ReNew supports over 1 million lives across India through CSR initiatives

Gurugram, October 18, 2023. ReNew Energy Global Plc ("ReNew") (Nasdaq: RNW, RNWWW), India’s leading renewable energy company, has achieved a significant milestone of transforming 1 million lives across India over the past decade through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.  Aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, their programs are spread across 10 states through 114 project sites impacting over 500 villages.

ReNew’s CSR initiatives are focused on three broad categories of development: human, social, and natural capital, covering areas such as climate education, school electrification, women in energy, and water conservation. Their programs are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals for providing inclusive and equitable quality education (SDG 4), achieving gender equality (SDG 5), ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for communities (SDG 7), as well as taking urgent steps to combat climate change and its impacts (SDG 13).

Since 2014, ReNew has transformed communities across 10 states including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Haryana, through the following initiatives:

- Lighting Lives: Aligned with UNSDG 7, ‘Lighting Lives’ is focused on last-mile electrification of schools with less than three hours of electricity through solar energy. Till date, 114 schools have been electrified pan India. In addition to this, 55 digital learning centres have been created in schools providing computer education to rural students.

- Women for Climate: A socioeconomic empowerment program, this initiative aligns with UNSDGs 5 and 13 that focus on promoting gender equality and taking concrete steps to combat climate change. Through ‘Project Surya’, ReNew is skilling 1000 women salt farmers as solar technicians in Gujarat, with an attempt to making them more employable and enable them to join the renewable energy workforce.

- Water Security: In arid regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, ReNew has worked on traditional rain water harvesting methods such as lake de-silting, pond excavations, and building taankas, to conserve water. Till date, 10 lakes have been de-silted, 18 ponds have been excavated, and 120 taankas have been constructed, providing communities access to water in the Thar region.

- Gift Warmth: To deal with the harsh winters in parts of India, ReNew launched ‘Gift Warmth’ to provide blankets to vulnerable sections of the population across the country. Under this program, which aligns with the UNSDG 13 which deals with helping those affected by climate change, ReNew has distributed over 600,000 blankets since 2015 across 10 states. 

- Rice Bucket Challenge: The annual campaign to donate rice and contribute to making India hunger-free, the Rice Bucket Challenge focuses on ReNew employees distributing rice and engaging with communities. Over 1,30,000 kgs of rice have been distributed to the needy since 2015.

Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Co-Founder and Chairperson - Sustainability, said: “We are immensely proud to have crossed this important milestone in our journey towards a just, equitable and greener future. The achievement reinforces our commitment to sustainability and serves as a beacon of hope for a brighter tomorrow, where clean energy and social responsibility go hand in hand. ReNew's ambitious outreach programs aim to achieve significant social support through a careful mix of employee volunteers, government engagement and climate change advocacy. We remain steadfast in our mission to leave a lasting, positive support on the lives of many more as we forge ahead on the path towards a sustainable and inclusive India.”

ReNew’s Corporate Social Responsibility Report for FY22-23 can be accessed here.