Green Initiatives At XLRI Jamshedpur: Leading By Example In Campus Sustainability

The adage "actions speak louder than words" is particularly relevant today, as many organizations across sectors claim to be sustainable and green. This has led to skepticism regarding the authenticity of such claims, making it essential to examine an organization's actual sustainability actions rather than just their claims and commitments. In the context of higher education, particularly management education, sustainability holds significant importance. The recent Financial Times (FT) Masters-in-Management (MiM) rankings, released in early September 2024, highlight this; out of 22 assessment parameters, two focus on sustainability performance: carbon footprint rank and ESG/net zero teaching rank. For higher educational institutions, sustainability is not only about environmental responsibility but also crucial for improving global rankings and reputation. These factors are vital for relationships with current and prospective students, recruiters, and other stakeholders.

Now, that we have answered the why sustainability for higher educational institute question, let us try to assess the sustainability performance of XLRI Jamshedpur, the oldest management institute in India which is currently celebrating its 75^th year of establishment and one of the six Indian institutes featuring in the top 100 of FT MiM 2024 list.

A good place to start is with the vision and mission of the institute as it gives a good overview of the ideology and philosophy of any institute. XLRI Jamshedpur라이브 바카라 vision is to be an “institution of excellence nurturing responsible global business leaders for the greater common good and a sustainable future”. To support this vision, XLRI Jamshedpur lists down five missions, one of which is “to nurture responsible ethical leaders sensitive to environment and society”. These vision and mission statements are translated into seven values of XLRI Jamshedpur, inspired by the Jesuit Spirit of Magis, three of which are “ethical conduct”, “sensitive social conscience”, and “inclusiveness and tolerance”.

In 1992, XLRI Jamshedpur set up the Centre for Rural Management with an aim to nurture responsible management leaders who can contribute to the vibrancy of Indian rural society. In 2005, it introduced the mandatory rural immersion program for all students of long-duration programs of the institute to sensitize students to lives of, and issues faced by people in rural India. In 2007, it became the first Indian management institute to sign up for the United Nations Global Compact라이브 바카라 (UNGC라이브 바카라) Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME). This premier global initiative, supported by the UN, aims to raise the profile of sustainability in business and management education. Today, UN PRME boasts more than 800 signatories worldwide, with XLRI Jamshedpur being associated with it since its inception. In the same year, XLRI Jamshedpur became the first Indian management institute to introduce a compulsory course on sustainability for all its long-duration MBA programs. These two initiatives reflect XLRI's strong commitment to sustainability and leadership in this area.

In 2009, it established the Centre for Global Management and Responsible Leadership (CGMRL), in collaboration with Loyola University Chicago (USA), to promote ethical and sustainable global business practices and set up the Father Arrupe Centre for Ecology and Sustainability (FACES) in 2011 to provide thought leadership on sustainability. In 2014, it instituted an annual oration on sustainable development (Verghese Kurien Memorial Oration on Sustainable Development) that complements the JRD Tata Foundation라이브 바카라 JRD Oration on Business Ethics, the annual ethics oration instituted in 1991.

Over the years, these institutional initiatives have led to several workshops, seminars, projects, and training sessions being organized focused on sustainable development and corporate sustainability. Complementing these institutional initiatives are several student driven initiatives on campus. In 2002, the first such initiative was launched in the form of the Social Initiative Group for Managerial Assistance (SIGMA). In 2021, another student body, People for Environmental Awareness and Conservation of Ecosystems (PEACE) was set up. The scope of rural immersion program has enhanced in recent years from only rural areas to rural and tribal areas. These initiatives ensure students develop better understanding, and getting a chance to work on, sustainability topics both within and outside the XLRI Jamshedpur campus.

Following the introduction of the UN SDG and adoption of the Paris Climate Treaty in 2015, several were initiated. In 2016, XLRI began its journey towards making the Jamshedpur campus carbon neutral. Based on the recommendations of an external agency hired to do a detailed energy, carbon, and water audit of the campus, XLRI started undertaking several initiatives with the aim to become carbon neutral within 10 years. A biogas plant was setup in 2016 to convert biodegradable waste generated within the campus into biogas to be used for cooking in the Jesuit Father라이브 바카라 residence on campus. During 2017-18, a 326 kWp solar rooftop plant was set up on campus. In the last 12 months, this plant has generated 362 MWh power and helped save 296 tonnes of CO₂. During the same period, water saving sensors were installed in urinals across hostels and buildings to minimize water wastage. In 2023, XLRI, in collaboration with Tata Steel Foundation (TSF), launched the unique one-year Post-Graduate Certificate Program in CSR Leadership (PGC-CSRL) to help foster sustainable development agenda by the corporates.

On the faculty front, the number of faculty members of XLRI Jamshedpur with background and active teaching and research interests in sustainability has grown over years and today this number is perhaps the highest in India across management institutes. It also helps institute organize regular training programs for corporate entities and undertake projects and consulting assignments for government bodies and national and international organizations on various sustainability topics. These reflect the preference given by the institute in boosting capacity of sustainability focused educators. This is perhaps a reason why the institute plans to launch some short and long duration certificate and training programs on specific sustainability topics, including ESG leadership and sustainability reporting in the near future.

These several institutional and academic initiatives, with history of more than three decades, dispel any notion of skepticism about actions not matching the words when it comes to sustainability. To sum up, when it comes to XLRI Jamshedpur라이브 바카라 commitment to sustainability, Actions indeed speak louder than words!

Disclaimer: The above is a contributor post, the views expressed are those of the contributor and do not represent the stand and views of 바카라 Editorial.