ESG has reimagined conventional business success: Sustainability & Material Compliance Conference at IIMB
Sector specialists point to regulation, product circularity, and digital transformation as pathways to long-term market competitiveness
26 September 2025, Bengaluru: A diverse group of experts, including government officials, academicians, business leaders, and sector specialists, gathered to deliberate on the repositioning of sustainability not as a compliance burden but as a driver of innovation, resilience, and differentiation at the Sustainability & Material Compliance Conference on the theme ‘Enabling Industry Today for the Standards of Tomorrow’. The summit was organized by the TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab at IIM Bangalore, in partnership with Key Sustainability Solutions Private Limited, Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC), and Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI) on 26 September 2025 at IIMB.
The event was formally inaugurated by Prof. Rajeev R. Tripathi, Chairperson, Supply Chain Management Centre (SCMC); Dr. Aditya Gupta, COO, SCMC; Dr. S Devarajan, Past President, BCIC and Sr VP, TVS Motors; Shridhar Rajappanavar, Founder & CEO, Key Sustainability Solutions; and Mahesh T, Director, EMPRI, Government of Karnataka.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Rajeev R. Tripathi, Production & Operations Management (POM), IIMB, alluded to how sustainability has moved from the margins of discourse to the center of strategic deliberation. He positioned sustainability as a multidimensional concern that stands to be equally relevant to individuals, manufacturing, and service sectors — and noted that climate change, regulatory risk, and shifting consumer expectations valuing accountability and transparency in an era of conscious consumerism are increasingly converging to make sustainability an unavoidable agenda for businesses.
Delivering the keynote, Dr. S Devarajan, Sr VP, TVS Motors, offered an industry point of view that emphasized sustainability by design rather than an add-on. He argued that India’s regulatory progression from BS3 to BS6 emission norms demonstrates the nation’s ability to respond to ambitious climate targets. He also cautioned that failing to embed sustainability in design, manufacturing, logistics, and materiality itself poses profound risk. Looking ahead, he observed, India’s growth trajectory will be “green, digital, and people-focused.” This shift, he argued, is also reorienting businesses from being merely output-driven to outcome-driven, and prompting enterprises to serve their communities, integrate their people, and contribute meaningfully to society.
Sustainability reimagines conventional ways of doing business
The fireside chat between Kanishk Negi, Director of Sustainable Procurement, Schneider Electric, and Dr. Aditya Gupta, COO, SCMC, brought into focus the role of sustainability in shaping competitiveness, operational resilience, and long-term value creation for MSMEs. Mr. Negi drew on Schneider’s global practices and frameworks to illustrate how sustainability can be both a performance driver and a differentiator.
Opening the discussion, Dr. Gupta highlighted Schneider Electric’s consistent placement in the top 5% across ESG rating agencies over the past five years, along with its early commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement. He invited Mr. Negi to reflect on the company’s priority areas and how these have translated into tangible progress.
Mr. Negi underlined that rather than an ancillary concern, sustainability is embedded into Schneider’s corporate strategy: “About 75% of our total revenue comes from what we call Sustainable Offers or solutions that inherently deliver measurable environmental benefits. Sustainability is only as good as it is practiced. At Schneider, we assess not just business outcomes but also sustainability targets, and these are acknowledged publicly. The CEO speaks of financial as well as sustainability commitments, and this cascades through the organization, right down to individual goals”.
On the tangible and intangible benefits of sustainability, Mr. Negi highlighted efficiency and future-readiness: “Sustainability is about revisiting the conventional way of doing business. It drives efficiency by lowering costs, improving margins, optimizing processes, and strengthening brand reputation, consumer loyalty, and investor confidence. Companies that fail to anticipate developments over a 10–15 year horizon risk redundancy. Future-readiness often comes from sustainability.”
When asked about the most immediate steps for MSMEs embarking on the sustainability journey, Mr. Negi advised that the first step was to overcome the mindset that sustainability is external to business. “You will be surprised how inefficiently many operations are run. Optimizing energy consumption – typically 10–12% of average global manufacturing cost – offers 20–30% scope for improvement with the same output. Government schemes also provide financial support for SMEs pursuing energy efficiency, decarbonization, and material efficiency”.
