The Tata Group's kinship with the cause of environment and ecology has resulted in a slew of initiatives that place the good earth above bottom lines

When Sam Goldwyn, the late Hollywood mogul, quipped, "Prediction is always difficult, especially of the future," he certainly wasn't talking about the damage the pox of environmental degradation will do in years to come. If there is anything at all we can assume about the shape our fragile world is taking, it is this: the condition of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we live on will all get worse if human rapaciousness continues to go unchecked.

A big chunk of the responsibility for containing the plague driving our polluted and populous planet towards peril rests with industry and business. Balancing the imperatives of creating jobs and selling products and services, with the absolute necessity of protecting and regenerating what remains of the natural environment is an onerous challenge. That it can be done is beyond doubt, but this is a task requiring a commitment to ideals more than bottom lines, to the good earth rather than profiteering. The long history of the Tata Group teems with examples of just such a commitment.

The Tata ethos places a special emphasis on environmental and ecological issues. "Environment is a focus area within our overall corporate social responsibility matrix," says Kishor Chaukar, chairman, Tata Council for Community Initiatives, a centrally administered nodal agency that coordinates, among other activities, the environmental efforts of group companies. A host of Tata companies also adhere to environmental procedures drawn up by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which operates under the aegis of the United Nations.

Important as it is, following directives and guidelines from within and without is just one facet of the Tata approach to environmental issues. The greater portion of what the group does in this sphere is by choice and conviction. From this flows its support for endeavours to conserve plant and animal species, improve land and water use, and protect forest tracts and green sanctuaries. The central tenet of this earthy philosophy is people and communities, often in rural regions and frequently facing inequitable struggles to secure livelihoods. Understanding that no environment policy can operate in isolation means an enhanced ability to link processes and people in a manner that benefits both nature and those dependent on it.

The group's contribution to conservation falls into two categories: the efforts of different Tata companies, big and small, to preserve and enrich the environment in and around their areas of operation, and the philanthropic thrust of the Tata Trusts, which support a diverse cluster of non-governmental organisations working in areas such as the management of natural resources, community development and livelihoods. This dual canopy accommodates and nurtures a variety of initiatives in a range that extends from watershed programmes and land regeneration to forestry projects and the protection of endangered species.

The flora and fauna nuggets written about in this subsection attempt to encapsulate the Tata Group's allegiance to the environmental cause. "Ours is a deliberate effort to do more than what is required by statute," says Mr Chaukar. "Our real contribution, on the environment front and on the entire corporate responsibility issue, is being socially responsible, and that means doing much more than staying on the right side of the law to make money."

Mr Chaukar articulates the group's environmental philosophy as an obligation to society. "Some people think that environmental matters are cause for concern. The Tatas, on the other hand, view them as an inherent duty that is part and parcel of being in business. The general mindset, the discourse of our times tends to see the environment as something we have inherited from our ancestors. The reality, as I see it, is that we have borrowed it from our children and the generations after them.

"Looked at from that perspective, it becomes obvious that I as an individual, I as a corporate entity, I as a factory, have no God-given right to do what I please with what can never truly belong to me. Polluting the environment in one place to supply a product to consumers in some other, far-removed place — how can that ever be justified? There used to be a time when rivers were sources of clean drinking water; today any child will tell you that rivers are giant garbage cans, carriers of filth and waste. There is no way out of this messy situation other than affording the environment the highest priority, and that's what the Tatas are doing."

Only those living in denial can argue that environment and ecology are subjects too esoteric for a society bred on consumerism and the pleasures of the present. Humankind is currently engaged in the surprisingly easy job of driving into extinction more plant and animal species than at any time since the dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago. Our forests are fading; our oceans are rising; the snowcaps on our mountain peaks are shrinking; our climate is mutating. Meanwhile, our water, our air and our bodies are becoming the unwitting recipients of all manners of toxic intruders. Business can — and do, as the Tatas have proved — make a huge difference in turning this beastly tide.