Ethics and Transparency

Posted on
Categories Business Ethics and Governance

We are committed to good and ethical governance mechanisms across our systems, processes, operations, and locations. Our Code of Conduct on Ethics, Transparency and Accountability (Code) clearly defines acts of bribery and corruption, and the circumstances in which the clauses of anti-bribery and anti-corruption may be violated. To ensure compliance with this Code, trainings are provided to all full-time employees and the Board.

In 2022-23, we reported zero cases of bribery and corruption, and have not faced any anticompetitive litigations.

Conflict of interest

We expect all our team members to not engage in any activity or a form of relationship with shareholders, suppliers or subsidiaries that may affect the company’s independence and result in a conflict of interest.

Whistle-blower Policy

We have implemented a Whistle-blower Policy at a group-wide level, and established a Vigil Mechanism in compliance with Regulation 22 of the Listing Regulations and Section 177 of the Act. According to this Policy, individuals who wish to report concerns regarding unethical behaviour, violations of the Code, actual or suspected fraud, non-compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, retaliation against directors and employees, among others can report their grievances using the appropriate channels.

Share Dealing Code

We condemn insider trading in any capacity and form by which the involved parties may have a direct or an indirect financial gain. Our employees who are in possession of material unpublished price sensitive information about the organization are forbidden from trading in its securities.

Anti-trust and Anti-competitive Policy

This Policy governs our approach to ensure that we promote a competitive market culture and maintain a healthy competitive environment globally. In line with its provisions and directives, our employees are highly discouraged from engaging in price fixing practices.

Grievance redressal and vigil mechanism

We intend that all stakeholders we interact with are content and satisfied with their involvement with us in any capacity. In case of grievances, concerns, or feedback, we enable reporting them confidentially and maintain anonymity of the individuals concerned.

All cases of whistle-blowing are overseen by our Chief Assurance and Risk Officer, and we ensure that no retaliatory action is taken against any complainants, irrespective of their position within or outside the organization. Upon the registration of a complaint, an enquiry on the incidence is undertaken by a specified committee and may also involve independent auditors or experts for further investigation. In a scenario wherein the decision of the Chief Assurance and Risk Officer may be unsatisfactory, the matter may be further investigated by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee oversees the overall performance of the vigil mechanism.

Our policies and certificates

  • Anti-trust and Anticompetitive Policy
  • Share Dealing Code
  • Whistle Blower Policy
  • Code of Conduct on Ethics, Transparency and Accountability
  • Supplier Code of Conduct

 
 
 
⮜ Back

Strong Governance Practices

Posted on
Categories Business Ethics and Governance

Exercising strong corporate governance in our journey so far has helped us become a reliable partner for stakeholders.

Aligned to our core values of Entrepreneurship with a Purpose, Customer Centricity, Innovation and Execution, Collaboration, and Care for Environment and Society, we look ahead to market leadership powered by benchmarks of quality and consistency across our services.

We comply with the applicable provisions of corporate governance and the principles set forth in the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 (the “Listing Regulations”), as amended from time to time.

Board of Directors

We believe that an active, well-informed, and independent board is essential for ensuring the highest standards of corporate governance. Our Board is made up of both executive and non-executive directors, who take decisions and initiate deliberations that promote sound and proactive corporate governance practices. The Board also provides direction and exercises appropriate control to ensure that business is conducted in a manner that meets the expectations of our stakeholders and society. We aim to have a board that is both diverse and inclusive, with a mix of functional and industry expertise, and have institutionalised a Board Diversity policy to achieve it. The core skills and competencies with our Board of Directors is equipped with span leadership, industry experience, global business acumen, sales and marketing, business development, board services, corporate governance and sustainable development, mergers and acquisitions, risk management, and financial planning.

ESG governance

Our strategic focus on sustainable growth and progress is fuelled by free, honest, open, and ethical business practices and people-centric policies to foster a great workplace. The organization’s material topics and reported sustainability information is reviewed by sustainability domain experts on the Board to ensure completeness in our disclosures. Behind every major ESG initiative, is a dedicated taskforce that strives to drive it in the right direction. Our ESG Core Group, the backbone of our ESG journey, has played a vital role over the last year in formulating the company’s ESG Goals and Commitments. From developing innovative initiatives for emission reduction and supply chain sustainability to establishing a course of action, the ESG Core Group steers our sustainability efforts to the next level. Our organisational policies, set in place to target and help address the different aspects of ESG, make our ESG governance stronger.

