By Rusen Kumar
Continental has a firm vision that mobility must not be just comfortable, safe, and connected but it must also be sustainable.
2021 was a year that signified landmarks in terms of Continental India‘s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Identifying key focus areas with a firm understanding of the global scenario, coupled with their vision, added heavily to the success of Continental India’s CSR wing – Conscience.
In an Interview with Rusen Kumar of India CSR; Deepa Sasidharan, the CSR Head of Continental Automotive India talks about the various CSR initiatives undertaken by Continental in India in the past year to empower women in the highly male-dominated field of manufacturing, sustainability, and the future initiatives planned by the organization.
Could you please elaborate on the CSR initiatives undertaken by Continental in the past year?
Amidst the negativity and suffering that 2021 saw, Continental India made significant efforts to ease the situation. We identified key focus areas keeping in mind the global scenario with our vision which led to the success of Continental India’s CSR wing – Conscience. In the past year, we have undertaken initiatives to empower women by inspiring, educating, and employing women from difficult socio-economic backgrounds to help them secure jobs on the shop floor across manufacturing plants in the Bangalore and Gurgaon areas.
Another initiative is the Water Conservation and Restoration project in Anekal – a rural development program, which will facilitate benefits to the surrounding villages. In the healthcare sector too, we have installed two Oxygen generator plants at Victoria Hospital, Bangalore, and the Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati (SHKM) Government Medical College, Mewat (in association with Maruti Suzuki India Limited) respectively.
Apart from this, Continental also took the initiative to plant 150,000 trees across India on our 150th Anniversary to save the environment.
Do you think that the manufacturing industry is under-represented? What steps has Continental taken to decrease this gap and empower women in this particular field?
It is no secret that women have been majorly under-represented in the manufacturing sector for years now. It is a stereotype that has been constructed over generations and one, we felt, needed to be shattered. This objective of ours gave rise to the Women for Manufacturing program in June of 2021 to inspire, educate, and employ women from difficult socio-economic backgrounds. The initiative comprises three components,
The first component – An awareness program to inspire the younger generation of girls to consider the manufacturing industry as a career option. The second component – Awareness and training to women from ITI institutions about the manufacturing industry and help find them internships. The third component – focused on educating and employing those in need, who lacked the strength and support to pursue technical courses.
Once the initial groundwork is laid, we then work towards building customized courseware and choosing the ideal training processes. The final stage involves liaising with local industries to ensure optimum output for the client and candidate alike. With the aid of our NGO partner, the program has grown organically, and we have been able to place women in different industries across both locations.
Currently, nominations and preparations for our second batch have begun at both locations. Year one of these focused on Bangalore and Gurgaon, and in 2022 we have expanded our reach to Chennai and Pune.
What is Continental’s take on sustainability and has the organization taken any steps to protect the environment?
In 2020, we systemically introduced a new framework that had sustainability at its core and has identified four focus areas – Carbon Neutrality, Emission-free Mobility and Industry, Circular Economy, and Responsible Value Chain. By 2050, we hope to achieve 100 percent efficiency, comprehensively, across the focus areas.
Continental has a firm vision that mobility must not be just comfortable, safe, and connected but it must also be sustainable. Our Net Zero Now program propagates immediate action for climate change mitigation reducing the global carbon footprint.
The program aims to enable customers with ambitious sustainability goals to neutralize the remaining carbon backpack of their relevant business with Continental. An admirable example from Continental’s sustainability innovation space is the Conti Green Concept tire. More than 50 percent of the materials used in the manufacture of this tire are renewable and reusable. More interestingly, we have also used polyester from PET bottles in these tires, the first time this has been accomplished in the industry. Additionally, Continental is also in the process of obtaining natural rubber from dandelions on an industrial scale.
During the second wave of the pandemic in 2021, many organisations undertook initiatives to help and contributed in their way. Did Continental also come up with some initiatives to help the country?
The second wave in 2021 was a difficult experience for all of us. During the first two waves of the pandemic, we distributed food supplies to migrant labor and frontline health workers in Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai. During the second wave, two Oxygen generator plants were installed at Victoria Hospital, Bangalore, and the Saheed Hasan Khan Mewati (SHKM) Government Medical College, Mewat (in association with Maruti Suzuki India Limited) respectively. We also took up a project at a public health center in Gurgaon to upgrade and support infrastructure and other medical requirements like PPE kits and protective gears.
Could you also share some of the activities that are planned for the future?
The second batch of Women for Manufacturing is shaping up well and hopes to radically increase the number of beneficiaries. The Anekal Check Dam is nearing completion, after which we will ensure the upkeep of the project ensuring the surrounding villages thrive hereon. Through Conscience – our CSR wing – we also have a tool called the Volunteering Time Grant. Time spent by our employees volunteering outside of work with various NGOs is monetized and the funds are disbursed to a charitable organization of their choice. Even though the 150k plantation drive was conceived as part of our 150th anniversary, we are committed to conserving and maintaining the ecosystem for the next two years.
(India CSR)
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