In recent years, the ethical treatment of animals has rightfully gained prominence, drawing attention to the roles of diverse stakeholders in its advancement. Corporations, equipped with substantial resources and societal sway, hold a distinct position to champion this crucial cause. However, reconciling profit-driven pursuits with animal welfare poses a formidable challenge. Despite the undeniable benefits it brings to both society and the environment, animal welfare in India receives a mere 0.6% of total CSR spending—a stark disparity compared to global benchmarks. This glaring incongruity highlights the pressing need for proactive measures and highlights the imperative for collective action to address this imbalance.
At the forefront of addressing this gap is Humane Society International/India (HSI/India), a leading advocate for animal welfare. For over two decades, HSI/India has actively worked across diverse areas, from groundbreaking policy interventions to disaster relief efforts. Yet, securing adequate corporate support for such initiatives remains a persistent hurdle.
In a candid discussion with TheCSRUniverse, Ms. Alokparna Sengupta, Managing Director, Humane Society International/India, and Ms. Navamita Mukherjee, Director, Marketing and Communications at the organization, shed light on the transformative potential of increased corporate investment in animal welfare. They delve into the critical need for enhanced funding and strategic partnerships to address the challenges faced by animal welfare organizations. Additionally, they emphasize the positive impact of corporate initiatives on both vulnerable farmers and animal welfare in the aftermath of natural disasters, showcasing specific, impactful solutions. Throughout the interview, they share success stories, advocate for policy changes, and offer practical advice for individuals passionate about promoting animal welfare within their organizations.
Their insights provide a valuable roadmap for corporations seeking to make a meaningful difference in the lives of animals and contribute to a more compassionate world.
Scroll down for detailed insights.
Q&A
Q. Can you provide insights into the specific initiatives and programs that Humane Society International/India has undertaken to address animal welfare issues, and how these efforts have contributed to positive outcomes?
Alokparna Sengupta (AS): Humane Society International/India (HSI/India) is one of the few animal protection organizations in the country working on all animal protection issues ranging for farmed animals, animal used in experimentation, wildlife protection, companion animal welfare and those in crisis and disasters. Some of our biggest achievements have been persuading the Govt of India to prohibit animal testing of cosmetics and import of animal tested cosmetics in India. We have also been able to work with the Government to prohibit force molting of egg laying hens, a practice of starving hens for a period of 14 days to shed their feathers. In addition to this, we were able to persuade the Government of India to bring in a fin attached policy in the issue of shark finning. We are working with various municipalities to spay and neuter and vaccinate streets dogs to manage their population in cities like Dehradun, Lucknow, Nainital, etc. We have successfully done this in Vadodara where we sterilized and vaccinated 86% of the street dogs in the city and handed back the program to them. We are now in the works to establish an Animal Birth Control Training Centre with a state government to better the standards of ABC and to reduce human - dog conflict. We have also been instrumental in helping livestock farmers get relief and care and treatment during disasters including Kerala 2018 floods, Karnataka floods in 2019, Cyclone Amphan, Delhi flood of 2023 and more. Some of our other work is to mitigate human - snake conflict, human - elephant conflict, end intensive confinement of farmed animals, to promote better science through non animal methodologies in biomedical research. One of our strongest programs is to update the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, where we have worked with the public and government to recommend changes in policies. The policy is yet to be amended and tabled in the parliament, but we are sure there are historic changes in the offering.
Q. Can you elaborate on the challenges faced in convincing corporations to allocate a more substantial portion of their CSR budget to animal welfare, considering the historical low percentages? What do you think deters them from investing their CSR funds in this area?
Navamita Mukherjee (NM): First thing first, there should be a flow of funding for a particular issue to see the kind of reform money can bring. The biggest challenge is there is no reference point or an impact benchmark in the animal welfare space to claim that good funding brought significant transformation. Can the scarcity mindset help a social issue of this magnitude? Of course, not! If you give less, you receive less returns-- this is the essence of every give-and-take relationship.
