Keeping pace with the accelerated need for sustainability across the globe, we took large and rapid strides to make our operations more sustainable. Last year we unveiled our sustainability philosophy 'Fundamentally Right', this year to turn intent into wide-scale action, we are releasing our sustainability manifesto. The objective is to enable our 30,000+ employees, to translate the 'Fundamentally Right' philosophy into practise in their day-to-day decisions across all six key inputs - Cotton, People, Money, Energy, Water and Chemicals.

Cotton is the most commonly grown non-food plant in the world, accounts for two and a half per cent of arable land, and provides income for more than 250 million people worldwide. Add to it, the water intensive nature of the crop, large-scale use of fertilizers and pesticides, genetic modification, plus certification concerns and we have a complex environmental and social challenge. To gain deeper insights into the efficacy of various cultivation methods, during the reporting period, we undertook a detailed lifecycle analysis of BCI, Organic & Conventional Cotton and charted new five-year roadmaps.

There exists a tight fit between Arvind's mission of 'Enriching Lifestyles' and the overarching purpose of the Sustainable Development Goals. Energy is one parameter that is crucial for achieving almost all of the Sustainable Development Goals – from eradication of poverty through advancements in health, education, water supply and industrialisation, to combating climate change. We continued to invest in processes, practices and technology to enhance our energy efficiency, and thus during the reporting period, Arvind became the first Indian company to be awarded the ISO-50001:2011 certification in the 'Composite Textile Industry-Denim Fabric' category. The goal is to follow a globally benchmarked approach to achieve continual improvement of energy performance, including energy efficiency, energy use and consumption.