Dinesh Dayal, Chief Operating Officer (COO), L’Oreal India in conversation with Anil Jaggi , Executive Editor CSR & COMPETITIVENESS.
Welcome to “CSR & Competitiveness”, our readers would be happy to know your thoughts and vision on Loreal’s Sustainability & CSR program in India.
L’Oreal India’s vision for sustainability is a commitment to Share Beauty with All. We are committed to want to bring beauty to everyone. Beauty expresses itself in many ways. We believe in the beauty of protecting the environment and biodiversity, the beauty of supporting communities and providing security for employees, the beauty of delivering desirable and sustainable products for women and men who trust in us.
How do your relate L’Oréal CSR Initiatives with your own product line as Responsible Businesses Initiative?
Firstly we have defined our CSR priority/vision to be to Empower Indian Women through Education and Livelihood training- this is very much in line with our Global leadership in the Beauty Industry- Our main customers are Women and we employ a very high percentage of women in our work force.
Secondly our two main CSR programs are directly reflective of this vision- Beautiful Beginnings where we provide beauty training to underprivileged women and For young women in Science – where we give full scholarships to underprivileged girls for science graduation studies over the entire period of graduation.
Thirdly, these programs harness our specific knowhow of beauty training (every year we train 1.5 lakh hairdressers, and a number of beauty advisors in our sales counters) and in Science(globally we are the largest spenders in R&D, and file over 600 patents every year, it’s our firm conviction that Beauty needs Science more than ever and that Science needs women)
Finally, with these programs we develop the Indian Beauty industry by providing highly skilled man power(women power in fact!) and generate social inclusion of women which is in line with the social development priority of the Indian Government.
What are your views on PPP model to promote Sustainable CSR & are you collaborating with local NGOs, CSOs and SHGs
There is a growing evidence to believe that governments and NGOs have come a certain distance while working together as partners to complement each other’s efforts. A number of projects with government, non-government and business organizations are functioning, and the relationship amongst them is moving towards mature, smooth and trouble-free. In a country like India areas which need attention are immense, and business houses can greatly aid financial commitments required to drive the government’s agenda of development.Yes, we regularly partner with NGOs to drive our programmes. We used to partner with Aide et Action to drive our Beautiful Beginnings. Right now we are partnering with LabourNet, a young and growing organization based in Bangalore. The NGO works towards empowering the informal sector workers and provide access to this workforce for economic development.
Please do share more about Young Women in Science Scholarship and Beautiful Beginnings programs.
For Young Women in Science
The L’Oréal India for Young Women in Science program is currently in its 11th year and has enabled 150 young women from economically challenged sections of society, to complete their graduation in a scientific field of their choice.
L’Oreal India awards scholarships worth 3,000 Euros/ Rs. 2.5 lacs to promising young women over a period of four years. In 2014 the number of scholarships given was increased from 30 to 50 and the program was also expanded to the Southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Besides Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, we offer scholarships to students from Delhi and the National Capital Region, Karnataka and the state of Maharashtra.
Beautiful Beginnings
L’Oréal India Beautiful Beginnings programme was established in 2009 with the objective of creating a livelihood by providing beautician training to young women from disadvantaged sections of society who do not have a formal education that could provide a sustainable income for their families. The course enables them to be employed in existing beauty salons or set up their own beauty salons. We have trained 2400 women till date in 12 centres across the country. Over 90% of our girls have been placed in jobs since or opened their own establishment.
The curriculum itself covers four months of personal Grooming, Hair Cuts, Colour, Care, Styling, Skin Care Facials, Threading, Waxing, Bleaching, Manicure & Pedicures and Salon Hygiene, along with a one month internship in a local neighborhood salon. The courses are taught in dedicated centers with qualified trainers and the program provides all the necessary support young women need in their search for employment at the end of the curriculum.
What is your suggestions on present CSR practices in the country and learning’s?
One needs to spend time and effort to identify and develop the relevant partner NGOs.
Do you have any criteria to be part of L’Oréal’s CSR team?
The present CSR team in L’Oreal India consists of sensitive people who are passionate about giving back to society,perceptive and are able to empathize and adjust to situations. We look for people who have proven achievements in setting up and executing quality and sustainable CSR programs.It has been widely noted by companies that CSR contributes significantly to increase job satisfaction and organizational commitment of employees.
Your comments on New Company Act 2013 and its impact on India Inc.?
It’s a beneficial for both society and the corporate to focus to both create CSR programs, if not done yet, and to scale up CSR programs.
Do you have suggestions for other fellow CEOs, COOs in the country to adopt Sustainable and Strategic CSR Practices?
We are committed towards making sustainable products through sustainable innovation at L’Oreal India. The group’s global vision is that by 2020, 100% of our products will have improved their environmental or social profile. This means reducing the environmental footprint of our formulas, especially the water footprint.
We will also increase our use of sustainably sourced renewable raw materials and raw materials derived from Green chemistry. And we will improve the environmental profile of our packaging while finding new ways to increase the positive social impact of our products.
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