ITC :: Sustainability Report 2009

Chairman’s Statement:
ITC’s Vision and Strategy

SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES

Environmental Degradation and
Natural Resource Depletion

	With 17% of the world's population, India has only 4% of the fresh water resources and 1% of global forest resources.
	Coupled with degradation triggered by economic growth and global warming, scarce natural resources will limit future growth.
	Long term competitiveness will require significant efforts to augment scarce natural capital at our disposal.

ITC Initiatives

ITC's strategies for natural resource augmentation include the following:

•	ITC developed high yielding disease resistant clones and a comprehensive package of plantation management services under its social and farm forestry programme which apart from creating a green cover of over 90,000 hectares, has also led to in-situ soil and moisture conservation, ground water recharge and significant reduction in top soil losses. The social and farm forestry programme also provides raw material sustainability to ITC's Paperboards Business.
•	Apart from minimising the consumption of fresh water per unit of output in all its businesses as well as recycling all treated effluents, ITC has created rainwater harvesting potential in socially relevant areas, covering nearly 44,000 hectares of drylands.
•	ITC also recycles nearly 100% of wastes generated by its units and also maximises reuse of wastes as raw materials.

Poverty and Income Inequities

	In India more than 800 million people live under $ 2 a day according to the latest World Bank data.
	These income inequities are likely to be a source of discontent and render societies unsustainable.

Poverty and Income Inequities

	ITC's businesses and social initiatives support livelihoods for over 5 million people, many of whom belong to the weaker sections in India.
	ITC's e-Choupal initiative has benefited over 4 million farmers.
	ITC has invested in 'Mission Sunehra Kal', its prime vehicle for implementing social development initiatives, to facilitate sustainable livelihood creation through the identified areas of intervention, namely, (i) natural resource management, which includes wasteland, watershed and agriculture development; (ii) sustainable livelihoods, comprising genetic improvement in livestock; (iii) economic empowerment of women; and (iv) community development, with focus on primary education, health and sanitation.
	ITC's deep engagement with rural communities has enabled us to contribute to the creation of sustainable livelihoods by building community assets.

Chairman’s Statement:
ITC’s Vision and Strategy

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