Growing inequality has a demonstrably negative impact on economic growth, while closing the Living Wage gap could boost the global GDP by 5.4%, adding US$4.56 trillion annually, through increased productivity and spending at a cost of just $1.89 trillion. Similarly, the ILO has estimated that poor safety at work costs businesses US$2.8 trillion annually – 4% of global GDP – through lost working time, interruptions in production, treatment of occupational injuries and diseases, rehabilitation, and compensation. There is no longer a trade-off between an economy that grows and an economy that helps people thrive. So how can we achieve this? As we stand at the halfway point between 2016 (SDG adoption) and 2030 (SDG implementation targets), it is necessary to assess how corporations can catalyse the achievement of SDG 8, and how these efforts will fit within the larger realm of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This is all the more apt in a country like India, where notions of CSR have hitherto been narrowly restricted to mandatory philanthropic efforts. To this end the WageIndicator Foundation and FLAME University are organising a conference that shall be a unique interface between academia and industry, aiming to advance both discourse and action on corporate responsibility. The conference will be held at FLAME University, Pune, between 21st to 23rd March, 2024 and the CELSI team will present its research as well.

More information at: https://www.flame.edu.in/research/conferences/international-conference-on-corporate-social-responsibility-and-decent-work-in-the-era-of-sustainable-development-goals?fbclid=IwAR25m60hbEeWha0sq6lBK9225FRPcQf2IL4F6mZBSQNP9z45OHL2Z46iUAA