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Every year, tonnes of flower waste from religious places is dumped into India’s holiest river Ganges, polluting it to virtual death. Pesticides and insecticides used in growing these flowers mix with the water, affecting millions of lives through water-borne diseases. Most others may just lament these facts, Ankit Agarwal and Karan Rastogi, childhood friends from Kanpur, used them as inspiration to innovate. Two years of relentless experimentation led to a brilliant idea; that of recycling the flower waste. They founded HelpUsGreen® in 2014 to convert the waste into bio-fertilisers and lifestyle products. Widely appreciated and heavily awarded now, success has not come easy for this well-educated duo. HelpUsGreen® processes hundreds of kilos of flower waste, creating employment for hundreds of underprivileged women. An entirely bootstrapped project with no carbon foot print, the venture hopes to revive the Ganges through Flowercycling®. Currently at 8.5 tonnes per day and at the tipping point of scaling, HelpUsGreen® hopes to process over 50 tonnes of flower waste per day by 2020. Apart from the environmental impact, HelpUsGreen® has achieved huge societal impact, employing over a thousand women who did not previously have formal employment. What also makes the social entrepreneurs stand apart is their entrepreneurial market savviness. They have positioned their products not at the sympathy market but at the high-end premium market. Their products sell under the name ‘Phool’. HelpUsGreen® has set its eyes firmly on spreading operations across 2,000 kilometres along the Ganges and creating over 25,000 jobs for women.

Rivers are very close to Indian culture and civilisation. Indians treat rivers as holy and connect them to their faith. Human-induced activities unintentionally pollute the water bodies. The present case revolves around an innovative social enterprise – PHOOL, which deals with the recycling of flowers offered by devotees at temples. Thus, preventing thousands of kilograms of floral waste from being dumped into rivers daily and polluting them. The idea was conceived to save the most revered river – the Ganges. These flowers are mostly loaded with pesticides and insecticides, which further merge with river water making it even more toxic, endangering marine lives. PHOOL collects flowers from various places of worship and recycles them into handcrafted incense sticks and biodegradable Styrofoam. This unique venture has also been patented for its process and technology of floral waste recycling. Their mission is to save and preserve the river Ganges and empower marginalised women by providing employment opportunities while at the same time giving a livelihood and a future to Indian child and the generations to come. The child could now afford schooling, in hopes of a better economic future in a healthier environment while maintaining all societal traditions. It is essentially a case of social entrepreneurship that aims to help readers understand the intricacies of starting and surviving a social enterprise and ensuring continual sustainability. To create the case, an interview was carried out with Ms Ekta Jain (Associate, Marketing and Communications, PHOOL), as well as a literature review and data were collected on the social enterprise and significant events that take place in the Indian social entrepreneurship ecosystem. PHOOL is a case on ensuring a balanced approach between the economy, environment and society. It aims at protecting and creating a balance between the environment, the economy and the society, generating a new inflow to the economy, providing a purpose in life for those most in need of it and a livelihood free from pollution and deprivation, and making the world a better place to live in. It is creating a balance between societal needs, the environment that requires protection, the economy and ensuring continuity.

On completion of this case study, students will be able to describe a circular economy and cross-marketing; discuss the common strategies under the circular economy paradigm; describe the benefits and risks of cross-marketing brand alliances and their strategic implications; examine the role of growth strategy in driving the growth of an organization; classify what constitutes the elements of a strategy for HelpUsGreen LLP; and discuss measures to be considered while selecting a partner for a cross-marketing brand alliance.

HelpUsGreen LLP was a start-up founded by Karan Rastogi in 2019, which manufactured incense sticks using the circular economy model. After deflecting from his earlier partner in 2019 and after approximately two years of effort, Rastogi expanded his business of making incense sticks using a circular economy model. Students through this case can step into the shoes of Rastogi, who, as of 9 January 2023, was in Kanpur and was in an urgent need to replicate a similar circular economy model in different cities. With over 21,060 tonnes of temple flower waste recycled, 210 tonnes of chemical pesticides offset and 100% natural products delivered, multiple opportunities emerged at the cross-marketing brand alliance and new product segment levels. Rastogi entered into several cross-marketing brand alliance arrangements and tasted success. Rastogi believed that choosing the right partner for cross-marketing was key to successful cooperation. Considering cross-marketing as a way forward, he urgently needed to develop a strategy that aligned with his mission to take HelpUsGreen LLP’s circular economy model to other parts of the country. Students should take into consideration the data regarding the processes at HelpUsGreen LLP that helped Rastogi restart from scratch and make assumptions to decide the growth route for entering different cities.

