Book Review | Namrata Rana, Utkarsh Majmudar argue for sustainability in Shift: Decisions for a Net Zero World

Have you ever found yourself wondering what “net zero”, this new buzzword, is all about? According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the United Nations body that bears the responsibility of advancing public knowledge about climate change –carbon dioxide emissions must be negated or balanced by an equal amount of carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere. Countries are, therefore, working towards “net zero." Namrata Rana and Utkarsh Majmudar’s new book Shift: Decisions for a Net Zero World, published by Westland, will take you further into this subject. Rana is Director, Strategy and Brand, at Futurescape. She works with companies and institutions on their net zero transition and green jobs. Majmudar is a governing board member at the Indian Institute of Management in Raipur, and he also teaches at leading business schools across India.   The authors point out, “Global pandemics and the fragility of economic systems have taken the sheen off capitalism. People are asking, why isn’t capitalism solving problems, and does exponential, unfettered growth really lead to long-term prosperity?” Encouraging readers to think about this question, Rana and Majmudar set out to map “the transition that companies to need make towards the net zero and circular economy without leaving anyone behind.”   Their rationale for shifting towards a circular economy is straightforward; the resources that are available to us are finite, so a model of growth that generates humongous amounts of waste is not feasible in the long run. The authors write, “Should the global population reach 9.6 billion by 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets could be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles.” Therefore, the circular economy focuses on extending the lifespan of materials, maximising reuse, and waste recycling.   The book uses facts to shock readers and inspire the adoption of thoughtful lifestyle choices. Rana and Majmudar state, “The fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.” In the rush to deliver new collections in a short time and at a low cost, the fashion industry has a negative impact on the environment. Some fast fashion brands use toxic chemicals that end up in water bodies. These are disruptive to hormones, and carcinogenic. The practice of “inventory burning,” which involves the destruction of unsold goods, is quite common even though it is unsustainable. Moreover, a large number of clothes reach landfills. This book clarifies how much water the fashion industry ends up consuming. Apparently, two billion pairs of jeans are produced every year. A typical pair takes 7,000 litres of water to produce, and it takes 2,700 litres of water to make one T-shirt. This is ridiculous, isn’t it? [caption id=“attachment_10106361” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Photo by Agence France-Presse[/caption] Just naming what is broken is insufficient. The world needs good alternatives and smart solutions, so his book looks at how environment, social, and governance (ESG) norms can be integrated into corporate strategies. This means that economic growth must be re-examined in the context of biodiversity loss, climate change, threats to the ecosystem, public health crises, barriers to social justice, and systemic obstacles to diversity, equity and inclusion.   Looking at the problem through the lens of sustainability can help the industry quantify the environmental footprint and estimate damages. It can prioritise the well-being of entire ecosystems, not just humans, and come up with low-impact alternatives to sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution. Such innovations can reduce carbon emissions. Rana and Majmudar note that companies are already experimenting. It is possible to make clothes using nylon that is produced from abandoned fishing nets as well as gear salvaged from the oceans. This book also introduces readers to mushroom-based textiles, energy from waste, agri-tech, green transport, vegetable leathers, biodegradable substitutes to plastic, and cloud-based marketplaces for posting, finding, and exchanging unused materials.

It would serve as an excellent manual for organisations that are keen to make sustainability a part of various functions such as hiring, product design, operations, logistics, finance, and employee health.

Unfortunately, this kind of work is happening at a small scale. The threat of global warming does not seem urgent enough to most of us even if we pay lip service in public forums. We continue to consume without considering the impact. This book hopes to change that by using data to inform and educate rather than falling back on ineffective blame-and-shame tactics. The authors draw attention to “planned obsolescence” as “a policy of designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, so that it becomes obsolete (ie unfashionable, or no longer functional) after a certain period of time.” They argue that this practice is bound to change as companies are now being asked by investors and regulators to report carbon emissions annually. There are also some incentives for producing “high quality products that last longer, can easily be upgraded, and are made from recycled and reusable materials.” The authors also show how the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the existing waste crisis by giving legitimacy to “the use of single use plastic for the purpose of masks, PPEs, and other disposables such as straws and plastic cups.” They also comment on the “unprecedented rise in the amount of biomedical waste” generated. According to them, a circular economy will become a reality only when governments, industry, and citizens decide to work together.   The authors write, “Gandhi believed that disconnecting production with consumption leads to acts of violence against others. For instance, if the production is in the village and consumption is in the cities, the city dwellers would not be interested in the environmental damage that the village went through to produce something.” This is worth thinking about, especially as we recall the economic impact of the pandemic on India’s migrant workers. Collective responsibility is the main takeaway from the book. It is easier to call out others who are not doing what needs to be done, much harder to examine our own choices and transform them. Rana and Majmudar advocate a return to the Gandhian model of trusteeship, which “specifies that everything we do must be economically viable as well as ethical – at the same time making sure we build sustainable livelihoods for all.” That is a tall order, and the book cannot equip us to live with such integrity. That would require a deep inner journey. Chintan Girish Modi is a freelance writer, journalist, commentator, and book reviewer. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.