Adapt and thrive, or deny and die

With sustainability concerns growing steadily by the day, it is prudent for businesses to make the necessary shift and seize the opportunities that come along.

- MARGA HOEK

We have entered a new decade in which sustainable business and capital will develop and grow in an unprecedented way. Throughout the 2010s, technology proved to be the definite game-changer. This will continue in the 2020s, yet the perspective will be from society at large, as the shift to sustainable business and capital will no doubt be the most significant shift of the next decade.

It is absolutely vital that business and capital in India use technological means to make this shift to sustainability. The numbers tell us that business will fail in a world that is falling apart due to climate change, resource scarcity, lack of drinking water, and growing inequality. Public concern on the impact of climate change is growing rapidly, and rightfully so.

Many of these problems are especially prevalent in India. Malnutrition affects the lives of 40 per cent of children (Assocham and EY Report, 2017) in the nation. Cities across India suffer from an overflow of waste. Urban India generates 62 million tons of garbage every year (Planning Commission, Government of India Report, 2014). India has been increasingly suffering from heat waves recently, and statistics reveal that at least 4,620 people have died in the last four years due to extreme heat causing dehydration and heatstroke. A recent study found that India suffers the most pollution-related deaths in the world.