Engineering compliance into competitiveness: Automotive, Energy and Manufacturing experts weigh in
Global and domestic regulatory frameworks are shaping corporate strategy, operational choices, and long-term sustainability trajectories at an accelerating pace. The panel discussion on ‘From Policy to Practice: Navigating Global Decarbonization Regulations’, moderated by PGSEM ’08 alumnus Sridhar Pabbisetty, Public Policy and Urban Governance Specialist, brought together N Muthukumar, Head - Regulatory Affairs and Product Homologation, Ashok Leyland; Amit Kumar Paladhi, Sr General Manager EHS & Sustainability, Bosch India; Venugopal Bhat, Research Fellow - Global Product Owner - Supply chain Data and Digital systems - Shell Energy; and Prathamesh Lambe, Manager - Sustainability, Mahindra & Mahindra, for reflections on the regulatory levers most directly influencing their companies’ immediate priorities.
Muthukumar observed the role of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the automotive sector, calling it an “end-to-end process” that spans raw material sourcing to registered vehicle scrapping facilities. He also noted that Ashok Leyland had committed to sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2030 as it joined the RE100 global initiative.
At Bosch India, Amit pointed to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as the most immediate regulatory force, while the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework provided longer-term industry-wide benefits. “CBAM compels us to recalibrate supply chains quickly, while BRSR strengthens foundational processes and disclosures,” he noted.
Representing Shell, Venugopal also cited CBAM as central, observing, “We work alongside many energy-intensive sectors. CBAM evaluates our carbon inputs, influences sourcing decisions, and future-proofs our operations”.
On Mahindra & Mahindra’s reliance on BRSR norms as well as End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) compliance, Prathamesh said, “Regulations and public disclosures have helped reevaluate our approach to compliance. It has accelerated our efforts and further helped scale our vision”.
The panelists agreed that regulations are not only reshaping compliance practices but also catalyzing internal transformation. “BRSR has acted as an enabler,” said Mr. Paladhi. “It has enhanced transparency, aligned processes, and deepened employee engagement”.
Venugopal explained that regulatory frameworks are also helping companies manage value chains more responsibly. “They enable us to identify socially responsible suppliers and pinpoint Scope 3 emission hotspots.
The conversation also turned to reconciling ambition with feasibility and policy gap with industry alignment. Still, collaboration with the government has strengthened, the panelists agreed. The discussion brought to the fore that while regulatory frameworks may differ in immediacy and scope, their collective influence continues to steer the Indian industry toward deeper integration of sustainability, innovation, and accountability.
Circularity beyond recycling and by design
The second panel explored the deeper dimensions of circular supply chains under the theme ‘Beyond Recycling: Why True Circularity Requires Systemic Change’. Moderated by Prof. Tripathi, the discussion brought together SMEs across shipping, automotive, construction equipment, and testing services.
Rabindra Sah, Chief Technology Officer, Indian Register of Shipping, pointed out that maritime transport, responsible for 95% of global trade by volume and 65% by value, has clear net-zero targets to be achieved by 2050, making circularity indispensable. Digital tools such as predictive maintenance, lifecycle assessments, and alternative fuels, he said, are making circularity viable in the sector.
Asmita Sathaye, General Manager of Material Science, Tata Motors, emphasized that ‘designing for circularity’ meant ‘designing for durability’. In the automotive sector, this meant reducing material grades and fasteners, extending product lifecycles, and embedding predictive and annual assessments into manufacturing. Circularity, she argued, is not just a design principle but a cultural shift that must cascade across the supply chain to its last player.