This case can be used as an introductory case in a post-graduate class on growth strategy for a business based on the circular economy model, as it delineates the challenges faced by a firm while creating a circular economy and managing its growth phase. The case can also be used in an entrepreneurship management course and a strategic management course. This case allows students to learn about the circular economy and challenges faced by the company during the growth phase. Thus, the case can be used for covering multiple perspectives related to growth strategy (e.g. the application of Ansoff matrix), for defining what is cross-marketing brand alliance and discussing what measures need to be considered while selecting a partner for cross-marketing brand alliance, and it is ideal for teaching the elements of strategy.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The purpose of this paper is to study how to effectively allocate water, energy and food (WEF) resources in urban development.

An agent-based model combined with NetLogo simulation model has been used in this paper.

This paper proposes a framework for agent analysis in urban WEF consumption.

Further discussions using empirical data are of great importance.

Apply to form the development model of the city in the future.

A new method of WEF management has been used at the city level.

In the context of heightened awareness and understanding of responsible tourism, it has become increasingly imperative for luxury hotels to introspect on the impact of their operations on environmental and social sustainability. This study aims at examining the prevalence and growth of sustainability practices in the Indian luxury hotel segment as it increasingly competes on a global platform.

The research approach adopted in this paper is qualitative and emic. Primary data is gathered for the study through semi-structured interviews with select luxury hotel general managers from four hotel chains of Indian origin – ITC Luxury Hotels, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, Taj Hotels and Palaces and The Leela – to gain an insight into sustainability initiatives adopted in the Indian hospitality industry. Secondary research data regarding the eco-friendly, green measures implemented in these hotels is collected primarily from the websites of the respective hotel chains and supplemented by review of academic literature, media articles, industry reports and company press releases.

The findings of the study reveal that Indian luxury hotel brands are increasingly adopting green products and integrating innovative sustainability practices in their day-to-day operations. However, several of these initiatives are in the non-customer-facing domains such as the engineering and back-of-the-house operations. Very few Indian hotel chains are building these sustainability initiatives into their core philosophy and embedding it in the front-line customer service experience at their properties to reinforce the green image of the hotels.

The paper also proposes the 6Cs Framework of Sustainability that can be utilised to categorise the green sustainable practices adopted in responsible hotels in a simplistic manner under six broad verticals. Practitioners, researchers and educationists in the hospitality industry would find the implications of this study useful in the context of a post-pandemic world where sustainability is influencing consumer choices across industries in today’s eco-conscious and enlightened business and marketing environment.

Construction contractors and facility managers are being challenged to minimize the carbon footprint. Life cycle carbon‐equivalent (CO₂‐e) accounting, whereby the potential emissions of greenhouse gases due to energy expenditure during construction and subsequent occupation of built infrastructure, generally ceases at the end of the service life. However, following demolition, recycling of demolition waste that becomes incorporated into 2nd generation construction is seldom considered within the management of the carbon footprint. This paper aims to focus on built concrete infrastructure, particularly the ability of recycled concrete to chemically react with airborne CO₂, thereby significantly influencing CO₂‐e estimates.

CO₂‐e estimates were made in accordance with the methodology outlined in the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) Factors and were based on the energy expended for each life cycle activity from audited records. Offsets to the CO₂‐e estimates were based on the documented ability of concrete to chemically react with airborne carbon dioxide (“carbonation”) and predictions of CO₂ uptake by concrete and recycled concrete was made using existing predictive diffusion models. The author's study focused on a built concrete bridge which was demolished and recycled at the end of the service life, and the recycled concrete was utilized towards 2nd generation construction. The sensitivity of CO₂‐e and carbonation estimates were tested on several different types of source demolition waste as well as subsequent construction applications using recycled concrete (RCA). Whole‐of‐life CO₂‐e estimates, including carbonation of RCA over the 1st and 2nd generations, were estimated and contrasted with conventional carbon footprints that end at the conclusion of the 1st generation.

Following demolition, CO₂ capture by RCA is significant due to the more permeable nature of the crushed RCA compared with the original built infrastructure. RCA also has considerably greater exposed surface area, relative to volume, than a built concrete structure, and therefore more highly exposed surface to react with CO₂: it therefore carbonates more comprehensively. CO₂‐e estimates can be offset by as much as 55‐65 per cent when including the contribution of carbonation of RCA built within 2nd generation infrastructure. Further offsets are achievable using blended fly ash or slag cement binders; however, this study has focused on concrete composed of 100 per cent OPC binders and the effects of RCA.

