Balancing ESG Impact in Design: Shift from 'E' to 'S' & 'G'

Newsletter August 2023

Monthly Highlights

Dr. Poorva Keskar appointed on the Central Government Monitoring Committee

Dr. Poorva Keskar, Director of VK:e, has been selected as one of the members of the "High Level Monitoring Committee" for the Mahabaleshwar Panchgani Natural Sensitive Area by Urban Development Ministry, Maharashtra. The committee has been functioning from 2017 to carry out ancillary work required to preserve and protect the region and to regulate and control noise pollution and traffic in the environmentally sensitive areas. Strengthening the collaboration between VK Group and government bodies, VK:e is sure that her commitment to sustainable development will translate into practical measures benefiting the area.

Tree Plantation drive at Warje Tekdi, Warje, Pune

A tree plantation drive was organised by Forest Department in association with Sustainability Initiatives (SI) and VK Group on 26th August where SI volunteers participated and planted around 60 trees on Warje Tekdi, Pune. SI will also take continuous follow-up on the growth of these plants with Forest Department.

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UK-India Net Zero Accelerator Programme

UK and India have partnered on various fronts including sustainability, development, and economic cooperation. To achieve the transition towards the Net Zero Built Environment in the context of India UK 2030 Roadmap, CII’s Indian Green Building Council partnered with UK Department of Business & Trade (DBT) with the support of Innovate UK, to launch the ‘UK-India Net Zero Accelerator Programme’. The objective of the programme was to introduce latest innovative UK clean-tech solutions and technologies to the Indian market and business partners. The programme functioned as a catalyst to expand research, innovation and business cooperation in the field. The programme hopes to result in concrete technology transfer, knowledge exchange and innovation between Indian business partners and 18 UK companies selected in the first Cohort of the programme. They offer different type of technologies & solutions such as carbon reduction solutions, real-time carbon accounting software, solar EV & energy storage solutions, real-time water quality monitoring systems, managing & processing of hospital waste, low energy fresh air ventilation solutions, extraction of methane gas from sewage wastewater and 3D printing from waste materials. Mr Harjinder Kang, His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for South Asia & British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India were the Chief Guests for the event.

Dr. Poorva Keskar, Director, VK:e environmental was also among the panelists on board who shared their views as an Architect on net zero transition for the building sector. The launch was attended by architects, builders, engineering consultants, contractors, manufacturers, and sustainability enthusiasts.

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From the Editor's Desk

Balancing ESG Impact in Design: Shift from 'E' to 'S' & 'G'

When it comes to the incorporation of ESG goals, designers tend to focus more on the environmental aspect (‘E’). While till a few years back, few knew about measuring carbon emissions or embodied carbon, now, organizations are aware that the built environment is responsible for a large part of energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. With help from professionals like VK:e, businesses from big corporations to small retailers, are looking to reduce their total impact.

While the impact of the ‘E’ is visible in the built environment, understanding the ‘S’ (social) and ‘G’ (governance) is more challenging at an individual project level. The social aspect is less regulated and can involve amenities for people in a building or a sense of community and social inclusion. The ‘S’ includes how a company treats its employees and communities, while the ‘G’ is about how corporations interact with stakeholders.

VK:e as a sustainability partners can help businesses to achieve these through a range of sustainable practices. VK:e collaborates to conduct Awareness Programmes and Strategy Workshops for employees and supply chain. Set up a Sustainability Governance Framework including principles, processes and procedures with institutional arrangements to manage issues. VK:e's commitment extends beyond design sustainability reports to ensure a harmonious balance between 'E,' 'S,' and 'G'.