The growing commitment to sustainable principles globally has increased the demand for new green products and services. The growing emphasis on protecting the environment translates into opportunities for entrepreneurs. Being a green business owner can offer meaningful employment that is economically rewarding, socially responsible and environmentally beneficial.

Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA), a part of the Development Alternatives Group with its expertise in facilitating green jobs has enabled a large number of entrepreneurs to set up green enterprises. Following are two case studies of green jobs created by TARA.

Green Job Creation at Tetra Pak Recycling Units

Recyclers around the globe are working to reduce waste by focusing on recycling Tetra Pak cartons, which have become a common item for storing food and drink items.

A Tetra Pak recycling unit can be run individually or in groups. It needs a capital of up to 13 lakh rupees per unit and creates jobs for 7 to 8 people. It can be set up anywhere in the country. A Tetra Pak recycling unit addresses the problem of large amounts of waste created from Tetra Pak cartons. This green initiative utilises 1.5 tonnes of Tetra Pak cartons per month to produce 1 tonne of recycled paper on a monthly basis.

Construction sector which accounts for 10% of the global GDP in India has direct and indirect impacts on the environment. It produces 23% of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Buildings are responsible for 30% to 40% of all the material flows.

Green building centres provide an opportunity to demonstrate low carbon growth with additional benefits of local wealth generation, green job creation, reduced material and energy consumption. The centres function as one-stop shops for all the elements required to construct a building, along with design services, construction services and access to finance.

An example of a green building centre is the one promoted by TARA Machines and Tech Services (TMTS), a social enterprise of the Development Alternatives Group. TMTS launched a unique initiative in collaboration with ACC cement to convert local waste materials into high quality, affordable and eco-friendly building materials. These building materials are supplied to semi-urban and rural areas. TMTS plans to establish 100 such green building centres across India by 2018.

Green building centres have multiple economic, environmental and social impacts. Other than creating employment and giving a boost to the local economy, they have a huge potential in mitigating climate change effects through carbon reduction, waste utilisation and promoting energy and resource efficiency. On an average, the impact created by each green building centre per year is as follows:

The above case studies illustrate how green jobs are an increasingly relevant phenomenon from a sustainable development perspective. q