"From Problem to Progress: Unraveling the Amul Tetra Pack Waste Dilemma through Stakeholder Engagement"

One of the major critiques of management theories or theories in general is its inability to influence the world of practice and derive appropriate solutions for the real-world problems. This broader issue of missing industry-academia linkage often gets highlighted across multiple forums. However, such is not always the case. Some theories actually help to capture and explain the complexity of the real-world phenomenon. 

The case in point is the recent allegations against the well-known milk products-based organization. Recently, there were allegations from the grassroots organizations and communities in the Himalayan region that a noteworthy brand “Amul” (The Taste of India) is becoming a source of “waste in India”, especially in the mountains and fragile ecosystems of the eastern Himalayan region like Darjeeling.

Amul is the major player of milk-based products in this region and sells humongous amount of milk and allied products to the tourists, shops and hotels. The milk packaged in tetra packs is becoming a major cause of concern because of its improper disposal by the tourists into the mountains & rivers, and inefficient collection mechanisms by the other key stakeholders like producer, local administration, tourists, NGOs and ground workers. The mindless consumerism, administration apathy and relentless push of FMCG goods packaged in plastic without building the adequate reverse supply chain logistics and technology for recycling are the root causes for the growing pollution menace across the pristine rivers and mountain slopes of the region. 

This posits a unique wicked problem involving multiple stakeholders with varied interests and responsibilities towards addressing the problem. To an extent, the stakeholder theory attempts to capture the essence of such complex problems. According to the tenets of stakeholder theory, the only purpose of the business is not to serve the profit-maximization motives of its shareholders, but also to consider the demands and concerns of broader stakeholders who impact or get impacted by the activities of the business. The failure to proactively address the interests of the important stakeholders may put the long-term survival, success and performance of the organization in question. 

In the present case of Amul, the grassroots organization ‘TIEEDI’ working in the areas of waste management highlighted the important issue of Amul tetra pack waste through the power of social media (Video 1 and Video 2). They created impactful content on social media, engaged the relevant stakeholders and tagged the Amul officials to take significant action in tackling the problem. The Amul and Tetra Pak representatives responded to the situation, established the conversation with Tieedi and agreed to source the tetra pack waste to the nearest recycling facility. Together, all of them have also engaged to find a holistic solution to address the root cause of the problem. 

The highlighted case is not to point against a particular brand, but to depict the complexity of the unforeseen problems and the impact stakeholders can have on the day-to-day functioning of the business activities and its implications on the perception of the brand. It is important to consider that “There is no such thing as away. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere”. Thus, it is the collective responsibility of all the stakeholders including the producer, consumer and local administration to reduce, reuse and recycle the sourced waste, and thereby ensure “zero waste” by aligning with the principles of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’, ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ and “Circular Economy”.

Abnormal is the NEW NORMAL

 This blog frequently updates and alarms the readers with the relevant facts and figures about the prevailing state of our natural environment. 

Sustainable Resolutions

Resolutions are often made keeping one's personal growth and development in mind. But what about the holistic resolutions that cater to the wellbeing of our planet and society?

A broad list of such resolutions for Sustainable Living:

• This year, #NoMatterWhat, I will segregate my household waste. The chances are pretty high that the segregated waste would be recycled or upcycled into something meaningful, thereby promoting a circular economy. 
• This year, #NoMatterWhat, I will make sure to reduce food wastage during parties, weddings and food distribution programs. I will try to distribute the extra food with the needy communities. 
• This year, #NoMatterWhat, I will plant and protect the native trees. 

Citizen science and engagement for climate action

This is not a fiction story. It's about how one can meaningfully engage in our day to day lives and bring about positive change for the betterment of the planet and society. 

Out of the three broad P's (i.e. People, Planet, Profit), it's quite evident that our focus has always been towards maximizing Profit (Economy), but can we make a conscious choice towards safeguarding the Planet (Ecology) and People (Society). Many of us may not like the equation, but the time has come to consider the planet OVER & ABOVE profit. 

