The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) launched SAARTH (Sustainable Action Alliance for a Resilient Tomorrow), a multi-stakeholder platform aimed at scaling practical climate resilience solutions across regions. Launched on World Environment Day, the initiative is anchored by the CII–ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CESD).
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SAARTH comes at a time when climate risks such as extreme heat, water stress and supply chain disruptions are increasingly affecting industrial productivity, competitiveness and investment decisions. While industry is increasingly responding to climate challenges, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) continue to face critical gaps in access to localized risk data, actionable tools, partnerships and finance. SAARTH has been designed to bridge these gaps by enabling access to climate intelligence and adaptation tools, strengthening supply chain resilience, supporting capacity building, and mobilising finance, technology and nature-based solutions.
The coalition brings together leading industry groups as founding members, including ITC Ltd, Godrej, Aditya Birla Group, Mahindra, JSW, Adani Cement, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Motors, DCM Shriram, Marico, Tata Power, Jayanti, Vedanta - Hindustan Zinc and Tata Steel. It is supported by institutional partners including the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
“This is just the beginning”, said Mr Jamshyd N. Godrej, Past President, CII; Chairman, CII Climate Change Council and Chairman & Managing Director, Godrej Enterprises Group while speaking about the platform. “SAARTH builds on the institutional work of the CII Climate Change Council and the extensive efforts already underway across industry, development finance institutions, research bodies, and civil society,” he shared.
Talking about the improtant role of collaboration, Mr. Erik af Hallstrom, Consul General of Finland stated, “Climate is an issue for the individual, for the municipality, for the nation-state, for the world, for business, and for non-governmental organisations.” He added that no distinction should be made between the Global South and the Global East, because climate and the environment are matters for all of us.
“What CII is doing through platforms like this Summit, as well as through SAARTH, is the kind of structured, multi-stakeholder engagement that can really bridge the gap that we are looking at in terms of policy development, as well as investments coming in,” said Mr Aman Mittal, Joint CEO, Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA).
The day-long summit saw focussed discussions under the theme “Resilience in Action: Energy Security and Climate Solutions”. Panellists shared their suggestions on strengthening climate preparedness and building investment pathways for sustainable growth.