Pournima Barve, Digital Product Manager, Volvo Construction Equipment, brought focus to the role of data and traceability. Circularity depends on visibility into material composition, including hazardous substances, and requires standardized, interoperable data systems across suppliers, she noted. On the regulatory front, Harshit Tyagi, Assistant Manager – Sustainability, Intertek, spoke of Europe’s ambition to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, through the European Green Deal, which places circularity as an important aspect of industrial transformation. However, he cautioned that regulatory harmony requires a common global definition of the term ‘circularity’.
Compliance mandates every supplier must know
The third panel, moderated by Shridhar Rajappanavar, Founder & CEO, Key Sustainability Solutions, examined the evolving compliance landscape, the rules of the game, and what suppliers must do to remain competitive. Panelists included Sharad Raut, Global Product Compliance Manager, Southco; Sunanda Kadam, Regional General Manager, Intertek Assuris (India & Middle East); Meenakshi Shastri, Assistant Manager – Product Compliance, Kohler; and Sarvesh Joshi, Project Lead, Grupo Antolin India.
Speakers weighed in that compliance is no longer a box-ticking exercise but a foundation for product safety, customer trust, and brand value. Sharad Raut observed that, for SMEs in particular, compliance should be seen as “an investment, not a burden” – a means to survive in the market and build consumer confidence.
Sunanda Kadam highlighted the importance of embedding compliance into the product lifecycle, starting from design and extending through supplier engagement. Companies, she noted, must identify high- and low-risk materials, educate suppliers, and establish “responsible care” practices to ensure consistent quality and regulatory alignment.
The discussion also flagged challenges in working with non-compliant suppliers. Rather than treating non-compliance as negligence, panelists urged companies to recognize capacity constraints in smaller suppliers. Training, education, and automation, coupled with clear communication of regulatory expectations, were identified as key pathways to bring the wider ecosystem into alignment.
Looking ahead, panelists pointed to the rapid rise of automation and AI in compliance management. By 2030, material compliance experts will need to collaborate more closely with engineering functions, while AI tools will increasingly handle data conversion and routine monitoring. However, human expertise will remain critical with the rising need among analysts to interpret complex nuances and apply insights to build data-driven strategies, the panelists noted.
Click here for photo gallery
ESG has reimagined conventional business success: Sustainability & Material Compliance Conference at IIMB
Sector specialists point to regulation, product circularity, and digital transformation as pathways to long-term market competitiveness
26 September 2025, Bengaluru: A diverse group of experts, including government officials, academicians, business leaders, and sector specialists, gathered to deliberate on the repositioning of sustainability not as a compliance burden but as a driver of innovation, resilience, and differentiation at the Sustainability & Material Compliance Conference on the theme ‘Enabling Industry Today for the Standards of Tomorrow’. The summit was organized by the TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab at IIM Bangalore, in partnership with Key Sustainability Solutions Private Limited, Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC), and Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI) on 26 September 2025 at IIMB.
The event was formally inaugurated by Prof. Rajeev R. Tripathi, Chairperson, Supply Chain Management Centre (SCMC); Dr. Aditya Gupta, COO, SCMC; Dr. S Devarajan, Past President, BCIC and Sr VP, TVS Motors; Shridhar Rajappanavar, Founder & CEO, Key Sustainability Solutions; and Mahesh T, Director, EMPRI, Government of Karnataka.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Rajeev R. Tripathi, Production & Operations Management (POM), IIMB, alluded to how sustainability has moved from the margins of discourse to the center of strategic deliberation. He positioned sustainability as a multidimensional concern that stands to be equally relevant to individuals, manufacturing, and service sectors — and noted that climate change, regulatory risk, and shifting consumer expectations valuing accountability and transparency in an era of conscious consumerism are increasingly converging to make sustainability an unavoidable agenda for businesses.
Delivering the keynote, Dr. S Devarajan, Sr VP, TVS Motors, offered an industry point of view that emphasized sustainability by design rather than an add-on. He argued that India’s regulatory progression from BS3 to BS6 emission norms demonstrates the nation’s ability to respond to ambitious climate targets. He also cautioned that failing to embed sustainability in design, manufacturing, logistics, and materiality itself poses profound risk. Looking ahead, he observed, India’s growth trajectory will be “green, digital, and people-focused.” This shift, he argued, is also reorienting businesses from being merely output-driven to outcome-driven, and prompting enterprises to serve their communities, integrate their people, and contribute meaningfully to society.
