The spectre of climate change is rapidly intensifying. Disasters that befall communities, society and citizens require urgent attention. The United Nations Environment Programme is working towards tackling the “triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste”. There needs to be an acceleration of efforts, deployment of solutions, where nothing can be left to chance.

The recently held COP28 acknowledged the important role food and agriculture plays in tackling the climate crisis. Companies that have sustainability deeply ingrained in their organisational DNA and where commitment to sustainability is clearly articulated through comprehensive strategies, tend to excel. Some areas of intervention include responsible dairy farming, sustainable packaging, and water stewardship.

Dairy farming

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database, India is currently the highest milk producer in the world, contributing a whopping 24 per cent of global milk production in 2021-22. Addressing methane emissions is a substantial issue within the dairy value chain. India predominantly consists of small dairy farmers. The focus should be to work with small dairy farmers to improve productivity and reduce emissions. Farmers can be encouraged to shift from small to larger farms.

Consequently, we must explore ways to enhance the financial well-being of farmers as a vital step towards supporting the farmers in their transition towards climate-friendly practices. Substantial capital investment, strong partnership between science and finance are imperative. In this regard, Indian financial institutions play a crucial role in transforming the dairy industry into a climate-friendly sector.

The installation of biodigesters at the dairy farms, both large and small, is one step in this direction, as they efficiently convert animal waste into energy, and depending on their size, they can be used to power dairy farm operations and for household consumption. The remaining slurry can be utilised as natural fertilizer, contributing to regenerative agriculture practices.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had said that every day the equivalent of over 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into our oceans, rivers, and lakes. The more plastic we produce, the more fossil fuel we burn, further aggravating the climate crisis.

There should be a strong and coordinated journey between manufacturers, local authorities, NGOs, waste workers and consumers. We should focus on pioneering alternative materials, shaping a waste-free future, and driving responsible behaviour.

Efforts need to be intensified for developing innovative materials that can deliver the desired protection and functionality of incumbent packaging materials with better environmental performance. Better waste management systems can address the issues of plastic waste entering the natural environment and impacting the ecosystems as well.

Waste workers constitute an integral part of responsible waste management. Often obscure in their labour they toil hard in vulnerable and fragile environment. Upskilling them is an important step in making them stay safe in a profession which is gaining extreme significance.

Through Project Hilldaari, Nestlé India in partnership with NGOs and other stakeholders is working towards diverting waste from landfills, professionalising waste workers, digitalising systems to streamline waste management and inspiring behavioural change.

Sustainable water stewardship is the need of the hour. One noteworthy endeavour would be the use of technologies to harness the water present in liquid milk for plant maintenance activities or utilise technology to repurpose wastewater for maintenance, that can result in reduction in groundwater usage.

We cannot afford to fade into indifference. Businesses must summon their spirit of ‘purpose’ and harness new ideas, where planet, societal interests and profit can coexist.

The writer is Chairman and Managing Director, Nestlé India