CII-GEC, US LAUNCHES ENVIRONMENTAL RATING SYSTEMS FOR ELECTRONICS

CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development today celebrated the Indian debut of the EPEAT® environmental-rating system for electronics with an event in Delhi co-hosted with the Green Electronics Council. CII convened representatives from the electronics industry, enterprise purchasers, government and Indian civil society in a discussion of how EPEAT can support and reinforce Indian efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of electronics. The Green Electronics Council, the U.S-based non-profit organization that manages the EPEAT system encouraged attendees from all stakeholder groups to continue thinking creatively

For eight years, EPEAT ratings have helped companies, governments and consumers around the world compare and purchase greener devices, resulting in significant environmental benefits. India is the 43rd country in which EPEAT registration and verification services are now available to help purchasers select products that reduce their environmental impact.

“Indian purchasers now have a way to easily and reliably identify greener electronics, joining with others around the world to reward the development of more environmentally sound devices,” said Robert Frisbee, CEO of the Green Electronics Council. “Considering the size and scope of the Indian electronics market, we are excited about the environmental benefits that will flow from today’s opening of EPEAT for India.”

EPEAT, which stands for “Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool,” rates products on a lifecycle basis. The system addresses the elimination of toxic substances, the use of recycled and recyclable materials, product design for recycling, product longevity, energy efficiency, corporate performance and packaging attributes, as well as requiring manufacturer responsibility for collection and responsible recycling of all registered devices. Manufacturers must register their products in EPEAT on a country-by-country basis to ensure all product and service criteria are supported and verified for local markets. (More at http://www.epeat.net)

“Indian industry and enterprise use ICT products to create new efficiencies and sustainability benefits,” said Seema Arora, Executive Director of CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development. “The availability of EPEAT registration will enable bulk-consumers of ICT products to increase the net benefit of these activities by easily identifying and selecting environmentally responsible products.”

Dell and HP have already registered 146 PC and Display products in India, VXL Instruments of Bangalore has joined the EPEAT system as a Participating Manufacturer and other manufacturers are preparing to register. The EPEAT system currently rates PCs and Displays, Televisions and Imaging Equipment (printers, copiers, scanners etc.), with standards for Servers and Mobile Phones in development. At present, India registrations include Desktops, Notebooks, Workstations, Thin Clients and Displays. Devices will be continually added to the Registry as they are deemed compliant with EPEAT’s environmental requirements.

“The ICT sector in India is very concerned with the environmental impacts of product design, manufacturing and end of life recovery” said Anwar Shirpurwala, Executive Director of MAIT (formerly known as the Manufacturers Association for Information Technology). “Participation in programmes such as EPEAT will support Indian manufacturers’ ability to reap market rewards in both internal and external markets based on their products’ environmental performance. It shall enable provision of globally accepted, transparent and effective methods to ensure greener electronics.”

To qualify for the EPEAT Registry, electronic devices must meet at between 23- 33 required environmental performance criteria based on product category. Products achieve higher ratings by meeting up to 29 additional optional criteria. The ratings criteria were developed during multi-year stakeholder consensus processes that have involved hundreds of representatives from the environmental, research, governmental and manufacturing sectors, as well as public and private bulk consumers.

“Customers are looking for simple ways to make comparisons between products and their environmental qualities. Dell helps its customers make those assessments easily through our commitment to a wide range of EPEAT product registrations,” says Michael Murphy, Executive Director Worldwide Regulatory Compliance & Environmental Affairs at Dell. “EPEAT-registered products are a global solution reflecting our own environmental sustainability principles and we are proud to expand our EPEAT product registrations to the Indian market.”

EPEAT’s environmental rating system is used as a purchasing requirement by eight national governments, including the United States Federal government, and thousands of other purchasers worldwide to obtain products that meet strict environmental criteria that support more effective recycling, reduced energy consumption, longer product life and reduced toxicity. Purchase contracts that require EPEAT registration exceed $65 billion in purchasing value. All products registered in EPEAT More than 50 manufacturers participate across more than 40 countries. More than 600 million EPEAT-registered products have been purchased since the Registry debuted in July 2006.

I’m proud that my district is home to this organization that is making such a difference, not just in the US but around the world. The U.S. government is leading by example by embracing EPEAT standards for purchasing greener electronics, and I’m eager to see the positive impact of the expanded EPEAT registry,” said U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer. “We need to create new paths to environmental success stories that rely on creativity not restriction, science not politics and incentive not penalty. EPEAT’s success shows that a cooperative, reward-based approach can move markets and that diverse stakeholders working together can be true catalysts for change. The alliances the Green Electronics Council is building in India demonstrate how leadership through collaboration can be a powerful tool for global progress.”

Since 2006, purchasers choosing EPEAT-registered electronics over products that don’t meet the system’s criteria have eliminated greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 11 million U.S. vehicles’ annual impact, avoided more than 394,000 metric tons of hazardous waste and reduced solid waste by nearly 167,000 metric tons – equivalent to nearly 86,000 U.S. households’ annual waste.

Undertaking reforms in key aspects of doing business in India critical to restoring growth trajectory: CII-KPMG Report on Ease of Doing Business in India.

