The Kirloskar Group has contributed to the industrialisation of India for more than a century. Their affiliation with Toyota in 1997 has strengthened their commitment to the growth and advancement of the Indian industry by supporting local manufacturers, suppliers, dealers and infrastructure. In addition to their instrumental role in aiding the local economy through thoughtful business strategies, Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) is directly involved in multiple social projects for overall community advancement.
One of their flagship initiatives, the ABCD Sanitation & Hygiene Awareness Program, was recently launched in Raichur district after being implemented successfully in Ramnagara. Launched in alignment with the Government's 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,' the program is designed to transform hygiene practices in Indian schools and communities. The unique child-to-community approach employed by the program, emphasises the pivotal role of students as change agents. Through innovative partnerships and tech-driven solutions, TKM envisions a future where CSR initiatives not only benefit communities but also contribute significantly to building a sustainable and inclusive society.
In this interview with TheCSRUniverse, Mr. Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor takes us through various aspects of the ABCD Program including strategy, implementation and impressive statistics pertaining to outcomes. He also provides a comprehensive overview of TKM's CSR focus areas, emphasizing their impactful work in education, environment, health & hygiene, road safety, skill development, and disaster management.
Read the full interview for deeper insights:
Q. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) recently launched their ABCD Sanitation & Hygiene Awareness Program in Raichur district. Can you elaborate on the key interventions and activities that define this initiative?
A. The ABCD Program was launched in 2015, under the Government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ initiative. This program has successfully engaged and empowered students resulting in behavioural changes in hygiene & sanitation areas. The activity achieved significant success in Ramanagara district where the program covered 1004 government schools, benefitting over 58,000 students. The program’s main objective was to promote sanitation practices and building awareness among children, families, and the community thereby promoting a holistic approach to inculcate healthier lifestyle habits. The ABCD program in Raichur launched in August’23 will include various engaging activities to promote sanitation awareness, such as - classroom sessions and demos, quizzes, personal hygiene trainings, consumables supplies, strengthening School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMC) and sustenance activities. This initiative plans to cover over 1600 schools in phased manner over the next 7 years benefitting over 1,50,000 students. In the first phase it will cover 100 Government schools and approximately 10,000 students, while the remaining schools will be covered in the subsequent phases.
Q. What is the rationale behind adopting a child-to-community approach for the Program? How does this approach contribute to achieving behavioural change in sanitation practices?
A. The ABCD Program employs a child-to-community approach to promote and create sanitation awareness. Children are strong influencers in bringing about a change, and it is easier to cultivate good habits among young minds. This methodology educates and empowers students to share their knowledge and awareness on sanitation with their families and communities thereby inspiring them to adopt better habits and fostering a cleaner and healthier society.
Q. The program is planned to cover 1600 schools in Raichur District over the next 7 years. How do you envision measuring and assessing the impact of this initiative on health and hygiene outcomes?
A. The program is expected to bring about a behavioural change over a period of time, therefore there is a need to continuously understand the progress and impact. At Toyota we adopt several tools to effectively monitoring the progress, for example all projects are monitored through Key Performance Indicators - KPIs which are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Realistic and Time Bound), the KPIs helps monitor the progress at each stage and need for any counter measure. Tools like Logic Framework Model(LFM) are used to effectively track the project, and results are achieved as per the timelines. It also assesses the risks, availability of mitigation plan and clear roles and responsibilities. The success of any intervention will depend on contribution and ownership of the key stakeholders hence their involment from the planning to implementation play a crucial role. Lastly the result of a project is crucial, therefore CSR team holds discussions with beneficiaries and key stakeholders to understand the impact and outcome of the project.
Q. The Program has already been successfully implemented in Ramanagara District. Could you share some specific outcomes or success stories that demonstrate the program's positive impact on students, families, and communities?
