December 6, New Delhi: Shahi Exports, India’s largest apparel manufacturer and exporter, released its second Sustainability Report for FY 2022-23 today. The comprehensive report details the company’s extensive initiatives across key focus areas, including Energy and Emissions Management, Water Efficiency, Chemical and Materials Stewardship, Waste Towards Circularity, Empowered Workforce, Employee Health and Well-being, Fair and Respectful Workplace, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Anant Ahuja, Head of ESG at Shahi Exports, said, “The past year has marked significant shifts in the narrative, perspective, and business of sustainability in fashion. As the industry evolves, Shahi remains committed to conducting our business in a way that reduces negative impact and maximizes the positive impact on our people and the planet. The Sustainability Report is an important tool in helping us track our progress and identify areas where we can make further improvements. The data and insights reported over the past two years have been invaluable in helping us develop more strategies aligned with long-term thinking on our growth journey.” 

Key highlights of the report:

Shahi has moved the needle on Planet targets by: 

1. Increasing renewable energy capacity to 92.5MW brings it closer to 100% renewable electricity goal by 2026. 
2. This year, Shahi phased out coal from garment factories and continue to work on coal elimination in mills. 
3. Achieved Higg FEM verified average score of 78.05%, compared to the global average of 59.67%.

Shahi’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, and have received several international and national awards for the commitment to environmental stewardship, like the International Green Apple Environment Award by The Green Organization and the Excellence in Performance Award by The Confederation of Indian Industry under the ground-mounted solar category.

On the People front: 

1. Shahi has invested 1.2 million hours in upskilling its employees in behavioral & technical skills. 
2. The company continued to invest in soft skills training for women through the Gap Inc. PA.C.E. program, reaching 86,000+ women since 2007 and completing 96% of 2024 training target.
3. It partnered with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support migrant workers and launched the YESS: Yarn Ethically and Sustainably Sourced program to mitigate the risk of forced labor in supply chain. 

Harish Ahuja, Managing Director and Chairperson of Shahi Exports said, “Over the years, Shahi has always demonstrated a deeper understanding of the changing landscape of our environment and the role that sustainability as a concept plays in this shift. As Shahi turns 50 next year, we believe sustainability efforts will increasingly underpin our success and drive industry-wide transformation. We will continue in the spirit of collaboration, share our best practices, and advocate for collective action.”