CB BureauIn September, Godrej Interio, the furniture brand of Godrej & Boyce, issued a media release claiming it is transforming the education experience in rural schools through space management, design, and ergonomics – new words for a press note on a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. Intrigued, Team CauseBecause reached out to Team Godrej & Boyce and heard it in detail from their COO Anil Mathur. Here is an abstract from the conversation that unfolded around the new concept and the company’s overall approach to its social responsibility.
CauseBecause (CB): Before we talk about what you are doing and how, let’s begin with what the immediate impact of the programme has been – something that makes you believe that you are ‘transforming’ the education system in rural schools.
Anil Mathur (AM): It is an interesting way to begin a conversation – the real impact that we make is what matters the most. The design of all our CSR programmes is primarily based on the impact that they will have, and this school-upgradation project is no different. In terms of immediate impact, for one, the attendance at schools has increased drastically. Children are showing interest and this motivates the teachers too.
CB: So, is the intervention in these schools limited to furniture upgradation?
AM: We analyse various issues that come in the way of overall development of the education environment in a given school. These can be about poor sanitation, ill-equipped furniture, lack of activity spaces, etc. Accordingly we plan the upgradation process. For example, the government primary school in Shirwal (in Satara district, Maharashtra) did not even have operational funds and that was primarily because enrollment of students was quite low despite the school being centrally located. We decided to turn it into an ideal school that would lead by example and inspire others schools in the vicinity.
We rebuilt the toilet blocks and the kitchen, and created a large central activity space by reconstructing the drinking-water tanks and the fountains. Railings were put up to protect the common areas like corridors and terraces. Repair works were carried out to fix broken and unhinged doors and windows as well as to waterproof the roof. Once these basic works were done, we had children-friendly furniture, soft boards and whiteboards fixed in the classrooms and the computer centre. The play area was renovated, gardens were created through landscaping, and internal and external walls were all painted with carefully chosen shades by a team of experts executing the design process.
CB: So this is more of a one-time investment that you make in the school’s infrastructure. Do you also engage with school children later in some other capacity?
AM: Our core competency is in transforming spaces and that’s what we are doing at Shirwal. So far we have not engaged with the children post the completion of the project, but we do have plans for the company’s employees to volunteer and engage with communities where we operate. At this point in time, ensuring that children make best use of the existing infrastructure and facilities is the focus. Most of us understand that meaningful support and value addition to public infrastructure can make a great difference. This initiative is focused at that.
In the next few weeks, the company’s employees will conduct workshops with children as well as school staff on various subjects. The workshops will primarily be focused on health and sanitation, basic computer training, music, and maybe sports.
CB: This initiative also has a nice business proposition. The success of the pilot project will mean that its replication at other schools will be as much beneficial. Are you also looking at pitching to the government to associate with Godrej, provide monetary assistance, or buy its products?
AM: We engage with the government in various capacities and have bid for and won many projects. This project has not been conceptualised with a specific business proposition in mind. It is part of our corporate social responsibility wherein, as I had said earlier, we are using our core competency to transform a space. However, if the government at some point asks us to transform more such places and also supports us monetarily, we are definitely open to it. The bottom line is that with such support this initiative will be scaled up and more children will be able to learn and play in a better environment.
CB: This is more of a thematic CSR project wherein you are bettering the infrastructure at a school, which in turn is helping to keep the children engaged. However, an ideal CSR project would look at holistic development wherein a company engages beneficiaries in multiple thematic projects. For this, are you open to joining hands with other corporates and doing joint projects? You may do what you can do best, while another company may bring in, say, a health-focused project, and yet another one may focus on environment, and so on.
AM: This is a good idea and we are open to all such associations and partnerships that can add value to our projects, or even the other way round, where our initiative can add value to some other company’s CSR initiative. Yes, there is always a hitch while associating or partnering with competing businesses. Otherwise, with non-competing businesses we will not have to think much before partnering.
CB: Most businesses now say that CSR and sustainability are embedded in their way of doing business. How would you define that with regard to Godrej Interio’s way of doing business?
AM: Godrej Interio is committed to sustainability. We believe in creating products that not only have the highest design quotient in terms of aesthetics, but also focus on the health and ergonomics aspects. We ensure that all our products are manufactured with minimal effects on the environment, thus lessening the carbon footprint. Usage of eco-friendly materials, setting up of less polluting and less consuming processes, eco-friendly packaging and transportation, and recycling and reuse of used furniture including scrap are encouraged. Sustainability practices are also encouraged amongst our retail network comprising 78 exclusive showrooms and over 800 dealers.