The story goes like.... 

One fine day while returning home, I noticed a chopped tree near the main road. I could have preferred to neglect the incident. But then I took interest in it. Many of us may neglect it. Even I used to neglect such incidences earlier, but not now!

I noticed the site carefully and observed that the tree was chopped manually. I enquired the nearby street vendors and shopkeepers about the fallen tree. It was surprising to note that the tree was cut overnight, because the shopkeeper told that the big tree was there while closing the shop at night but it was fallen when he opened the shop in the morning. When I further talked to the shopkeepers and people near the site, I came to know that the tree was chopped because it was disturbing the visibility of the newly placed advertisement board. 

In order to improve the overall look and feel of the advertisement board, the innocent tree was killed (rather murdered) brutally. I wondered whether killing an age old tree for the newly placed advertisement board justified? Who should have the right to live - living tree or an artificial advertisement board? Whose worth & value is more - the tree which provides oxygen, shade etc for free or the advertisement board which misleads people with commercial advertisements? 

Surprisingly, the tree was cut without permission and the fact that it was cut overnight reflects the ulterior motives of the concerned person. The big fallen tree also resulted in destroying the newly placed dustbins. Isn't it a damage to the public property along with destruction of natural wealth? 

I was utterly disturbed by the incident. I immediately clicked the pictures, the least I could do and shared it on Twitter by taggig the local authorities. But I didn't got any response. Then I shared the pictures on one of the WhatsApp group which has nature lovers, activists, and local media representatives. The pictures were also forwarded to the Garden Superintendent who is in charge for handling all such incidents. I tried to effectively engage all the concerned stakeholders in the conversation.

To my surprise, the public administration and the local media took an active interest in it. Even the local activists and nature lovers raised voices to highlight the incident. The garden superintendent subsequently filed a complaint to the police under "Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Preservation of Trees Act" and "Prevention of Damage to Pubic Property Act".

I got some relief as the incident was noticed and the accused may get punished, but I am equally disturbed by the fact that we lost one precious life. The big tree lost its life for a meagre advertisement board. 

I sincerely hope that the accused get strict punishment as per the law. Acknowledging such incidents and punishing the accused also sends a strong signal and message in the society to prevent similar incidents in future. 

When I look back, I thought I could have easily preferred to skip/neglect the incident and say "Kya farak padta hai?". But then I realised "Farak toh padta hai" and if each one of us actively engage and remain vigilant in our localities/cities then "Ek ek ke karne se bahot farak pad sakta hai". Let us act and be a little kind to safeguard the natural heritage of our planet. 

In and Around Nagpur

Though Nagpur is popularly known for Oranges and Tigers, there are some lesser-known and under-highlighted places near Nagpur which are worth exploring. A list of places falling on one such route from Nagpur to Wardha are as follows: 

• Khadki Hanuman Temple and famous aaloo bhajiya near the temple.
• Seloo Ganesh Temple, which is one of the Ashtavinayak of the Vidarbha region
• Pavnar Ashram of Vinoba Bhave 
• Gandhi Ashram at Sevagram (There are good facilities to stay at this historic place)
• Magan Sangrahalaya at Wardha 
• Food at rasoi restaurent in Wardha Famous Goras Pak Bhandar biscuits of Wardha. 

It would hardly take two days to cover all these places, but the experiences gained by studying these places are worth the time and money. 

There’s more to a forest than tigers!

A very commonly asked question after the Jungle Safari is whether one spotted the tiger or not, and if spotted, how many? how close? How long? In fact, many tourists knowingly or unknowingly visit Jungles only to spot the tigers and get disappointed if the tiger is not seen. It’s unfortunate that we generally believe that a jungle safari is about tiger spotting alone.