A. ABCD Program was started Ramanagara district in 2015. It focussed on behavioural change and the importance of hygiene and its impact on health. It has achieved significant success in Ramanagara covering 1004 governments schools, benefitting over 58,000 students, positively impacting 4.3 lakhs community members, and achieving 100% sanitation. Additionally, the unique child to community approach and its influence on the family members has resulted in the construction of over 13,000+ household toilets transforming the entire community. The positive impact, reach and the effectiveness of this initiative is because of school children who have now become ambassadors, actively promoting the adoption of hygiene practices in their schools and communities.
Q. The ABCD Program has garnered recognition, including a mention in the Harvard Business Review and Harvard Business School's case studies collection. In your opinion, what are the primary factors that differentiate it from other hygiene awareness programs and make it so effective?
A. The ABCD Program's effectiveness and recognition stem from several key factors. Firstly, its unique child- to-community approach empowers students to be agents of change in their families and the communities thereby using the influence of children to bring about a behavioural change. Secondly, the program prioritizes education and awareness ensuring students grasp the importance of hygiene and they possess the tools to implement the program effectively. Lastly, its focus on long-term sustainability, involving the key stakeholders like the community and government for their active participation at grassroot level and program’s sustenance after handover thereby bringing about a long-lasting change to the surrounding communities.
Q. Could you elaborate on TKM's guiding philosophy and vision when it comes to CSR activities? How does this philosophy align with the broader global vision of the Toyota brand?
A. At Toyota, CSR is a voluntary activity, although there is a legal requirement, we view this as a responsibility coupled with an opportunity to contribute to the society. The CSR program at TKM was set up right after the inception of its manufacturing plant back in 1997-98. Toyota being a manufacturing company, addresses the needs of the surrounding communities through its core vision of building vibrant communities in harmony with nature. All the activities are guided and implemented with CSR being an integral part of Toyota’s DNA in conducting the business. Besides TKM’s mission of ‘Producing Mass Happiness for All’ has guided our actions towards implementing sustainable CSR with optimal resources for maximum reach and impact thus creating inclusive, equitable and a trusted future ahead.
Q. Can you provide insights into the key focus areas that TKM prioritizes within its CSR strategy? Additionally, could you highlight some notable achievements or milestones the company has reached in these areas?
A. TKM’s CSR initiatives is focused on providing resources, expertise, and capabilities to provide solutions for societal issues. The company is continuously striving to make a difference in the communities we operate, and key focus areas include Education, Environment, Health & Hygiene, Road safety and Skill development and Disaster management. These thematic areas are aligned based on the need of the communities, national priorities, and Sustainable Development Goals. Through varied CSR projects implemented over the years, we have touched more than 21,00,000 lives and bringing about positive transformation to the lives of community members. As a recognition of our efforts, we received the certificate of appreciation from the Government of Karnataka towards significant contribution to the local community advancement.
Some of our notable CSR initiatives are:
Education: TKM focuses on early childhood care by strengthening capacity building to deliver quality education with the support of “Anganwadis.” Promoting inclusive education for special needs children and building modern school infrastructure in rural areas of Karnataka. The company through these efforts has provided a safe and conducive learning environment, positively impacting over 12,222 students in the last year financial year and in total of 1,32,980 students since the start of the program.
Environment Preservation: TKM has established an experiential environment learning centre – Ecozone, to create environmental awareness in areas like water, energy, climate change biodiversity, underground ecology, and silent garden among school children benefitting over 10,050 students. In addition, activities such as Lake Rejuvenation, Green Me programme, and Solid Waste Management initiatives have created awareness and cumulatively reached over 45,529 students and community members in the State of Karnataka.
Health & Hygiene: TKM's commitment to healthcare has led to the establishment of a 30-bed Community Health Centre, with exclusive oxygen-generating plant in Bidadi, Karnataka, providing specialized care to the surrounding communities. Other interventions like school-based health and hygiene through the Toyota Shaale Arogya Program, installation of water purification units to provide clean drinking water, have positively impacted the health outcomes of the community. With these continuous efforts, the company has reached over 64,005 individuals and cumulatively over 11,16,365 individuals.
