Last month, I shared some Asian lessons in sustainability and how the paths they choose will affect your brand’s success, and ultimately, the viability of the planet. In this article are additional thoughts on the considerable opportunities for sustainable brands in India. By Peter ter Weeme

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As my family has travelled through India for the past seven weeks, we’ve seen a widespread public campaign called Save our Tigers that invites Indians to help protect the 1,400 or so cats that are left in the country. For a nation that views the tiger as a national symbol, it only makes sense for Indians to prevent the extinction of this strong and graceful beast.
 
Is the inexorable decline of these tigers an omen for the future of India? Not necessarily. But, it provides some lessons for how the country can manage its affairs more sustainably as it continues its relentless pace of growth and development.
 
If you’ve never visited India, you probably associate the country with things like call centers, spicy food, colorful festivals, chaotic traffic, grinding poverty and Gandhi. The reality is that India is all of these things, and so much more. For example, it’s a leader in information technology; it’s the world’s largest producer of movies; and, it’s a leading center for “health care” tourism.
 
India is also on track to eclipse China as the largest country in the world in terms head count. Its 31 distinct states share 1,600 languages, six major religious groups, and 6,400 castes all mashed up into one fiercely proud and doggedly democratic country.
 
And if you think we have environmental and social equity issues at home, imagine the impact of one billion people. Think in terms of solid and liquid waste, water use, transportation and air pollution. Imagine too the challenges of creating social cohesion in a land with all that religious and cultural diversity and the ingrained inequality of the caste system. As one lady we met here said, “For too many Indians, life is hard and short.”
 
By the way, if you want a candid, business-oriented narrative on India’s future, check out India Express, a book by Daniel Lak, an international journalist, writer and broadcaster. It’s a fresh, incisive look at India’s rise on the world stage.
 
I’ll admit that I have no crystal ball for India’s future but having had the chance to speak with dozens of Indians – particularly those in the emerging middle class – they all agree that India is:
 

• On a sustained growth curve for the foreseeable future
• Becoming increasingly urbanized at a rate of 1% per year
• Liberalizing its economy and social attitudes, breaking along generational and socio-economic lines
• Beginning to develop a culture of environmental awareness, at least among educated, urban Indians.

 
Even so, India still faces many challenges from issues with governance, corruption, education, infrastructure and growth. Its law enforcement is notoriously corrupt, its politics is a tangled web of religion and privilege, and its business community is intensely intertwined. It will have to put much more effort into addressing these issues if it’s to have any chance of meeting its economic, social and environmental goals.

 
What does this all mean for sustainable brands? There is great potential for a range of sectors to grow and prosper, and be an enterprising part of India’s drive to emerge as a global force. Here’s how:
 

• With dozens of stores in India and customers in 67 countries, Himalayan Herbal Health Care shows the potential in India for ethical retail chains as well as lifestyle and personal care brands. So does Nourish Organic Foods, makers of health bars and breakfast foods, and Organic India, another leading tea, food, spice and health supplement company. The ubiquity of English in India, particularly in urban centers, makes it easier to promote Western retail concepts and marketing creative. Experts agree that the potential LOHAS (lifestyles of health and sustainability) market here is enormous.

 

•  Existing major centers are seeing frantic demand for housing. Meanwhile, India plans to build six brand new cities in the next five years. According to McKinsey, this works out to 700 – 900 million square meters per year of new residential and commercial space. Those cities will incorporate smart growth and energy efficiency principles. The country has already seen a massive increase in green building floor space from 20,000 to 20,000,000 square feet over the past seven years. There’s much more to come.

 

• There is also crushing work that needs to be done in existing cities and towns where infrastructure and energy sources are stretched. Developing waste management systems and building additional health care capacity alone holds enormous opportunities for sustainable brands involved in planning, technology transfer and construction.

 

• Delhi operates the world’s largest clear air fleet of compressed natural gas vehicles and is expanding its metro five-fold over the next decade. Tata, a major Indian conglomerate with progressive CSR practices, now offers the world’s most affordable (gasoline) car. Meanwhile, the need for mobility grows in tandem with the population and incomes in India. There’s great demand for transportation-based products, especially those operating with renewable or clean fuels.

 

• India’s installed wind capacity (fifth in the world) and its plans to produce 20 GW of solar power within 10 years are good signs for the clean tech sector. So is the fact that India actually has a Ministry of New and Renewable Energy . In short, there is political commitment and public financial support for companies in clean tech.

 

• As India works to realize its potential, there are also opportunities for a whole host of services firms in the areas of education, finance, management consulting, sustainability, legal services and more. Put that together with a national emphasis on education, and you’ve got the ingredients for positive change. Imagine the contribution you could make to the social side of sustainability here.

 
You might also be interested to know that India’s new Companies Bill considers providing various incentives, including tax breaks, to corporations that carry out corporate social responsibility programs. How’s that for progressive?
 
Let’s face it. We’re all in this sustainability journey together. Our global survival ultimately depends on how countries like China and India develop, the choices their consumers make, and the paths their industries follow. The progress we make in the developed world also depends on how well we make room for countries like India at the global decision-making table.
 
There is also the hard reality that the economic power of the world is shifting east. Some would argue that it already has and that we in the West are only starting to figure it out now. As progressive green businesspeople, we need to be part of the wave, for our companies’ success but also to help shape and influence that growth for the better.
 
Take the time now to consider how your business strategy and corporate citizenship efforts can include Asia. Do it before your competitors do. Their arrival here is just a matter of time.

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Based in Vancouver, Canada, Peter ter Weeme is a 16-year veteran of the sustainability movement with expertise in sustainability issues, business strategy, and green marketing and communications. His experience spans the world of corporate, government and non-profit clients across North America