Though the tiger is an apex predator and keystone species of the forests and spotting tigers in the wild is one of its kind experience, but forests are much (so much) more than the tigers. In the quest to look out only for tigers, we miss out on so many other aspects of the forest. The jungle offers much more provided we have the farsighted vision and zeal to look for it. A growing body of literature has pointed out that exposure to pristine natural forests has a significant positive influence on boosting physical & mental health, reducing stress, promoting healing and overall wellbeing. The Japanese people practice ‘shinrin yoku’ or ‘forest bathing’ (a practise of being with nature) to rejuvenate and escape stress-filled daily life. It has known to have a positive effect on the heart rate, pulse, sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nerve activity of human beings.

Take the case of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), popularly known as the land of tigers. Though TATR is famous among tourists for tiger sightings, but there are equally thrilling and mesmerizing experiences and activities in the wild beyond the tiger sightings. In an attempt to promote ecotourism, TATR officials have promoted various activities such as Nature trail, nature camping, cycling trail, adventure activities, kayaking, sailing, birding machan, butterfly world garden, loghut Stay, Home Stay, and Souvenir Shops (https://mytadoba.org/other-adventures/).  The facilitation of such eco-tourism activities offers the surrounding villagers and tribal communities a source of alternative livelihood, boosts their income, reduce their dependence on forests and stop their migration to urban areas.

Machan Stay

Birding Machan

When visiting the forested areas, one should also visit the nearby villages adjoining forests. The economy of these people depends on forests and forests, in turn, depend upon the practices of these people. For instance, if the local men are engaged as administrative staff in the hotels & resorts and if the local women are engaged as cooks in the restaurants, they won't have to venture into the forest to cut the fuelwood. This would not only make them earn more but also reduce the chances of man-animal conflicts.

Reflecting on my recent visit to TATR, I felt the following could be some of the To-Do activities during the visit to wilderness areas.  

·   Observe the percentage of local staff employed at the resort where you are staying. If it is negligible, provoke the owner to boost local employment as it boosts the local economy and the local people won’t have to migrate to nearby cities in search of better occupation or jobs.

·   The villages adjoining the forest mostly belong to tribal communities. For instance, Basod community has an ancestral occupation of handcrafting bamboo products. With the advent of plastics, their products are dying a slow death. Try to purchase and promote their products. It costs nothing!

·        Prefer to stay at a local homestay. It not only gives villagers the opportunity to serve you but you also get an opportunity to get the feel of local culture.

·    Eat local. The traditional cuisines on Chulha are mouth-watering and provides an alternative source of livelihood to rural people. Remember, their economy depends on you.

·        Don’t blow horns or listen to loud music. Instead, hear the mesmerizing sounds of the jungle, the sound of a freshwater stream, the chirping of the birds, the rustling of the leaves, etc.

·     The souvenir shops at forest gates keep exclusive tribal and traditional products. Buying these products offers the local artisans a readymade market. It's a good practise to gift such products on birthdays and anniversaries.

·        Don't throw away waste or plastics in the pristine forested areas.

·        Visit the Tourist Interpretation Centre and understand the flora/fauna of the particular forest.

·        Spend a day in a rural setting to understand the local customs, traditions, and culture. Understand the challenges faced by these people and if we can take any corrective measures to solve their problems.

·        Educate other people about sustainable ways of being in the forest.

Thus, Next time when you visit a forest, be on the lookout for the aforementioned activities and take the holistic feel of the pristine forested areas.

Insights from Joe Biden’s 2021 Leaders’ Summit on Climate

The Leaders’ Summit on Climate ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) is a welcome move by the US President Joe Biden. It is heartening to witness the historic largest carbon-polluter coming back to the climate rescue. President Biden seem to have a clear intention and interest to take climate action. On the very first day of joining the office the president announced the move to make United States return to the Paris Agreement. Subsequently, 40 world leaders were invited to the Leaders’ Summit on Climate to galvanize the efforts by the world’s major economies to tackle the climate crisis. The invitation to the summit urged global leaders to use the summit as an opportunity to showcase their commitments towards stronger climate ambition and action.