Construction project estimates of life cycle CO₂‐e emissions should include 2nd generation applications that follow the demolition of the 1st generation infrastructure. Life cycle estimates generally end at the time of demolition. However, by incorporating the recycled concrete demolition waste into the construction of 2nd generation infrastructure, the estimated CO₂‐e is significantly offset during the 2nd generation life cycle by chemical uptake of CO₂ (carbonation). This paper provides an approach towards inclusion of 2nd generation construction applications into whole‐of‐life estimates of CO₂‐e.

The purpose of the paper is to propose and examine with evidence from Ecuador a behavioral framework that helps understand environmental practices in a small rural community.

This research is a multidisciplinary study that integrates ethnographic, feminist, and fourth generation approaches. Qualitative and quantitative methods were applied.

Findings indicate a number of relevant determinant factors (social norms, personal norms, intention to act), moderating factors (knowledge of the issues, awareness of the consequences, knowledge of the strategies and action skills, assumption of the responsibilities), and socio‐demographic factors (gender and social class) that influence solid waste (garbage) management behavior in a small rural community in the Ecuadorian Andes.

This study recommends general public training for the stakeholders of this community taking into account gender and social class differences. The importance of generating role models in groups such as business owners and teachers to lead in waste management behavior is also suggested.

This study develops a behavioral framework with supporting empirical evidence from Ecuador that aids the understanding of environmental management practices of women and men from a small cohesive community

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) has now become a major global public health issue. New legislation has recently been introduced in Northern Ireland from April 2017, requiring domestic households to recycle all domestic food waste items. Resulting increases in the volume of such waste which is collected by the local council has driven technologies for the safe recycling of such material including commercial composting. Little is known about the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profile of such composted food waste materials and hence the purpose of this paper is to characterise total AMR in bacteria isolated from such composted domestic food waste and to consider the potential public health consequences of such material.

Finished compost containing food waste material was obtained in the Spring 2017 from a local authority recycling amenity site, which freely distributes such material to the public. Total culturable populations of bacteria were isolated from the composted material and antibiotic susceptibility to six classes of antibiotics, namely florfenicol, fluoroquinolone, aminoglycoside, lincosamide, tetracycline and β-lactam was examined.

ABR was greatest for lincomycin > tobramycin > minocycline/amoxycillin > ciprofloxacin > florfenicol. In this study, there was one compost, which showed complete resistance to all antibiotics tested. No compost displayed complete antibiotic sensitivity. Two composts were considered pan-resistant, whilst four were considered multi-resistant.

This study showed that the total ABR profile of food waste compost is significant, with bacterial populations within the compost having ABR to several classes of antibiotics, which are important and sometimes critical to human health. The application of such materials to enrich and fertilise garden soils in significant volumes inadvertently allows for the artifical and man-made transfer of AMR bacteria and their genes to new environments, which have been hitherto niave to the presence of such AMR properties. The application of such compost horticulturally to enrich soils used to cultivate flowers, fruits and vegetables may have important consequences for human and animal health. Urgent work is now needed to quantify the fate of such antibiotic resistant bacteria from compost to their new environment and risk assessments made to estimate the carriage through to human health.

This paper aims to question the capacity of firms embedded in global value chains to manage their natural resources in a sustainable way. Thus, it offers guidelines for more sustainable value chains.

While business strategies have focused on optimizing natural resource exploitation and on constructing global value chains to face sustainability issues, this study first explains why these strategies are not effective in preventing natural resource depletion. Second, it offers a model for anticipating resource depletion. The cut flower industry constitutes a central case to explain the model. Two other industry cases complement the demonstration.

To anticipate natural resource depletion and thus improve industry sustainability, firms must shift from the exploitation of endangered natural resources to the use of alternative local ones. This shift, however, encourages firms to reconstruct value chains and rethink how they create value within these new value chains. It also has an impact on firms’ growth strategy: they must replicate value chains on a local scale instead of taking part in global value chains.

The findings rely on illustrations from the cut flower, fishing and textile fiber industries. Generalization to other industries may strengthen the argument.

This study offers a model of sustainable growth for firms willing to anticipate natural resource depletion by offering a shift in value chains. It consists of exploiting alternative natural resources and of rethinking the value offered to consumers. Thus, it goes against current models that merely focus on optimizing natural resource exploitation within global value chains.