Risk management procedures

Our ability to accomplish sustainable business growth, secure the company’s assets, protect shareholder investments, ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, and prevent significant surprises of risks is made possible by implementing effective and appropriate risk management systems and structures. To identify, evaluate, monitor, control, manage, minimise, and mitigate these risks, we have an Enterprise Risk Management Policy. Making risk management an integral part of our day-to-day operations equips us to have a deep understanding of our risk landscape as well as mitigate and prevent risks. All team members are responsible for promoting sound risk management methods in their respective fields and are actively engaged in risk management within their own areas of responsibility. We also facilitate risk workshops for our business verticals and key support functions, where risks are identified, assessed, analysed, and accepted or mitigated to the best extent possible.

Cybersecurity and data privacy

We constantly look to provide seamless services to our customers and have integrated a one-stop online platform that enables them to place orders and track the status of their shipments. In doing so, we aggregate large amounts of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of our customers for shipments and tracking of parcels. Thus, upholding customer privacy and data confidentiality is of utmost importance for us. The strong systems and processes making up our IT infrastructure have been adopted and implemented in line with vulnerability assessments and system evaluations for exposure to cyber threats, data privacy risks, and examination of our in-built level of threat intelligence. Inspired by the NIST framework, our IT systems are managed by focusing on four key areas: information security management, security operations center, security engineering, and business continuity management. They maintain the mechanisms for developing policies and strategies for information systems management. Our cybersecurity systems are rated ‘Advanced’ by Bitsight Security Ratings, and we ensure zero cases of data and cybersecurity breaches, through timely resolution of cyber incidents.

Supplier Code of Conduct

We are committed to responsible stewardship of supply chains and have developed and adopted a Supplier Code of Conduct to encourage sustainability across the value chain. For current and potential supply chain partners, the Supplier Code of Conduct specifies our requirements to create a green supply chain by integrating ESG into business. We are dedicated to promoting environmental performance, ethical conduct, sustainability, and safety across our supply chain, and continue to collaborate with our supply chain partners to advance ethical procurement methods. We have also implemented the Sustainable Procurement Policy, that requires suppliers to fulfil certain obligations such as environmental stewardship, efficient use of natural resources, compliance with human rights, local laws and regulations, among others.

Our policies and certificates

  • Board Diversity Policy
  • Corporate Tax Policy
  • Information Security and Cybersecurity Policy
  • Stakeholder Engagement Policy
  • Sustainable Procurement Policy

 
 
 
⮜ Back

Social Responsibility

Posted on
Categories Environment and Society

It is our endeavour to create and nurture a culture that drives collaborative, enriching and value-adding partnerships with all our stakeholders including team members, customers, vendors and suppliers, local communities, etc.

Our social efforts span a number of critical areas like occupational health and safety, community development, labour practice and human rights, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), responsible supply chains, and customer relationships. 

Occupational health and safety

We give utmost importance to safety and well-being of our stakeholders and focus on a Zero Harm culture across business operations. the safety and well-being of our people are among our first and foremost priorities. We assess various risks such as workplace risks, fire risks, road safety, ergonomics, machinery risk, occupational health, chemical risks during material handling, and monitor our safety performance. Our approach includes undertaking risk assessment and having an on-site emergency plan at offices and facilities. A proactive rather than reactive approach to safety concerns helps us provide safe, enabling workplaces. 

Community development

We believe in community development that’s inclusive and impactful. Giving back has been a way of life for us, long before it became a corporate mandate. We’ve identified and leveraged opportunities to help, heal, and have a positive impact on people’s lives, by involving them in the process too. Multiple initiatives across six focus areas – Education, Environment, Health, Women Empowerment, Disaster Relief and Sports – drive our CSR activities, which are aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and also Indian initiatives like Swachch Bharat, Digital India, Skill India, etc. The core philosophy of our CSR activities is to create a positive social and economic impact on the community by promoting well-being and hygiene, empowering aspirations, offering relief in times of disasters and calamities, supporting rising stars in sports, protecting the environment, and unleashing ambitions through education.

Labour practice and human rights

We strive for a conducive work environment that empowers our team members to do their best and achieve great success. Our policies and benefits encompass learning and development, fair and non-biased performance management, healthcare, wellness, retirement, and parental leaves to ensure a high quality of life for our employees. Striking the right balance between hiring the right people, discovering talent internally, and implementing a holistic Talent Management System, we are able to groom leaders of the future, retain promising employees, and give them access to global growth opportunities. Our zero-tolerance policy ensures that there is no room for human rights violations or discrimination and helps prevent instances of child labour or forced labour across the value chain.

iversity and inclusion

We are committed to changing the perception of the logistics and supply chain industry as being a male-dominated one with lower women workforce. Women bring unique life experiences that can enrich the professional ecosystem, and we are proud that at ECU Worldwide, our wholly-owned global subsidiary, women comprise over 50% of our team members. Through our group-wide RESTART Back to Work program, we are also making it easier for women who have taken a break from their careers to return to work. We believe in the power of an inclusive workplace environment that celebrates and respects the unique perspectives, backgrounds, and abilities of our employees across the globe. Additionally, our Board Diversity policy serves as a guiding framework to bring in a diverse mixture of skills, industry knowledge, experience, age, tenure, gender, and diversity of thought.

