are abated.
Trees planted at a river’s source
Maintain the flow throughout its course.”
“So many benefits we can see:
The preservation of biodiversity,
Different species can be tried.
Useful products can be supplied
Like biomass or edible fruits
And yet the trunk and the roots
Can sequester carbon, clean the air,
A win-win that is very fair.”
“So, while we decarbonise
Why not also monetise.
So never fall for either or.
Our hearts and minds demand much more.
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!
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.
With the help of business, I foresee
A helpful, thriving society.”
Mr. Nadir Godrej’s poetic speech reminded us all at present that sustainability is not a burden but a gain, a collective mission where business, society, and nature thrive together.