Three challenges dominate the lack of CSR funds for animal welfare:
- The discriminating belief that animals are less important than the human species, that they lack agency, and they can't provide us feedback on the kind of support they need is what deters corporates from giving to animal welfare.
- Corporate India is risk-averse and continues to treat this issue as non-existent.
- Bound by the tenets of CSR framework, corporate India can only give direct funding towards scaling proven nonprofit initiatives.
Q. How do you envision corporate investment, including disaster preparedness and management measures, positively impacting both vulnerable farmers and animal welfare in the aftermath of natural disasters, and can you elaborate on specific, impactful solutions that address both animal and human needs in such situations?
NM: Post-disaster corporate relief is myopic and a piecemeal approach. The damage is already done and hence the issue demands strategic, foresighted and proactive funding. The largest population of Indian livestock (536 million) live with small and marginal farmers who are more vulnerable to losing their financial security and a potential future in the face of disasters. There is an urgent need for corporates to join the efforts of NGOs like HSI/India to support.
- Building a permanent evacuation shelter for animals in disaster-prone (primarily floods) regions that can act as a haven for them during disasters taking care of their feed and medical needs.
- Rigorous capacity building of state/region administration and the community equipping them with the right resources and knowledge on safeguarding animals. This builds community resilience like none other and creates a ripple effect across all levels
Q. Could you share success stories or examples of corporations effectively contributing to animal welfare, showcasing the positive outcomes of such initiatives?
AS: Our work with corporations have been minimal since for many of them, animal welfare is not on their priority. We have received the maximum support from corporates during disaster response and it has been immense - allowing us to provide relief, rescue and treatment to animals who are many times the last priority in a disaster. We have been slowly and steadily getting support on some of our capacity building work for law enforcement agencies for example in West Bengal, Karnataka and Telangana. More recently, a think - tank we have established along with the Centre of Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad (CSIR - CCMB) , CPHMS (Centre for Predictive Human Model Systems) received a sizeable grant from Dr Reddy's Laboratories Pvt Ltd to build awareness amongst the scientific community on new technologies not involving the use of animals.
Q. In the context of lab experimentation on animals, what specific steps can corporates take to promote and invest in ethical, humane, and cruelty-free testing models, especially in a global scenario where millions of animals undergo such procedures?
AS: In India, as part of stakeholder outreach we have worked very well with cosmetics companies through their associations, IBHA (Indian Beauty & Hygiene Association) and FICCI. This work has been collaborative where all stakeholders came on board with their vision for cosmetic testing on animals and challenges. Since cosmetic testing on animals is already banned in India, there needs to be focussed investment in non animal methodologies and continuously improve of such technologies. HSI, through its global initiative called AFSA (Animal Free Safety Assessment) collaborates meaningfully with the cosmetics manufacturer leaders to ensure that the policy, now in 44 countries, is implemented with sustainability in mind.
Apart from this, public and private funding agencies need to fund non animal methodologies like there is funding for animal based research so that India is not left behind in terms of scientific prowess. We have plenty of scientific acumen in the country which suffers from reduced funding in biomedical research area - this can only be harnessed when funders are looking at a monetary - time - cost intensive solutions which could be non animal methodologies.
Q. Given the interlink between animal cruelty, climate change, and other crimes, how do you see an increased focus on animal welfare in CSR policies contributing to societal harmony, addressing broader social issues, and mitigating the impacts of climate change?
AS: We are not where we would like to be however there is focus slowly shifting away from immediate actions and interventions to interventions where the root cause is looked at. Taking animal cruelty for instance, research has shown that there is a direct link between an animal being abused in a home to domestic violence and child abuse. There is enough study to also show that animal abuse is the first step to abuse other beings, be it children or women. However in a country like India, our data is far and few in between. Corporates could fund research to bring in Indian data which could then be the basis of changing such policies. Whether farm animals, wildlife or pet animals, their funding into innocative solutions will further the cause.
