Aditya Birla Group signs WASH pledge

The Aditya Birla Group (ABG), a premium global conglomerate, recently signed the WASH pledge, reaffirming its commitment to provide employees with safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation and hygiene. The WASH pledge is an initiative by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), an organisation led by CEOs of leading companies, including the Aditya Birla Group.

Mr. Rajiv Dube, Director – Group Corporate Services, signed the pledge on behalf of the Aditya Birla Group. One of the first to sign it, the Group has now joined other leading companies such as Nestlé, Deloitte LLP, Roche Group and Unilever as signatories. These companies commit to providing their employees with access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) at the workplace within three years.

The WBCSD’s Vision 2050 project revolves around creating a path to global sustainability. Their Action 2020 programme features a list of must-haves, that organisations should consider putting in place within the next decade, in order to make a sustainable world a reality by 2050. The WASH pledge is a key condition to achieving the Action 2020 programme.

Becoming a signatory to the WASH Pledge is yet another stepping stone towards attaining the Group’s Sustainability Vision — “To become the leading Indian conglomerate for sustainable business practices across its global operations by 2017.”

The Group aims to attain its vision based on three pillars:

Responsible stewardship: Making our operations capable of meeting international standards and expectations.

Stakeholder engagement: Listening to our stakeholders and engaging in a positive dialogue about our operations, products and services across the value chain. It also means understanding which global megatrends and externalities can influence our business success.

Future proofing: Preparing for the effects of external sustainability themes on our future by integrating our response to the opportunities and risks into our strategic business plans.

As a responsible company, the Aditya Birla Group has been taking several steps to ensure it delivers on its vision. Whether it is recycling aluminium at Novelis, using a;lternative fuels at Ultratech, powering our telecommunication tower with hydrogen at Idea Cellular or signing the WBCSD’s WASH pledge, we are committed to corporate social responsibility and towards sustainable development in every possible way.