Doing Well by Doing Good:

Global Sustainability at
Aditya Birla Group
Video Overview

• Hosted by Wayne Cascio, Ph.D.

• SHRM Foundation’s 9th DVD
• Filmed at Aditya Birla Group
Headquarters, Mumbai, India
• Comprehensive
Interviews
• Officers, Managers, and
Employees
Video Synopsis
• Video Introduction
• A Brief Snapshot of The
Aditya Birla Group
•Community Involvement
• Defining Global
Sustainability
• Vision and Focus
• Sustainability and Business
Strategy
• Sustainability Over The
Long Term
• Sustainability and Business
Strategy
• Corporate Benefits of
Sustainability
• Role of HR in Sustainability
• Where to Begin
• Advice to Future Leaders
• Five Lessons in Global
Sustainability
Company Overview

OPERATING INFORMATION
•Headquartered in Mumbai, India
•$35B in annual revenue
•131,000 employees worldwide
•Operates in 33 Countries
•Named one of the top six places for
leaders in the Asia-Pacific Region
•60% of revenues come
from overseas operations
Company Overview

GLOBAL BUSINESSES
•A metals powerhouse, among the world’s most cost-
efficient aluminum and copper producers.
•No.1 in viscose staple fiber
•The largest producer of carbon black
•The fourth-largest producer of insulators
•The fifth-largest producer of acrylic fiber
•Among the top 10 cement producers
•Among the best energy-efficient fertilizer plants
Company Overview

INDIA-SPECIFIC INDUSTRIES
•A top fashion (branded apparel) and lifestyle player
•The second-largest producer of viscose filament yarn
•The largest producer in the chlor-alkali sector
•Among the top three mobile telephony companies
•A leading player in life insurance and asset management
•Among the top two supermarket chains in the retail
business Among the top 10 BPO companies
Company Overview

BEYOND BUSINESS
•Works in 3,000 villages.
•Reaches out to seven million people, annually through the
Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural
Development focusing on healthcare, education,
sustainable livelihood, infrastructure and espousing social
reform.
•Runs 42 schools, which provide quality education to
45,000 children. Of these, over
•18,000 children receive free education.
•Its 18 hospitals tend to more than a million villagers.
Company Overview

BEYOND BUSINESS
•In line with its commitment to sustainable development,
has partnered with Columbia University in establishing the
Columbia Global Centre’s Earth Institute in Mumbai.
•To embed corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a way
of life in organizations, has set up the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry – Aditya Birla
•CSR Centre for Excellence, in Delhi.
Discussion Questions
What aspects of a healthy society
can be influenced by corporations?
• Education and health care
• Equal employment
opportunity and job creation
• Efficient use of natural
resources
Additional Questions

• List some examples of how the Aditya Birla Group is

improving education and health care in the
communities in which it operates.

• Discuss how a corporation’s employment standards

might influence other businesses and organizations in
the community.

• How might inefficient use of natural resources affect a

community?
What competitive advantages
could be realized as a result of
engaging in the local community
and global sustainability?
• Healthy and educated workforce
• Cost savings through efficiency
• Long-term availability of source
materials
Additional Questions

• In what ways have the Aditya Birla Group’s health care

initiatives created a competitive advantage?

• Define sustainable livelihood.

• Discuss some examples of local community initiatives

that have an impact on global sustainability.
In what ways can a company put
more back into the world than it
consumes?
• Community initiatives and rural
development
• Sustainable operations and
environmental rehabilitation
• Recycling, reusing, reducing
and repairing
Additional Questions

• What are some of the community initiatives of the

Aditya Birla Group?

• Why are sustainable operations important for

communities?

• List other ways a company could promote recycling,

reusing, reducing and repair.
Why is long-term
success in business
dependent on a
healthy society?
• Society is your customer
• Society is your source of talent
• Healthy societies have fewer
issues
Additional Questions

• How has the Aditya Birla Group invested in the long-

term health of local communities?

• What human resource expenses can be minimized by

operating in a healthy society?

• What are some operational benefits that healthy

societies afford to companies?
How would you define
compassionate capitalism?
• Capital should not be your only concern
• Avoid exploitation
• Collective enrichment
Additional Questions

• How has the Aditya Birla Group exemplified

compassionate capitalism?

• What techniques can be employed to create and

maintain a higher sense of purpose?

• How can an executive influence an organization’s

culture?
Why should firms consider undertaking
sustainability initiative(s) that intersect
with the strategy of
their businesses?
• The natural (easy) fit
• Protect needed resources
• Improved public image
Additional Questions

• Give some examples of how the Aditya Birla Group

intersected its strategy with global sustainability.

• In what ways would a company be affected by wasteful

use of natural resources?

• Why are potential employees drawn to companies that

are environmentally and socially responsible?
What are some specific issues of
global sustainability that a
company might address?
• Climate change and
water shortages
• Infectious disease and
reduction of poverty
• Disaster response and relief
Additional Questions

• How did the Aditya Birla Group’s investment in health

care systems help prevent a breakout of the dengue
fever?

• What is fair trade, and how does it help prevent

poverty?

• In what ways can a company prepare for catastrophic

disasters?
How does a company’s attention
to global sustainability attract
talented human capital?
• The good corporate citizen
• An opportunity to contribute
• Caring for society implies
decency
Additional Questions

• Why is young talent attracted to the Aditya Birla

Group?

• How does the Aditya Birla Group use employer-

sanctioned charitable activity to encourage employee
loyalty?

• List some ways that a company might promote its

global sustainability efforts to entice new talent.
Why is it critical to have
top-level executives
buy in to global
sustainability efforts?
• Employee buy-in
• The financial investment
• Long-term integration of
the effort
Additional Questions

• How do Aditya Birla Group’s top-level executives

commit to global sustainability?

• Are there any downsides to global sustainability efforts

that are not tied to a business’s strategy?

• How might an organization with limited resources

finance large-scale sustainability efforts?
In what ways can an organization
measure its impact in terms of
sustainability?
• Cost savings
• Availability of resources
• Polling new talent
Additional Questions

• How has the Aditya Birla Group measured the value of

its global sustainability and community involvement
efforts?

• What are some advantages of conserving resources

over recycling waste?

• Discuss how you might calculate a metric that links

sustainability to employee retention
Five Important Lessons
1. Recognize the link between sustainability and
competitive advantage – focus on initiatives that
create a meaningful benefit for society and that are
also valuable to your business. The tighter that
linkage, the great the opportunity to leverage the firm’s
resources.
2. Leadership matters – Corporate leaders with vision
are recognizing that by advancing global solutions they
can create valuable, renewable resources, establish
new markets for their companies, and unleash
tremendous opportunities.
Five Important Lessons

3. Consumers care –  In developed countries, study

after study shows that a majority of consumers believe
they can help companies create products and services
that are a win-win for consumers, business and
society.  
Five Important Lessons

4. Measurement matters – Measuring and documenting

a company’s true impact with respect to sustainability
is critical. Greenwashing, or otherwise faking it, will
ultimately be exposed to the detriment of the
company’s image and reputation. Beyond that,
measurement matters to corporate boards and
shareholders who want to understand the value of
sustainability initiatives in advancing the interests of
their companies.
Five Important Lessons

5. Accountability and integrity matter – A key reason

for embracing sustainability is to build trust with
consumers, employees and potential job applicants.
Communications that are less than honest and candid
are an invitation to unwanted publicity and negative
media attention. Tell the truth and tell it first.