CII released a report titled “Ease of Doing Business in India” in partnership with KPMG, India in Chennai today. Despite being one of the fastest growing economies in the world and potential investment hub, India lags behind in terms of ease of doing business. Taking cognizance of this anomalous situation, CII and KPMG have jointly prepared a report aimed at improving India’s position in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, where India has repetitively been ranked India low compared to 184 other economies. 

The report identifies key areas for reform which will enable doing business in India, including setting up of business, land acquisition, taxation and contract enforcement.

According to the report, despite two decades of economic reforms, India continues to falter on various sub-indices such as starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, paying taxes, trading across border, enforcing contracts or resolving insolvency. In fact, the latest rankings place India 134^th among 185 countries; lower than all its BRIC counterparts. Therefore, there is an urgency to focus on improving the business environment and arrest the decline in relative performance against various determinants of investment attractiveness. 

On release of the report, Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII said, “CII hopes that the findings of this report would help bring the issues to the fore and also serve as a reference point for the imminent need to pursue reforms in business practices and processes. Indian industry hopes that the new Government would accord due importance to this extremely important and urgent agenda that would help churn the wheels of investment and growth.” 

The report is based on a survey conducted amongst Indian industry followed with extensive primary and secondary research to assess the prevailing business regulatory environment in the country. Key issues highlighted include lack of an effective land acquisition process, unfavorable taxation regime, high cost of starting a business, complicated and time consuming contract enforcement process. 

Commenting on the findings of the report Richard Rekhy, Chief Executive Officer, KPMG in India said, “Having an environment that facilitates entrepreneurship, promotes investments productivity and growth is critical for improving business climate in India. The ease with which this is achieved can be a source of strategic advantage. The vulnerability of our country’s current standing in the Doing Business index means that reforms in these areas have become critical.”  

Key issues and recommendations 

Survey identifies key issues against the four parameters studied, and suggests recommendations to arrest the rapid decline in ease of doing business. 

Parameter Studied	Issues	Recommendations
Land Acquisition Process	Average time taken to acquire the land is 14 months and often        could take longer 58% of the respondents feel the number of visits made to each department to obtain the permission pose major obstacles in the approval process 69% of the respondents feel that there is a lack of effective land acquisition process 83% of the respondents feel that unsecured land titles generate uncertainty Land mutation process is considered complex and time-consuming Setup large designated industrial zones with pre-clearances and ready to move in Single window registration and mutation process Move from a deed based registration to Title based registration(Torrens System) Streamlined process for land use conversion A market-based pricing system, where price is determined by an independent body
Starting a business	Approvals related to environment clearances, land procurement, construction permits, industrial safety permits and power connectionare top five obstacles in starting a business 85% of the respondents feel that the time required to obtain such clearances is not reasonable 78% of the respondents who feel the number of windows/ministries one has to visit is not reasonable Reduce approval turnaround – make eBiz portal more effective Wider and effective adoption of Deemed approval principle Automatic approval for power, water and sewerage Moving away from Department centric approach to Business centric approach Labor reforms Continuous skill development Access to funds for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
Taxation	90% of the respondents are in favor of reduction in tax rates. 92% of the respondents feel that there are challenges in transfer pricing assessments relating to distribution / agency 90% of the respondents believe that the tax authorities are not proactive in promoting investments 60% of the respondents feel that the neutralization of tax decision by Supreme Court through retrospective amendment has had damaging effect on investment sentiments More than half the respondents have faced delays in obtaining service       tax refund	Implement Goods & Service Tax (GST) Reduce the number of taxes and the ambiguity / discretionary nature of taxes, especially in Transfer pricing cases Efficient, effective and time-bound taxation related dispute resolution Ensure taxation does not hinder free flow of goods Implement independent Grievance Redressal Cell Operational reforms required to get the tax base right Administration reforms required for consistency and increased efficiency in approach to taxation
Contract enforcement	Time taken from filing to final judgment seems unreasonable to most of the respondents and poses major obstacles Costs involved (costs for engaging and retaining lawyers, miscellaneous costs, during the interim stage, enforcement costs) also pose significant obstacles 84% of the respondents have indicated that a review of laws & regulations needs to be taken up urgently Create a centralized contract repository with Non-repudiation Effective implementation of e-courts Increase number of courts and tribunals More international treaties for increasing “reciprocative territories” Update antiquated laws Recognize and update laws keeping in mind the trends of higher technology updation, greater trade based on IPR and greater global trade

 

This law will land us in trouble

Views of Chandrajit Banerjee, Director-General, CII

The proposed land acquisition law ramps up acquisition costs to unmanageable levels.

Although India has one of the largest land masses in the world, the many competing needs for land have led to a crisis in acquisition for industrialisation and urbanisation.

According to a CII analysis, land acquisition has emerged as one of the biggest hurdles delaying projects worth lakhs of crores. In this context, there is an urgent need to frame a balanced piece of legislation that would address diverse needs of landowners, project-affected families and industry is more acute. 

New initiative to Standardise Measurement and Management of GHG Emissions

India Green House Gas Program Launches with More Than 20 Leading Companies

New industry-led, voluntary program to measure and report GHG Emissions. The initiative has already received strong endorsement and support from industry leaders.

The WRI India, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) launched the India Green House Gas Program (India GHG Program), a voluntary initiative to standardize measurement and management of GHG emissions in India. Representatives from more than 20 founding member companies joined environmental and government leaders for the launch of the India GHG Program, which will promote profitable, sustainable and competitive businesses.