What are CSR and ESG, and How is GAR Effectuating a Substantive Change Through Them.
Corporate Social Responsibility is a sustainable way to acknowledge the interdependence of corporate entities and society. CSR involves acting accountably and socially responsible way to touch all the aspects of the community, covering financial, environmental, and social aspects of CSR in an ethical, transparent, and meaningful manner. And these acts of the public good can be marked out to 500 BC Athens (current capital of Greece).
ESG is Environmental Social Governance. It covers business practices conducted in a socially responsible manner and investment done ethically and sustainably. ESG covers how a corporate entity responds to Environmental issues – the impact of greenhouse gas, carbon footprint, pollution, and much more. ESG helps measure the Social impact of the company policies and products on employees, workers, and customers. ESG helps define the type of Governance structure that is in place at the company. It covers the level of independence a board member commands. It showcases how diverse is the composition of members is. It identifies what kind of legal frameworks are in place. Finally, the amount of financial compensation an executive gets.
Even though ESG looks like CSR, it is much more efficient and strategic. If CSR is more detached and dissociated from the company mission statement, ESG is better unified, homogeneous, and cohesive. There might be a chance of greenwashing (a gap between intention, marketing, claims, and real action) in CSR. And with ESG, the initiatives are genuine, implemented, sustained, steady, regular, perceptible, quantitative, transparent, and benchmark-led.
In the last couple of years, ESG has gained wide acceptance across the globe. ESG deals with the firm resolve of a corporate entity to contribute genuinely to efforts to improve the environment. ESG helps to tackle climate change, impart stimuli to pressing social causes, fight against social injustices, and strive to govern the company in a more ethical and qualitatively superior manner.
In an article published on Nov 8, 2019, in Forbes, titled Everyone Is Talking About ESG: What Is It And Why Should It Matter To You? the author, Tine Thygesen*, writes, “Sustainable investing now counts for one in four dollars. Almost 25% of investment in the United States now goes into ESG companies. Between 2016 and 2018, investments in such companies surged with 38% growth and now total $12 trillion, according to the US SIF forum for sustainable and responsible investment. In the investment world, terminology varies between sustainable investing, impact investing, and responsible investing, all of which are ESG.”
*Tine Thygesen is an entrepreneur working with technology, communities, and real estate. She is co-founder of The Creators Community, a company behind co-working spaces Matrikel1, FoundersHouse, Mesh, and Digs.
And GAR is firm to walk on a sustainable path, bring resilience to their business, and help support people, employees, and communities. This GAR implemented by identifying what are the best practices and acting on them. All these actions are part of their commitment to ESG and CSR.
Effectuating a substantive change, the two most principal CSR initiatives GAR is passionate about are supporting child education and creating a world-class childcare institute. At the institute, orphans will get complete support to lead a respectable everyday life like any other Indian.
GAR has always believed that seeds of hope planted today are bound to reap rich rewards shortly. Believing in the power of equity and expanding pathways for the girl child of an employee, GAR, for the last two years, has been financing the education from KG to 10th.
In this once-in-a-generation global pandemic, women have been one of the most dynamic and innovative forces. Therefore, GAR has wholeheartedly supported the backbone, breadwinners, and trailblazers of society. They are one-half of the global potential, and helping them is one of the premium sustainable development goals of GAR.
GAR believes in the full potential of girls, the digital realities, and an equal future. GAR wants to build this as an enduring legacy by providing practical solutions, where equal opportunities are created and sustained over a while.
As part of its CSR initiatives, GAR respects different perspectives and viewpoints emanating from its diverse team. This aspect of GAR reflects its dedication to honesty, merit, and pioneering spirit. And this has allowed GAR to engage and attract a workforce that is not only talented but comes from different backgrounds, embraces the work philosophy of GAR, and gets the opportunity to showcase their potential. For GAR, the employees are their most valuable asset. And to honor this, GAR works hard to create an egalitarian, all-encompassing, and all-embracing culture at its workplaces. Along with the above factors, the emphasis of GAR on prioritizing employees and keeping them robust and healthy has ensured that at GAR, there is more retention and representation of personnel.
The work philosophy of GAR comprises treating workspaces as an article of faith and keeping them safe, secure, and healthy. For GAR, the safety of an employee is not an afterthought, but their complete well-being is at the core of their efforts. GAR encourages an efficient, optimized, and open relationship between the office and employees. And for GAR, their work philosophy is based on an ethical foundation, principled, value-oriented, and impactful. Mindfully crafted, cognizant, and succinct.
The core of the ethical business philosophy of GAR is to be proactive in ensuring the health, safety, and happiness of its employees. With the best end-user experience an employee can have, GAR has been diligent in its approach towards the welfare and well-being of employees. It is a become alive mindset that is sustainable, transformational, and game-changing. GAR workplace is joie de vivre.
Moreover, as part of its Community Outreach Programs, GAR encourages employees to establish, nurture, and foster meaningful connections with various communities that GAR engages. Further, implement increased initiatives as part of CSR.
And few initiatives, actions, and efforts GAR has made as part of its commitment to implementing ESG at GAR are listed below.
At GAR, the approach to economic planning has always been to grow without damaging the environment. Its integrated sustainability approach, encompassing economic, environmental, and social, is to preserve the quality of each of these three pillars of sustainable development. And they are sensitive enough to understand and acknowledge that while developing today, they should remember their responsibilities towards future generations. Therefore, they use the resources that are needed efficiently and responsibly.
GAR ensures at the planning stage itself that its buildings are ecologically sound buildings that respect the local ecology and sustain the various relationships within the ecosystem. Whether it is the local geology or local climate, local species, or humans, respect for ecological health ensures minimum negative impact on the environment by their buildings. Such an approach helps them make a worthwhile contribution towards a resilient environment. And these steps are not only for the community of humans existing today but also for future generations.
GAR uses durable materials during construction. They endeavor to produce less waste and maximize reuse and recycling. Efforts are towards having better air quality. They continuously work for efficient usage of energy and water and the reduction of toxic elements. At GAR, the aim is to be part of a community that finds life genuinely livable.
At GAR, the endeavor is to expand, keeping the ethical sustainability goals that impact the future. Using a socially sustainable business strategy helps them negate the fatalistic influence on the environment, human beings, society, and economic development. GAR is purpose-driven and has a profound understanding that their actions can impact communities at various levels.
Every GAR building is a result of a critical assessment of every aspect at the planning stage. Its architects and engineers work on balance, movement, rhythm, scale, contrast, symmetry, and proportion within a framework of design, style, ergonomics, sustainability, functionality, aesthetics, and accessibility.
Furthermore, understanding and acknowledging that the EVs are a crucial technological intervention to reduce air pollution, GAR, a proactive and future-ready construction major, is ready for the EV revolution to meet its environmental and sustainability objectives. Incorporating at the designing stage itself, GAR has taken care of the critical part of accommodating EV charging points in the parking facilities in its buildings.
To conclude, through its commitment to CSR and ESG, GAR wants to make genuine contributions to all aspects of society. GAR wants such a contribution to be extensive, wide-ranging, ubiquitous, popular, and have a far-reaching impact for generations to come.
