New Delhi; 19 May 2023: The Honourable Prime Minister of India, launched the concept of Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), at the Climate Conference in Glasgow in 2021 (https://www.mygov.in/life/). The Mission calls to lead a sustainable lifestyle by making pro-planet choices in all aspects of our daily lives.The Mission is envisaged as an India led global mass movement that nudges individual and collective action to protect and preserve the environment by making environment friendly individual and organizational choices that achieve mindful and deliberate utilization of natural resources instead of mindless and destructive consumption of energy, materials, water, nature and biodiversity.
Industries, businesses and other organizations are critical to the success of Mission LiFE, by adopting environment and energy conservation into their business processes and by supplying environmentally conscious products and services to consumers at large. Good opportunities exist as being demonstrated by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and other central ministries, made possible with funding support from the Global Environment Facility.
UNIDO works actively in India to promote the adoption of environmentally friendly practices and techniques across a wide range of industries. The workshop shared experiences and insights gained from UNIDO’s projects on industrial energy efficiency in MSMEs; solar process heating and cooling; low carbon innovation and commercialization; bio and botanical pesticides; medical waste management; organic waste for renewable energy and nutrient recovery; and sustainable city sanitation. The deliberations appreciated the wide-ranging initiatives and recognized the importance of showcasing good business and industry practices and innovations, for firms, especially MSMEs, to take requisite action towards achieving the vision of Mission LiFE.
Dr. René Van Berkel highlighted that UNIDO stands ready to support Mission LiFE, reiterating that the Mission represents a significant opportunity for businesses to innovate and help achieve inclusive and sustainable industrial development.