Business, Institutions, and the Environment

The natural environment is intimately interlinked with economic processes, each affecting the other in different ways. With the rise of new forms of environmental governance, green business strategies, socially responsible investing, and rapidly evolving consumer preferences, businesses are facing sustainability challenges on multiple fronts. This short introduction explores different facets of corporate environmental strategy in India, analysing the behaviour of large as well as small Indian firms in the ecological and social context.

Mapping the evolution of environmental regulatory framework in India, the book looks at the various challenges faced by firms in India and how they have overcome it, sometimes turning them into opportunities. It further examines the role of chambers of commerce and research organizations in influencing corporate environmentalism, and illustrates environmental initiatives that have been successful. As an outcome, firms and industry emerge, not as the villains of the plot, but as just one of the many actors, which, given conducive conditions, can also be heroes.

Runa Sarkar is Professor of Economics, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.