Sustainability reimagines conventional ways of doing business
The fireside chat between Kanishk Negi, Director of Sustainable Procurement, Schneider Electric, and Dr. Aditya Gupta, COO, SCMC, brought into focus the role of sustainability in shaping competitiveness, operational resilience, and long-term value creation for MSMEs. Mr. Negi drew on Schneider’s global practices and frameworks to illustrate how sustainability can be both a performance driver and a differentiator.
Opening the discussion, Dr. Gupta highlighted Schneider Electric’s consistent placement in the top 5% across ESG rating agencies over the past five years, along with its early commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement. He invited Mr. Negi to reflect on the company’s priority areas and how these have translated into tangible progress.
Mr. Negi underlined that rather than an ancillary concern, sustainability is embedded into Schneider’s corporate strategy: “About 75% of our total revenue comes from what we call Sustainable Offers or solutions that inherently deliver measurable environmental benefits. Sustainability is only as good as it is practiced. At Schneider, we assess not just business outcomes but also sustainability targets, and these are acknowledged publicly. The CEO speaks of financial as well as sustainability commitments, and this cascades through the organization, right down to individual goals”.
On the tangible and intangible benefits of sustainability, Mr. Negi highlighted efficiency and future-readiness: “Sustainability is about revisiting the conventional way of doing business. It drives efficiency by lowering costs, improving margins, optimizing processes, and strengthening brand reputation, consumer loyalty, and investor confidence. Companies that fail to anticipate developments over a 10–15 year horizon risk redundancy. Future-readiness often comes from sustainability.”
When asked about the most immediate steps for MSMEs embarking on the sustainability journey, Mr. Negi advised that the first step was to overcome the mindset that sustainability is external to business. “You will be surprised how inefficiently many operations are run. Optimizing energy consumption – typically 10–12% of average global manufacturing cost – offers 20–30% scope for improvement with the same output. Government schemes also provide financial support for SMEs pursuing energy efficiency, decarbonization, and material efficiency”.
Engineering compliance into competitiveness: Automotive, Energy and Manufacturing experts weigh in
Global and domestic regulatory frameworks are shaping corporate strategy, operational choices, and long-term sustainability trajectories at an accelerating pace. The panel discussion on ‘From Policy to Practice: Navigating Global Decarbonization Regulations’, moderated by PGSEM ’08 alumnus Sridhar Pabbisetty, Public Policy and Urban Governance Specialist, brought together N Muthukumar, Head - Regulatory Affairs and Product Homologation, Ashok Leyland; Amit Kumar Paladhi, Sr General Manager EHS & Sustainability, Bosch India; Venugopal Bhat, Research Fellow - Global Product Owner - Supply chain Data and Digital systems - Shell Energy; and Prathamesh Lambe, Manager - Sustainability, Mahindra & Mahindra, for reflections on the regulatory levers most directly influencing their companies’ immediate priorities.
Muthukumar observed the role of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the automotive sector, calling it an “end-to-end process” that spans raw material sourcing to registered vehicle scrapping facilities. He also noted that Ashok Leyland had committed to sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2030 as it joined the RE100 global initiative.
At Bosch India, Amit pointed to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as the most immediate regulatory force, while the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework provided longer-term industry-wide benefits. “CBAM compels us to recalibrate supply chains quickly, while BRSR strengthens foundational processes and disclosures,” he noted.
Representing Shell, Venugopal also cited CBAM as central, observing, “We work alongside many energy-intensive sectors. CBAM evaluates our carbon inputs, influences sourcing decisions, and future-proofs our operations”.
On Mahindra & Mahindra’s reliance on BRSR norms as well as End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) compliance, Prathamesh said, “Regulations and public disclosures have helped reevaluate our approach to compliance. It has accelerated our efforts and further helped scale our vision”.
