Why Businesses Fail? S01E09

Synopsis

Nearly two decades ago, there were two or three global standards for reporting the impact of large companies as they went about doing their business. The focus back then was on reporting something called the "Triple Bottom Line", which alluded to the planet, people, and profit (i.e. impact of business on environment, society as well as its financial impact). Then came the United Nations' MDGs or Millennium Development Goals, which were followed by SDGs or Sustainable Development Goals. In 2021, the Stock market regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) made it mandatory for top 100 listed companies to submit their business responsibility reports. Failure to operate a business in a sustainable manner poses a bigger risk today than ever before- from drop in share price, to challenges in recruiting high quality talent, and increased burden of compliance. In other words, once it was optional to report on sustainable practices. Today, has it become a license to do business? Listen to a thought provoking interview of Gagan Singh, who is Director at CEEW (Council for Energy, Environment and Water). Gagan brings a depth of experience in sustainable reporting and how financial markets view sustainability. He shares specific examples of Indian companies- how market capitalization of a small green energy company is higher than that of the largest thermal power producer in India, and how a cement company was able to raise capital at lower cost in international markets by making commitments to reduce emissions. This is an episode of Why Business Fail where one can learn a lot by simply listening and reflecting.