Responsible supply chains

Considering the importance of sustainable supply chains and resource efficiency, our business processes and operations are driven by considering the following aspects:

  1. Minimise business disruptions from environmental, social and economic impacts through a robust supply chain management strategy.
  2. Reduce the cost of input material, energy, and transportation through resource optimisation.
  3. Protect the Company’s reputation and brand value with robust governance.
  4. Create process efficiency across the supply chain

We focus on ethical business practices, adhere to all the regulatory requirements, and urge our suppliers and associates to follow the same. Working closely with our value chain partners, we collaborate to ensure improved quality and value of assets, as well as implement responsible procurement practices.

Customer relationships

We constantly work towards building robust customer relationships by engaging with our client base to understand their specific requirements and delivering excellence. Our multidimensional approach towards customer centricity has helped us enhance customer experiences across our value chain. We continue to seek insights and feedback through regular customer surveys and align our products and services to build resilience, reliability, and trust. In line with our commitment to sustainability, we also look forward to devising green portfolio-based services for customers in the near future.

Key highlight

  • Inclusive programs in Education, Environment, Health, Women Empowerment, Disaster Relief and Sports
  • We have made a difference to over 400,000 lives till date
  • Employee volunteering encouraged through activities like clean-up drives, running marathons to support social causes, blood donation camps, etc.
  • We encourage Diversity and Inclusion with team members from various cultures and nationalities, and more than 50% women in our global workforce

Our policies and certificates

  • Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Remuneration Policy
  • Health and Safety Policy
  • Human Rights Policy
  • Prevention of Sexual Harassment Policy
  • CSR Policy

 
 
 
⮜ Back

Environmental Stewardship

Posted on
Categories Environment and Society

As part of our commitment to greener, more sustainable logistics, we look ahead to adopt innovative sustainable practices and capitalise on emerging opportunities drive positive transformation across the industry and our entities.

We are exploring ways to leverage data and analytics by tracking our environmental performance on our ESG dashboard, and also identifying opportunities to provide comprehensive environmental training to team members and key value chain partners. This will help forest a culture of sustainability and awareness.

Energy and emissions

As the global leader in LCL consolidation and India’s largest integrated logistics services provider, transportation services and travel emissions contribute the most to our carbon footprint. To mitigate this impact, we intend to increase the use of alternative fuel and Electric Vehicles, and prioritise carriers and road freight partners who are using or have set plans to use greener fuels including but not limited to green or blue ammonia, hydrogen fuel, biofuels, and so on for business operations. At Gati, India’s premier express distribution company and a flagship entity of Allcargo Group, we have committed to convert our entire first and last mile fleet to alternative fuel by 2025.

Biodiversity

Our sites are located in urban areas or designated industrial and commercial zones having minimal damage to the nature conservation areas. We are looking to develop a standalone Biodiversity Policy with commitment statements to align with the regulatory requirements of the location of our operations. As a logistics company partnering with carriers, we are committed to minimising any indirect impact on marine biodiversity in our operations involved in ocean freight, and in the coming years, we will look to prioritise collaborating with carriers whose fleets are equipped with environment-friendly technologies that comply with global standards.

Water and waste

As an organisation providing logistics services, our water usage is limited to domestic purposes. We intend to conduct a waste audit to comprehend our patterns of waste generation and formulate a strategic plan for effective waste management. We are looking forward to monitoring the total water consumption and waste generation across the organisation and taking requisite action.

Key highlights

  • Committed to reduce our carbon footprint and minimize environmental impact
  • Our Chairman Mr. Shashi Kiran Shetty is a signatory to the ‘Statement of Support’ of the Forum Supply Chain & Transport Community to accelerate a zero-emission future
  • One million trees planted to green the earth’s cover
  • Electricity generation using wind and solar power to help reduce carbon emissions
  • Sustainability measures like sensor-based lighting, reduced use of plastics and disposables, encouraging car-pooling, minimizing print-outs, use of digital technology, etc., implemented at offices and facilities

Our policies and certificates

  • Environment Policy

 
 
 
⮜ Back