A network of corporates that promotes and supports the industry in adopting more climate and environment-friendly approaches has urged more corporates to join it.

The UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI) has about 450 corporate houses as its members, far fewer than desired, said members of its governing council.

The network’s membership can help companies get early access to evolving environmental regulations and put across a point of view in the national and global forums, said the founder of a company that is a member of the network.

An official of UN GCNI said it is a platform for advancing 10 universally endorsed principles of the United Nations Global Compact — in the areas of environment, labour, human rights and anti-corruption — within the Indian business landscape.

“We have only about 450 corporates as members. It is not a desired count. Ideally, we should have 10,000 or 15,000 corporates as members. We urge the industry to be part of our network,” said Ratnesh, the executive director of UN GCNI.

“The scene is worse in eastern India, where we have only about 20 members,” he said, on the sidelines of the network’s 20th annual convention held in New Town last week.

He, however, added that several of India’s top corporate houses are among its members.

Adhip Nath Palchaudhuri, vice-president (eastern region) of the network, highlighted the need for companies to see that their entire supply chain was also compliant with climate and environmental norms and how UN GCNI’s membership can help in this pursuit.

“The big companies have become more compliant than before. The next frontier for us is the supply chain. If a company knows that its entire supply chain is compliant with environmental and other norms, it is much easier for the company to procure. Our network can definitely help in achieving this,” said Palchaudhuri, who is also the chairman and managing director of Balmer Lawrie and Company Ltd.

Gagandeep K. Bhullar, founder and CEO of SuperHumanRace, said that organisations that are members of the network gain exposure to leading organisations and have the opportunity to learn from their peers on how to advance sustainable practices while delivering business value too.

“UN GCNI members are privy to exclusive opportunities to participate in global forums and represent Indian views to a broad set of global stakeholders. Members also get an early exposure to evolving environmental and climate regulations,” she said.

“The network also proactively organises training and capacity-building sessions for sustainability professionals and chief sustainability officers (CSOs). While demand for sustainability professionals and CSOs is growing rapidly, this remains a relatively nascent field where formal education and awareness have evolved only in recent years,” she said.