ABFRL and 1M1B announce India’s 1st Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator for Climate change action

by Priya Jadhav

• This partnership aims to accelerate a sustainability mindset in 1 million youth and advance skills for green jobs
• Top 20 students will be given workplace experiences and internships at ABFRL and an opportunity to present at the annual 1M1B Youth summit at the United Nations, New York

Mumbai, 10^th April 2023: Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL), one of India’s leading fashion company, in partnership with 1M1B (One Million for One Billion)—India’s largest organization that is developing and mobilizing the future technology workforces, has announced the launch and implementation of the Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator program in Climate Change. The program aims to create awareness and encourage the participation of young minds in the fight against climate change. ABFRL partners with 1M1B to mobilize youth for Climate Change action. 

A pilot conducted by ABFRL and 1M1B in January 2023 saw participation from over 545 CBSE schools. Starting from April 20, 2023, the program will be scaled and will be operational in over 25,000 schools and colleges. The goal of the program is to mobilize 1 million youth by 2030 to be valuable contributors to climate change action.

Traditionally, school curriculums have focused on business theories, valuation, mergers and acquisitions etc. However, currently, social entrepreneurship, impact investing, and climate change financing have changed the business dynamics significantly. Schools around the world have recognized the significance of ESG, Climate Change action and consistently prioritized their inclusion in the classroom.

ABFRL and 1M1B have embarked on an initiative to institutionalize the entire ecosystem towards Climate Change Action. As part of this initiative, Sustainability Accelerator will encourage the youth to be valuable contributors to climate change action and introduce them to the role of technology in shaping a greener planet, provide top students with an in-person workplace experience and internship at ABFRL to learn about the sustainable practices they follow and get them mentored by global leaders to build prototypes that will lead to a sustainable planet and pitch their innovations. Keeping this in mind, the curriculum has been designed by 1M1B to provide students with a holistic learning experience, focusing on Climate Change Action and aiming to equip students with valuable perspectives and skills that can be applied in the workplace, enabling them to make a positive impact on the environment.

By incorporating Climate Change Action into the curriculum, ABFRL and 1M1B are taking a significant step towards promoting sustainability and social responsibility, both of which are crucial for the long-term success of any organization.

As a part of this initiative, ABFRL will give 20 students internships and workplace experience. The Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator by ABFRL and 1M1B is a seven-day programme, and students from various schools and colleges will be invited to participate. Various industry partners will engage the students to provide them with internships, workplace experience, and project opportunities in the sustainability space. The top student team will be invited to present their work at UN headquarters in New York this year at the 1M1B Activate Impact Youth Summit.

Speaking about the partnership Mr. Ashish Dikshit, Managing Director, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd, said, “Education has undergone a sea of change in the last five years, this period has seen more uncertainty in the business world than in the past 50 year and is not immune to the effects of the changing world order, which has significant implications for curriculum and coverage. Hence the focus has shifted towards new areas and cultures, necessitating the development of new theories and case studies. This partnership with 1M1B (One Million for one Billion) will enable the students to understand the evolution of socioeconomics and the needs to new skills and knowledge to understand the Climate Change action. Aditya Birla Fashion and retail will be able to support 20 students and give workplace experiences and internship and mobilize the youth to be valuable contributors to climate change action.”  

Dr Naresh Tyagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd and Co-Chair of the Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator said, “The future of work is green, and the future of workplaces is the youth of today. The Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator is based on the 3 pillars of Sustainability – the purpose of large structures and systems, the purpose of individuals and the purpose of future generations.  ABFRL is the first industry partner to host the top 20 students for various workplace experiences and internships, creating long-term value for our stakeholders.”

Manav Subodh- Founder of 1M1B (One Million for One Billion) and Co-Chair of Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator said “For the past 7 years 1M1B has been training youth on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with over 150 students given the opportunity to present their projects on Sustainability at the 1M1B youth summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The partnership with ABFRL will support scaling this effort across India. We believe that education and first-hand experiences are critical in developing a sustainability mindset and effecting change in today’s youth, who will be part of the future workforce. Recent research shows that if only 16% of high school students received climate change education, we could see a nearly 19 gigaton reduction of carbon dioxide by 2050. According to these estimates, harnessing the power of education could be more effective than just increasing investments in onshore wind turbines or concentrated solar power.”

“India is a vast country with enormous talent that can be steered towards green jobs right now through programmes like Green Jobs and Sustainability Accelerator,” said Erik Solheim, Advisor to 1M1B ( One Million for one Billion) and former UN Environment Executive Director and Under Secretary General of the United Nations “I’m confident that by 2035, we will have a ready green workforce to address climate change-related issues.”

 ABFRL will be making a meaningful impact in the lives of the students and at the end of the programme, the student will get exposed to the world of green jobs.

About Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited : ABFRL is part of a leading Indian conglomerate, The Aditya Birla Group. With revenue of Rs. 8,136 cr. spanning a retail space of 9.2 million sq. ft. (as on March 31, 2022), it is India’s first billion-dollar pure-play fashion powerhouse with an elegant bouquet of leading fashion brands and retail formats. The Company has a network of 3,468 stores, approximately 28,585 multi-brand outlets with 6,515 points of sales in department stores across India (as on 31st March 2022).

It has a repertoire of India’s largest brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter England, established for over 25 years. Pantaloons is one of India’s leading fashion retailers. ABFRL’s international Brands portfolio includes - The Collective, India's largest multi-brand retailer of international brands and has long-term exclusive partnerships with select brands such as Ralph Lauren, Hackett London, Simon Carter, Ted Baker, Fred Perry, Forever 21, American Eagle and Reebok.

Van Heusen Innerwear, Athleisure and Active wear is establishing itself as India's most innovative and fashionable brand.  The Company’s foray into branded ethnic wear business includes brands such as Jaypore, Tasva and Marigold Lane. The Company has strategic partnerships with Designers ‘Shantanu & Nikhil’, ‘Tarun Tahiliani’, ‘Sabyasachi’ and ‘House of Masaba’. ABFRL is also embarking on a significant Direct-to-Consumer play to build a portfolio of new-age brands across fashion, beauty, and other lifestyle segments.

The Company is bolstering its digital capabilities by scaling up its brands.com to build an integrated portfolio of digital assets to provide an immersive customer experience, deepen consumer connect of its brands and expand its portfolio into emerging consumer segments.

About 1M1B Foundation: https://activate1m1b.org/

Established in 2014, 1M1B (One Million For One Billion)  is an Indian organization accredited by the United Nations. 1M1B is the largest organization developing and mobilizing India’s future ready tech workforce.

1M1B engages and enables youth to become future-ready problem solvers creating real-world impact. By undergoing 1M1B programs that are based on a unique 4.3.2.1 activation framework, youth acquire critical skill sets, mind-sets and toolsets to access the jobs of tomorrow. Areas of focus include digital technologies (AI, AR, VR), digital creativity, digital citizenship and 4th industrial revolution skills like problem-solving, flexibility, empathy, dealing with failures and collaboration.

1M1B programmes are available in over 3,000 schools across India, with over 334,000 youth and 125,000 teachers trained to date. Over 250 villages are served by 1M1B. 150 Indian youth presented their work at the 1M1B summits at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and 1M1B helped to create over 150 young entrepreneurs in the villages of India.

1M1B exists to activate 1 million youth who will impact 1 billion people creating a world with balanced prosperity by the year 2030.