The key themes of the summit were to channelize the efforts of the world’s major economies to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius and assist the vulnerable countries to mitigate and adapt the climate impacts. At the summit, the US submitted its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the 2015 Paris Agreement which is to reduce 50-52 per cent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach to the goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Similar ambitious commitments were made by Japan, Canada, European Union and United Kingdom among a host of other countries.

But despite of having such ambitious pledges and commitments, we are falling short of a 1.5˚C-compatible 2030 target as reported by the Climate Action Tracker (CAT). A two-day virtual meeting of world’s leaders was never going to channelize the kind of rapid response required for serious climate action. However, with the unionization of world’s top political figureheads, the climate change issue is certainly back on the agenda. The real need now is to transform the commitments to ground with real time monitoring and feedback mechanism.

The world’s topmost leaders should also be concerned about those impacted the hardest and with very little capacity to cope with the serious impacts of climate change. Several studies have identified South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa as two of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. Unfortunately these are the same regions with lower economic capacities, poor standards of living and higher dependence on natural resources. With just 3.5% of the global emissions share, south Asia faces the brunt of the climate impacts.

The poorer south nations are far less materially and economically developed than the North nations. The developed nations have attained economic levels by extensive use of fossil fuels and materialistic advancement. It is unfortunate that the historically low carbon emitters are hit hardest by the impacts of climate change. This also raises the question of Climate Justice and Common but Differentiated Responsibility and Respective Capacities (CBDR & RC) which was not given an adequate attention during the leaders’ summit. Though the south nations must play their active role in reducing the emissions, but the north nations must take responsibility to help and support the vulnerable countries.

The scientists have warned the urgency to limit the global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to limit the adverse impacts of climate change. We have already crossed the rise in global temperature by 1.2°C mark. At the current global GHG emission growth rate, the world will likely warm by 2°C in a matter of few decades, the aftereffects of which are most likely to be irreversible and unlivable. IPCC has also warned that we have just a short decade till 2030 to reduce the global emissions by 50% if we are to avert the disastrous effects of climate change.

There is a dire need to invest in nature and take some serious legally binding actions like phasing out coal, promoting renewables, afforestation targets, sustainable investments etc. The global financial institutions should be mandated to invest at least 50% in promoting climate action. A strict global tax system should be made in place to penalize the carbon, energy and water intensive projects with unsustainable products and practices. The projects like mining and overexploitation in ecologically sensitive areas should be totally banned. A proactive landscape scale planning is a must while decision making. The funds like Green Climate Fund and Climate Adaptation Fund should be made sizable to the extent of the problem. The developed countries should take ownership to help their developing counterparts in financing and technological transfer.

Advancing on climate with strong policy and commitments should not be looked upon as a liability or bourdon. There is a hidden long term incentive by aligning the policies and practices for creating a better, equitable and just world. The enhanced climate action will help create green jobs, advance innovative technologies, promote sustainable livelihoods and achieve inclusive development.

Climate Change is certainly real and almost visible. It is already staring hard at our doorsteps. The point in time is the most crucial and decisive moments in the lifetime of only inhabitable planet. It’s a make or break time for the world. At such a crucial juncture, let us hope that the Leaders’ Summit on Climate is a stepping stone to decisive climate action.

References: 

 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/26/president-biden-invites-40-world-leaders-to-leaders-summit-on-climate/ 

 https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/climate-change/biden-s-climate-summit-major-polluters-ramp-up-climate-ambition-76680 

 https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/earth-day-2021-joe-biden-to-host-earth-day-climate-summit-how-to-watch-it-online-who-is-attending-9551811.html 

 https://yubanet.com/world/civil-society-reactions-to-leaders-climate-summit/ 

 https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/climate-change/biden-s-climate-leadership-summit-what-should-3-pms-from-south-asia-do-76619