According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Report on Global Risks 2017, the evolving global landscape faces a cluster of environment related interconnected risks such as extreme weather events, failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation and water crisis. Climate change acts as a risk multiplier as it tends to worsen the existing environmental and ecosystems' challenges like constrained availability and steady depletion of natural resources and declining biodiversity.
In order to address these challenges, best practices have been embedded into ITC's operations on the basis of which, the Company strives to maximise the efficiencies of natural resource usage across its Businesses. ITC's Businesses have set voluntary targets on key performance indicators such as specific energy consumption, specific greenhouse gas emission, specific water intake, specific waste generation etc. to demonstrate continual improvement on their environmental performance. An organisation-wide integrated sustainability data management system supplemented by standard operating procedures for measurement and recording provides the platform to monitor the data of each business on resource utilisation and environmental impact vis-á-vis production.
In addition, ITC also constantly endeavours to create a positive environmental footprint. Large-scale Social and Farm Forestry, Integrated Watershed Development and Sustainable Agriculture Practices, among others, are a few examples of extensive initiatives in this direction.
ITC's Board approved Policies on Environment, Health and Safety (EHS), Life-cycle Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing, provide the necessary framework to address the direct impacts of the Company's own operations as well as progressively extend the efforts along the supply chain (Please refer to Sustainability Policies available at www.itcportal.com). Businesses are progressing in the phase wise implementation of these policies as per a defined roadmap.
It is the overall responsibility of the Divisional/Strategic Business Unit's (SBU) Chief Executives to ensure implementation of relevant policies and standards on environmental performance through their management team. This also includes institution of various committees and designating specific responsibilities. ITC's Corporate EHS Department is responsible for reviewing and updating Corporate Standards, verifying compliance, providing guidance and support as required. Compliance and progress based upon the roadmap defined by each Business is regularly reviewed by the Sustainability Compliance Review Committee (SCRC) constituted by the Corporate Management Committee (CMC).
The following sections outline ITC's role in addressing each of the challenges posed by material environmental aspects within as well as outside the boundary of its operations and ITC's environmental performance for 2016-17.