Bengaluru,TUV Rheinland, a leading global provider of Technical, Safety and certification Services today announced the completion of the initial phase of Karnatakas first PPP initiative for Enhanced Productivity and Sustainable Industrial Ecology among SMEs in the state. 10 select SMEs will be audited and rated on social, environmental and occupational health and safety as per international standards like Environment Management System (ISO 14001), Occupational Health and Safety (OHSAS 18001) and Social Accountability (SA 8000) on completion of the 14 month programme, enabling them gain global acceptance and recognition.
The unique initiative SHINE (Systematic and Holistic programme for a balanced Industrial Ecology) is jointly funded by DEG of Germany, Europes largest developmental finance institution and Knowledge firm ECC International along with TUV Rheinland India to create awareness, involve and implement environmental and occupational health and safety standards amongst the SME Segment in Karnataka.
Speaking at a Best practices Exchange Forum held in Bangalore at the end of the first phase where the 10 select SMEs shared their lessons and experiences from the programme with the industry, academia and Government, M.Bhaskar, Director, TUV Rheinland said, Karnatakas rapid and unsustainable economic growth is posing a serious challenge to the ecological balance of the region and the environment in general. Studies confirm that 51% of the states highly polluting industries are concentrated in the four districts of Bangalore Urban, Belgaum, Bellary and Mysore. These cities account for a huge concentration of small and medium industries, which are losing their competitive edge and are ill equipped to meet increasingly stringent national/international rules and regulations and as a result are in danger of being thrown out of business.
Our project seeks to achieve increased levels of awareness and adoption of environmental health standards by addressing issues at three key levels- awareness, involvement and implementation. We will organize mass mobilization programmes, create multi stakeholder expert pools to train and build capacity in groups to switch to sustainable industrial production, he added.
Mr. Sreenivasan, Managing Director,ECCI, elaborated, Sustainable industrial production is a systematic and integrated approach towards optimizing the economic, environmental and social impacts of a companys products, services and processes towards a more sustainable means of production. As a part of the programme, we have also created a comprehensive e-learning kit on international standards and best practices governing industrial production that will be distributed to over 200 enterprises in the state.
Notes to Editor
About TÜV Rheinland India
TÜV Rheinland India is part of TÜV Rheinland Group, a leading provider of technical services worldwide. Since its foundation in 1872 (headquartered in Cologne, Germany) TÜV has been developing safe & sustainable solutions for the challenges arising from the interaction between the man, the environment & technology. As an independent & professional organization TÜV Rheinland is committed to working towards a future that can fill the needs of mankind and the environment in the long term. For more information, visit www.ind.tuv.com
About DEG Group
DEG is member of KFW banking group, finances investment of private companies in developing & transition countries. As one of the Europes largest developmental finance institutions, it promotes private business structures to contribute a sustainable economic growth and improved living conditions. For more information, visit www.deginvest.de.com
About ECC International
ECC International is a knowledge centered organization, specialized in knowledge acquisition, development, packaging & dissemination. It has 10 years of expertise in quality, productivity & risk management, information technology, environment, health safety, HR & organizational development. IT continues to serve wide client base in the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, India & Singapore.