The panelists agreed that regulations are not only reshaping compliance practices but also catalyzing internal transformation. “BRSR has acted as an enabler,” said Mr. Paladhi. “It has enhanced transparency, aligned processes, and deepened employee engagement”.
Venugopal explained that regulatory frameworks are also helping companies manage value chains more responsibly. “They enable us to identify socially responsible suppliers and pinpoint Scope 3 emission hotspots.
The conversation also turned to reconciling ambition with feasibility and policy gap with industry alignment. Still, collaboration with the government has strengthened, the panelists agreed. The discussion brought to the fore that while regulatory frameworks may differ in immediacy and scope, their collective influence continues to steer the Indian industry toward deeper integration of sustainability, innovation, and accountability.
Circularity beyond recycling and by design
The second panel explored the deeper dimensions of circular supply chains under the theme ‘Beyond Recycling: Why True Circularity Requires Systemic Change’. Moderated by Prof. Tripathi, the discussion brought together SMEs across shipping, automotive, construction equipment, and testing services.
Rabindra Sah, Chief Technology Officer, Indian Register of Shipping, pointed out that maritime transport, responsible for 95% of global trade by volume and 65% by value, has clear net-zero targets to be achieved by 2050, making circularity indispensable. Digital tools such as predictive maintenance, lifecycle assessments, and alternative fuels, he said, are making circularity viable in the sector.
Asmita Sathaye, General Manager of Material Science, Tata Motors, emphasized that ‘designing for circularity’ meant ‘designing for durability’. In the automotive sector, this meant reducing material grades and fasteners, extending product lifecycles, and embedding predictive and annual assessments into manufacturing. Circularity, she argued, is not just a design principle but a cultural shift that must cascade across the supply chain to its last player.
Pournima Barve, Digital Product Manager, Volvo Construction Equipment, brought focus to the role of data and traceability. Circularity depends on visibility into material composition, including hazardous substances, and requires standardized, interoperable data systems across suppliers, she noted. On the regulatory front, Harshit Tyagi, Assistant Manager – Sustainability, Intertek, spoke of Europe’s ambition to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, through the European Green Deal, which places circularity as an important aspect of industrial transformation. However, he cautioned that regulatory harmony requires a common global definition of the term ‘circularity’.
Compliance mandates every supplier must know
The third panel, moderated by Shridhar Rajappanavar, Founder & CEO, Key Sustainability Solutions, examined the evolving compliance landscape, the rules of the game, and what suppliers must do to remain competitive. Panelists included Sharad Raut, Global Product Compliance Manager, Southco; Sunanda Kadam, Regional General Manager, Intertek Assuris (India & Middle East); Meenakshi Shastri, Assistant Manager – Product Compliance, Kohler; and Sarvesh Joshi, Project Lead, Grupo Antolin India.
Speakers weighed in that compliance is no longer a box-ticking exercise but a foundation for product safety, customer trust, and brand value. Sharad Raut observed that, for SMEs in particular, compliance should be seen as “an investment, not a burden” – a means to survive in the market and build consumer confidence.
Sunanda Kadam highlighted the importance of embedding compliance into the product lifecycle, starting from design and extending through supplier engagement. Companies, she noted, must identify high- and low-risk materials, educate suppliers, and establish “responsible care” practices to ensure consistent quality and regulatory alignment.
The discussion also flagged challenges in working with non-compliant suppliers. Rather than treating non-compliance as negligence, panelists urged companies to recognize capacity constraints in smaller suppliers. Training, education, and automation, coupled with clear communication of regulatory expectations, were identified as key pathways to bring the wider ecosystem into alignment.
Looking ahead, panelists pointed to the rapid rise of automation and AI in compliance management. By 2030, material compliance experts will need to collaborate more closely with engineering functions, while AI tools will increasingly handle data conversion and routine monitoring. However, human expertise will remain critical with the rising need among analysts to interpret complex nuances and apply insights to build data-driven strategies, the panelists noted.
Click here for photo gallery