Contribution of Responsible Enterprises in Sustainable Development with Reference To 6th SDG clean Water and Sanitation

INTRODUCTION

Population growth and urbanization which creates inequalities in distribution of water. Most of the water borne diseases is linked to areas which have no access to clean water and sanitation. The most

1. To study the efforts of responsible enterprises in sustainable development (Clean water and Sanitation). 2. To study the role of MNCs and the government in sustainable development (Clean water and sanitation).

The paper is descriptive and analytical in nature. The data used in the paper is secondary in nature collected mainly online journals, websites, newspaper, relevant books and other published work related to this topic.

SIWI. 2005. "Making Water a Part of Economic Development: The Economic Benefits of Improved Water Management and Services" – This report shows the economic as well as social benefits of investments in this sector. It will contribute to the human development like reduction in poverty, increased productivity, improved health, hygiene and sanitation. Ultimately these factors will contribute in economic growth.

Sanitation in South Asia”. World Bank. 2008. - The study is concerned with the impact of sanitation on some major areas such as health, water, environmental, tourism, and other welfare related activities. It also focuses on the scarcity of water than affects sanitary conditions of a country and solid waste management is also discussed in the paper. Wayne Visser, “Corporate sustainability and individual”, 2007- The paper explains the concept of corporate sustainability and its impact on individual. The role of sustainability managers is also defined with respect to the relation of manager with other employees of the organisation. WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Supply of Water and Sanitation. Water for Life: Making it Happen, 2004- This programme suggests the efforts that should be taken to ensure water safety and cost effective ways to procure water. It also focused on importance of sanitation and hygiene which must be provided by the government and other organisations of the country.

operationalise their corporate responsibilities in all of their strategies and business practices by developing better relationships with their stakeholders and by working to maximise sustainability of the natural environment and resources. The focus of the company should not be in one area only, and responsibility should be applied into the core values of the company, in order to enable maximum performance. Ethics must be inculcated in the human resource of the enterprise to make it responsible. As the‖ Responsible Enterprise‖ is a debatable issue. Some experts connect ―being responsible‖ with the pillars of sustainability. Firstly it is very important for businesses to have favourable economic environment and secondly the enterprises should be aware about their environment. A sustainable business integrates organisations effort with human benefits in relation to harmonizing their environmental aspects (Crosbie and Knight, 1995). One major challenge that has created awareness in enterprises is Climate Change. Companies should report the facts and figures about the harmful elements that affect the environment. A company has the responsibility to recognise their obligations to indirect stakeholders (Crane and Matten, 2015). Many other terms are linked to Responsible Enterprise such as CSR, corporate citizenship and business ethics. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), defined by the European Commission as ―the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society‖. But Carroll‘s (1991) model of CSR argues that the definition should cover four levels; including economic, legal, ethical and discretionary or philanthropic responsibilities. In 1980‘s a new term was introduces i.e. is Corporate Citizenship, it is defined as a way company exercises its rights, obligations, privileges and overall corporate responsibility with neighbouring as well as global environment. CC has reference towards the relationship between the individual and the state. In other terms, the rights of the individuals are protected and preserved by the government. Also focusing on that the companies have a set of rights and duties to the community. There are many similar features between CSR and CC such as economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic but the key themes i.e. environmental concerns and sustainability are missing in corporate citizenship. There is a common shortcoming in both that there is absence of enforcement mechanism to meet the obligations. CSR is much wider in scope than corporate citizenship. An enterprise becomes responsible when it follows business ethics, fulfils social responsibilities,

works hard and competes fairly in the market. It never tries to degrade the environment and exploit public. Such businesses advocate that the real responsibility is beyond the boundaries of an enterprise. It also advocates the business responsibility to respect the ―human rights‖. The prosperity of the community, improvement in their quality of life, supporting literacy programmes, local infrastructure like water, roads, sanitation etc are also important concerns for responsible enterprise. Ethics involves learning what is right and wrong? And then doing the right thing. But in business ethics ―right thing‖ has many different meanings. Major components of code of ethics in business are related to the legal issues; each enterprise must abide to the specified laws and take immediate disciplinary actions, compliance and regulations are also legal requirements which some industries must follow, value based components are very important on the part of the business which include being fair, responsible, trustworthy, respectful, caring and good citizen. Fair and justified actions should be taken against the defaulter. The base for business ethics for a responsible enterprise is formed through various principles such as honesty, integrity, loyalty, being a leader, morale, fair, caring and keeping promises. With consistent ethical behaviour comes an increasingly favourable public image, and there are few other considerations as important to potential investors, current shareholders and creditors. To maintain a positive image, businesses must be committed to operating on an ethical foundation as it relates to treatment of employees, respecting the stakeholders, environmental protection and fair market practices in terms of price and consumer treatment. Business ethics differ from industry to industry. The type of a business's operations has a major impact on the ethical issues with which it has to deal.

