Sustainability Strategy

25TH JUN 2026: WORK: INDIA'S CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION STORY IS NO LONGER ONLY ABOUT PERSONAL VALUES

I grew up in a Mumbai middle class home where nothing was thrown away easily. We repaired clothes before buying new. Old clothes became home clothes. Steel dabbas lasted for years. Shoes resoled. Nobody called it sustainability then. It was simply how we lived.

Years later, as my journey moved through manufacturing, infrastructure, mobility, policy work and sustainability, I realised something important:

India does not need to import the idea of conscious consumption. We have lived it before. We just stopped valuing it when speed, convenience and modern aspiration took over. Today, the language has changed.

We call it circular economy.

We call it responsible consumption.

We call it sustainable mobility.

We call it lifecycle thinking.

We call it regenerative business.

But at its heart, it is the same old wisdom: Use well. Waste less. Repair more. Respect resources...more...

02ND JUN 2026: WORK: REDUCING IMPORT DEPENDENCE WHILE CREATING CLIMATE-RESILIENT VALUE CHAINS CAN BECOME INDIA'S OWN MODEL OF AGRARIAN ECONOMY

What Africa's Flower Farms Taught Me About Agriculture Exports.

A discussion in sustainability forum, The Climate Party, took me back into memory lane — to a phase of my professional journey that deeply shaped how I think about agriculture, sustainability and exports.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of working with flower and vegetable farms in Kenya under a United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP) programme. One observation stayed with me: Many African agricultural systems are designed for global markets, not just domestic consumption. This is not accidental.

In several African countries, export-oriented value chains for flowers, vegetables, tea, coffee and fruits have been built over decades through quality production, efficient logistics and strong international buyer networks. I saw this firsthand in flower farms supplying European markets. While the Netherlands remains one of the world’s largest flower trading hubs, Kenya and Ethiopia continue to be among its leading fresh-cut flower suppliers, accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars in annual trade...more...

13TH MAY 2026: WORK: INDIA'S PM NARENDRA MODI'S "NATION FIRST" APPEAL MAY BE MUCH BIGGER THAN A TEMPORARY RESPONSE TO GLOBAL UNCERTAINTY

It could become the foundation of India’s next economic and sustainability framework. And Indian manufacturing #MSMEs have the biggest opportunity to benefit from it. 

When we hear:

• support local manufacturing

• reduce fuel dependency

• adopt solar energy

• strengthen domestic supply chains

• buy local

• focus on self-reliance

these are not isolated suggestions. Together, they form the pillars of economic sovereignty. India’s future competitiveness will not come only from scale. It will come from resilient, efficient and sustainable local ecosystems. 

This is where MSME's can pivot strategically using sustainability levers...more...

18TH FEB 2026: WORK: CLIMATE TRANSITION IS NOT CONSTRAINED ONLY BY SUPPLY. IT IS CONSTRAINED BY FRAGMENTED DEMAND

At Mumbai Climate Week one idea crystallized for me. Climate transition is not constrained only by supply. It is constrained by fragmented demand. In conversations inspired by systems thinkers and research highlighted by sustainability experts in the panel a recurring insight stands out. Capital moves when demand becomes predictable. This applies far beyond renewable energy It applies:

1. To recycled materials.

2. To renewable-powered manufacturing.

3. To climate-adaptive design.

4. To Scope 3 transformation.

India’s manufacturing ecosystem is incredibly capable. 

What it often lacks is coordinated, structured signals that justify long-term green investment...more...

09TH FEB 2026: VIEWS: NATURE IS NOT AN EXTERNALITY. IT IS THE VERY BASIS OF OUR ECONOMY AND SURVIVAL

With the passing of Prof. Madhav Gadgil in January 2026, India—and especially coastal cities like Mumbai — lost not just a pioneering ecologist, but a persistent clarion voice reminding us that ecology and economy are inseparable.

Mumbai’s forests of tangled roots along its creeks, its wetlands and tidal flats, are not ornamental greenery. They are living infrastructure — buffers against flooding, storm surges, heat stress, and erosion. Yet today, they are caught at a crossroads between protection and development.

For instance: the Versova–Bhayander Coastal Road North project has been approved by the Bombay High Court with an environmental mandate—but still involves the felling of tens of thousands of mangroves even as the court insists on annual compensatory planting and monitoring over the next decade...more...