Road Safety: Reiterating its strong commitment towards Road Safety and instilling Safe Road Behaviour, TKM initiated Toyota Safety Education Program for school students to promote road safety awareness and develop them as Road Safety Ambassadors. Toward this the company implemented programs like Safety Model School to bring about a positive change in mindset among school children in terms of their behaviour and response to road safety, Toyota Hackathon - a platform for students to develop digital road safety solutions, and safety training for airport taxi drivers, these activities have reached to 7,98,600 students and individuals creating wide awareness about safety.
Skill Development: Empowering youth with employable skills, prioritizing rural areas and supporting skill enhancement programs by developing auto industry culture through Govt Tool Room and Training Centres (GTTCs) and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). These efforts have made a positive impact on over 1805 students cumulatively.
In addition to the above ICARE is TKM’s flagship Employee Volunteering Programme. Under this initiative employees and families receive an opportunity to actively contribute to the community around them and bring about transformative change in the lives of community members. With the active participation of iCARE volunteers, the company has touched about 3500 members last financial year and cumulatively over 63,150 community members.
Q. When considering potential CSR projects, what are the specific parameters or criteria that TKM uses to assess their feasibility and alignment with the company's values? How does this influence the allocation of resources?
A. When we consider CSR projects, a need assessment study is conducted to understand the requirements of the community and other key stakeholders including government are consulted. At TKM, CSR initiatives are aligned with key pillars, such as skill development, road safety, education, environment, health & hygiene, and disaster management which are the priority areas. Based on the need, the projects are conceptualized, and resources are allocated, and programs are monitored and implemented to achieve the desired outcome and make positive impact on the surrounding communities. The leadership team and government have been very encouraging in terms of strong support and guidance during the implementation on ground which has resulted in timely execution, sustenance, and positive transformation the project has brough about in the community.
Q. Collaboration with implementation partners is vital in executing successful CSR initiatives. Can you shed light on how TKM selects its implementation partners for major projects?
A. TKM has been implementing successful CSR program since the inception of its manufacturing plant. The implementation partner and other key stakeholders play a vital role in the success and sustenance of the activity. At TKM, CSR projects partners are selected based on selection criteria like experience in relevant field, concept understanding and alignment with TKM, resource availability, and selection is done after multiple level of due diligence both internal and external.
Q. Building strong relationships between corporations and NGOs is essential for impactful CSR work. Based on your experiences, what suggestions or recommendations do you have for improving the effectiveness of these partnerships and ensuring a shared vision?
A. The corporate and NGOs and related key stakeholders play a key role during the initial planning and implementation of the project. For effective corporate-NGO partnerships in CSR, some of the key aspects are, firstly both the parties should have clear objectives, goals thereby ensuring common vision. During the planning and implementation regular communication and feedback from community and stakeholders are essential to maintain trust, transparency, and mutual respect. Lastly the sustainability of the project plays a crucial role in the overall long-term impact on the community hence active involvement, responsibility and contribution from all stakeholders and a sustenance plan is essential. Finally successful collaboration hinges on corporates and NGOs working as equal partners towards positive social, environmental change for the larger good of the community and the nation.
Q. Looking ahead, could you provide a glimpse into TKM's future in the realm of CSR? Are there any emerging trends or areas of focus that the company is considering for its upcoming initiatives?
A. CSR initiatives which are highly impactful, scalable with collaborative approach have hugely benefitted the communities. Environment and sustainability are playing a vital role and implementing initiatives where they are needed the most is driving CSR projects. We expect innovative partnerships and tech-driven solutions to address emerging challenges providing flexibility and responsiveness to evolving societal needs as the company strive towards the goal of realizing a future mobility society delivering ever-better cars and ever- better-communities.