Many private as well as public enterprises are planning to overcome this challenge- For example- Manila Water Company‟s Water for Poor Communities (TPSB) Programme and the Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) Partnership. Economic growth and development is greatly affected by scarcity of water. Agriculture is the mainstay of economic growth and the main consumer of water. There is uncertainty in the water supplies for agriculture due to lack of investment in water infrastructure and weak water governance. Manufacturing industry is also major consumer of water as well as responsible for degrading the quality of water. The energy sector also needs water to Infrastructure; and Oil, Gas & Chemicals business units are working in a project to deliver desalinated sea water to a mine site in the Atacama Desert of Chile at an elevation of 10,000 feet. Climate change such as flood and drought have a significant impact on freshwater system. Pollution, poor sanitation and loss of 70% of the world‘s wetland have affected environmental stability. For example, with the support of partner organization called Isla Urbana, employees of Cargill installed 155 rainwater collection systems in Mexico, 143 in houses and 12 in schools. This helps in preventing flooding in the city. So, this goal can be achieved with coordination and cooperation of private and public sectors of an economy. For example- Gap Inc., through a joint venture with Swasti Health Resource Centre, is supporting to build water filtration plants in rural areas in India, which are providing clean water to thousands of people. Three systems are currently in operations which already serve more than 4500 households and 29 schools across 30 villages in India.

and local government bodies for solutions. Non – profit organisations like Blood Water is a NGO that partners with African grassroots organizations to bring clean water and HIV/AIDS support to one million people in 11 countries. Water for Good NGO works with various communities in parts of Central Africa to provide sanitation best practices, improve agriculture activities, and enable people to create sustainable clean water access. India is second most populous country after China with 163 Million people who lack access to safe water and 210 Million people who lack improved sanitation. According to World Bank, 21% of the infectious diseases in India are linked with unsafe water and unhygienic practices. Innovative approaches adopted by government of India to improve the conditions are Total Sanitation Campaign of 1999, Microcredit for Water connections in Tamil Nadu, The Jamshedpur Utility and Service company, National Urban Sanitation policy 2008 are some initiatives in this context.

According to the facts reviewed in the literature, it can be concluded that environmental consciousness, proper monitoring and taking corrective measures to prevent entry of undesirable elements in the environment must be the top priority of the nations and related organisations. It is found that access to clean water and sanitation is among the major problem faced by the people globally, which needs an urgent solution. Many Multinational companies are making efforts and contributing towards the challenge by collaborations with water management activities. Various enterprises such private, public, NGOs are genuinely demonstrating their involvement in preserving the quality and quantity of water for the community. Some companies are operating very responsibly and ethically to maintain sustainable development. Furthermore, it is also observed that now environmental regulations are being enforced more strictly than earlier and overall ―environment awareness‖ has begun. Some suggestions and recommendations can be given on the basis of the study. Public participation should be encouraged in maintaining sustainable development. Media should also work on educating people about the importance of sanitation and hygiene. Heavy penalties should be charged for polluting fresh water similarly the group that works for protection of the planet and its people should be rewarded.

nline]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: http://www.businessfor2030.org/goal-6-ensure-water-sanitation/ Classyorg. (2018). Best practices, tips and fundraising ideas for nonprofits. [Online]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.classy.org/blog/5-nonprofits-make-clean-water-global-reality/ David hagenbuch. (2015). Entrepreneur. [Online]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240035 Deloittecom. (2018). The Responsible Enterprise. no-date. Deloitte Insights. [Online]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/focus/business-trends/2013/the-responsible-enterprise.html Engineeringchallengesorg. (2018). Engineeringchallengesorg. [Online]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/challenges/water.aspx Hutton, G., Rodriguez, UE., Napitupulu, L., Thang P, Kov, P. (2008) Economic Impacts of Sanitation in South Asia. World Bank. Ibrahim tirimba,, O.N.D.A.B.U, Munene macharia, G.E.O.R.G.E . (2014). Economic Impact of MNCs on Development of Developing nations. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications. 4(9), pp. . Iiedorg. (2010). International Institute for Environment and Development. [Online]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.iied.org/business-models-for-sustainable-development Managementhelporg. (2018). Managementhelporg. [Online]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: https://managementhelp.org/businessethics/index.htm Mubeen , B.E.G, Sultan, S.I.N.G.H & Salman, B.E.G. (2013). Role of Society and Government in the Sustainable Development of Water Resources of Hathras City: A Case Study. International Journal of Environmental Science: Development and Monitoring (IJESDM). 4(3), pp. Researchgatenet. (2018). ResearchGate. [Online]. [25 November 2018]. Available from: Singh patel, A.D.I.T.Y.A, Dhingra, R.I.J.U.L & mahajan, S.H.R.I.S.H.T.I. (2014). The Environmental Management of Multinational Corporations in India.International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications. 64(12), pp. . St-andrewsacuk. (2018). St-drewsacuk. [Online]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: http://re.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/responsible-enterprise/ Sustainabledevelopmentunorg. (2018). Sustainabledevelopmentunorg. [Online]. [25 November 2018]. Available from: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300 UKEssays. November (2013). What is a Responsible Enterprise?. [online]. Available from: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/responsible-enterprise-8404.php?vref=1 [Accessed 21 November 2018]. Utkarsh jhingan. (2018). IPleaders. [Online]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: https://blog.ipleaders.in/corporate-social-responsibility-and-corporate-citizenship Usaidgov. (2018). Usaidgov. [Online]. [25 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.usaid.gov/india/water-and-sanitation Wikipediaorg. (2018). Wikipediaorg. [Online]. [25 November 2018]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_India Wsporg. (2018). Wsporg. [Online]. [21 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.wsp.org/Hygiene-Sanitation-Water-Toolkit/SectorAssessment/InstitutionalRoles.html

Research Scholar rajwani40@gmail.com