Common Cause

CORPORATE VOICE: SATISH KUMAR

CSR is the success mantra for every corporate Satish Kumar   Today, financial success is no longer the only measure by which corporate firms are judged by their stakeholders. There is increased pressure to consider social and environmental criteria when carrying out business. Companies are now expected to perform well in non-financial arenas such as environmental policies, business ethics, human rights, corporate contributions, community development and workplace issues. Corporate social responsibility is the alignment of business operations with social values. Henkel’s contribution in this regard consists of products and technologies to make people’s lives easier, better and more beautiful. Following the recent tsunami disaster, Henkel immediately mobilised financial and in-kind donations of 1 million euro towards relief and rehabilitation. We at Henkel accept the global challenge and embrace it locally. The Henkel plant in Karaikal is located in a green belt and a comprehensive programme for development of farmers has been devised. For this purpose, Henkel has partnered with government agencies. The programme encompasses the entire gamut of modern farming - soil testing, yield improvement techniques, demo plot adoption for imparting latest techniques of farming, integrated training, group interaction and animal husbandry. Under the animal husbandry initiative, we have organised several medical camps for cattle, earmarking an annual fund for this initiative. Henkel India provided relief material like food packets, gas masks and household utensils to victims of the recent tsunami disaster. It provided temporary shelter to hundred families. Henkel supplied vocational aids in the form of sewing machines and fishing nets to rehabilitate the victims of affected families. It organised medical camps in which employees took an active role. Henkel has adopted two tsunami-effected schools in Nagapattinam for complete rehabilitation. Apart from the above, Henkel organises seminars on career guidance for students and regularly distributes notebooks to financially backward students. Apart from these, Henkel is providing a multi-utility cyclone shelter, a project costing Rs 50 lakh in collaboration with UNDP. Henkel is also planning to provide five fish drying sheds for the benefit of the fishermen community at Tanjore. The total plan outlay for relief measures due to tsunami is to the tune of five million euro. Henkel is maintaining a public park in Karaikal town centre. The company has taken up the initiative of planting trees with tree guards along the stretch of Karaikal and Tirunallar to benefit pilgrims visiting Tirunallar at a total cost of Rs 1 lakh. As a corporate initiative, 1% of the value of every Neem toothpaste sold is contributed towards growing neem trees. Pollution prevention is an important consideration in every project that Henkel handles. We ensure cent per cent recycling of wastewater to avoid generation of effluents. Henkel believes that corporate social responsibility is all about giving something in return to the society on whose land the company thrives, and from whose land it generates wealth. Corporate social responsibility and corporate social accountability have become the mantra behind the success of every corporate. The author is managing director, Henkel India

URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=92234 Print this Story Expressindia | The Indian Express | The Financial Express | Screen | Kashmir Live About Us | Advertise With Us | Privacy Policy | | Labelled with ICRA © 2005: Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. Top | Close this window