Q. Beyond direct financial aid, what strategic partnerships or collaborative initiatives can bridge the gap between animal welfare NGOs and the corporate world?
NM: There is ample scope for other collaborations.
One of our bigger missions is to reduce the suffering of farm animals (for eg – more than 660 egg-laying hens suffer their entire life in cruel poultry farms. Corporate Companies like the food and hospitality industry can help by introducing humane animal standards in their food procurement policy. Or it can be as simple as replacing animal-based meals with plant-based ones in corporate canteens by 30-40% and gradually increasing the percentage.
Include animal welfare in their DEI initiatives.
Help us with Cause Marketing for as simple and relevant themes like #AdoptDontShop.
There are countless ways to help animals beyond monetary funding.
Q. Looking beyond traditional CSR models, are there more disruptive or innovative approaches corporations could adopt to address animal welfare issues?
NM: Invest in tech for good and knowledge share to help scale our impact through machine learning and predictive AI. This can disrupt the animal welfare movement in unimaginable ways. AI has the potential to do good in terms of data collection and that is the reference point we need to make a bigger dent in this space, Come to think of it, what wholesome story will it make when AI builds our database, we scale and replicate our programs, show good numbers in donor reports, donors see merit in our work and renew their long-term support.
Q. What are some key policy changes or regulatory frameworks that HSI/India advocates for to encourage corporates to prioritize animal welfare in their CSR strategies?
AS: Corporates should increase their funding, even if marginally to fund at least 3 years campaigns and programs they believe in. There is a lot of intersectionality within the animal welfare sector which affects people be it children, women or marginalized communities. However, most of the focus is on sheltering or immediate hands on work. Due to this, a lot of the long term work is ignored. If corporates could open up to receiving information, knowledge and/or look for animal welfare possibilities in each work they contribute to, it would help the movement, cause, animals and people like no other.
Q. How can we measure the true impact of corporate initiatives on animal welfare, considering the complex and interconnected nature of the issues involved?
NM: For them to know the true impact, it is important to know the true need first. India Philanthropy Report by Bain and Dasra, 2023 has highlighted the need for CSR to adopt more “need-based” funding. There is a huge absence of discourse, dialogue and collaboration on this issue. Do corporates know what our needs are? Keeping this aside, the true impact can be known by a) corporates with their power can convince the food procurement industry to come to our side of the table by incentivizing them b) build dashboards and feedback tools to grow our supporter base during marketing campaigns c) survey the animal welfare standard or animal cruelty incidents of a taluka/district/region once they have supported the capacity-building of law enforcement officials of a taluka/district for 3 years and more.
Q. Given your vast experience, what practical advice would you offer to individuals passionate about animal welfare who want to encourage positive change within their own companies or organizations?
AS: To start small, support local shelters, bring in volunteering experiences for themselves and colleagues, to then proceed to give their time and skills to bigger issues which can then bring in systemic change. They should share what they resonate with and help broaden not only their horizons but also their friends and families. Before I joined the movement, I used to work in a corporate too and I brought animal welfare to the environmental committee which looked at planting trees - while that is great in itself, there are several NGOs who need help and exposure of such sort if important. Corporates and individuals have the privilege of network and that is invaluable to NGOs who need funds, references.
The ethical treatment of animals has gained increasing attention in recent years, prompting questions about various stakeholders' roles in promoting it. Corporations, with their significant resources and societal influence, have a unique opportunity to contribute to this essential endeavor. However, aligning profit-driven activities with animal welfare remains a challenge. Despite its societal and environmental importance, animal welfare receives a meager 0.6% of India's total CSR spending. This stands in stark contrast to global trends and highlights the need for proactive solutions.
Humane Society International/India (HSI/India), a leading advocate for animal welfare, has actively addressed this gap for over two decades. Their impactful work spans diverse areas, from groundbreaking policy interventions to disaster relief efforts. Yet, securing adequate corporate support for such initiatives remains a persistent hurdle.
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