Achieving competitive advantage through environmentally sustainable business practices: the case of Arvind Envisol

Abstract

It has been estimated by the Central Pollution Control Board, under the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, that 501 MLD (million litres per day) of industrial effluent is discharged by water polluting industries through drains of tributaries into River Ganga alone. The mysteriously self-purifying Ganga ranks among the filthiest water bodies in India and the world.With 18% of world’s population and only 4% of fresh water resources, India is poised to have severe water problems, if not managed properly (World Resource Institute). One out of 7 people do not have access to clean water. Worldwide, one out of 5 deaths under the age of 5 is due to a water related disease. Two million tons of sewage and other waste are discharged into world’s water, the equivalent of the entire human population on this Earth. The industrial waste forms a major proportion of this. The toxins emerge from a variety of water polluting industries – Sugar, Textiles, Refineries, Food, Dairy and Beverages and others.