The city of Goa recently hosted the first-ever Outlook Planet Sustainability Summit & Awards 2024 for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) on May 27th. Organized by the Outlook Media Group with BDO India as the Awards Process Advisor and IIT Goa as the Knowledge Partner, the event provided a platform to recognize the sustainability initiatives undertaken by government-owned companies.
Categories Promoting a Greener Future
The awards spanned four major categories: Sustainable Governance Champion, Corporate Responsibility Champion, Circularity Champion, and Climate Action Champion. Within each category were sub-categories for fossil fuels, non-fossil fuels, and a Jury Special Recognition award.
Sustainable Governance Champions
In the Sustainable Governance Champion category, Coal India Limited won the fossil fuel sub-category, while NHPC Limited secured the non-fossil fuel award. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited received the Jury Special Recognition.
Corporate Responsibility Frontrunners
For Corporate Responsibility Champion, GAIL (India) Limited took home the fossil fuel honor, with Power Finance Corporation Limited winning the non-fossil fuel sub-category. NLC India Limited was awarded the Jury Special Recognition.
Promoting Circularity in Business
The Circularity Champion category, which recognizes efforts to minimize waste and maximize resource use, saw Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited win the fossil fuel award. Steel Authority of India Limited claimed the non-fossil fuel prize, while Indian Oil Corporation Limited received the Jury Special Recognition.
Climate Action Trailblazers
In the Climate Action Champion category, NTPC Limited was the fossil fuel winner, with Bharat Electronics Limited securing the non-fossil fuel award. Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Limited received the Jury Special Recognition.
Editor’s Choice Sustainability Champions
The Sustainability Champions in the Editor’s Choice Category honored exceptional performers across institutional and individual categories. The institutional winners included Engineers India Ltd (EIL), HPCL, NMDC Limited, Oil India (OIL), Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited, National Fertilisers Limited (NFL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC Limited), and REC Limited.
In the individual category, Dr. PS Gahlaut of Indian Potash and Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean of R&D at IIT-Kharagpur, were recognized for their contributions.
Evaluating Circularity and Sustainability
The winners were rated by BDO India based on their sustainability performance, with a total of 132 CPSEs evaluated. Circularity, a key criterion, refers to minimizing waste and maximizing resource use through the principles of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
As India’s public sector enterprises continue to prioritize sustainable practices, events like the Outlook Planet Sustainability Summit & Awards provide a platform to celebrate their achievements and inspire further progress towards a greener future.