India and Sustainability Standards: International Conference

Living wage in the Assam tea plantation sector: challenges and possibilities

Friday 4 November 2022

On 2-4 November 2022, Indian think-tank the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) hosted its annual flagship event, the 'India and Sustainability Standards: International Dialogues and Conference’ (ISS).

ISS convenes international and Indian businesses, policymakers, and other stakeholders to develop roadmaps addressing key sustainability issues across multiple sectors. The conference aims to promote responsible business practices, and support the momentum towards achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Click here to read more about the event. 

In 2022, ETP was delighted to partner with CRB to host a panel discussion on 4 November 2022 exploring ‘Living wage in the Assam tea plantation sector: challenges and possibilities’. Click here for highlights from our session. 

During our 90-minute session we shed light on the current situation in Assam, and brought together different stakeholders to share their views on the challenges and solutions for achieving a living wage. We were joined by leading players in the sector, and also brought in workers' voices to share their perspective. 

In the build up to the event, ETP's Executive Director, Jenny Costelloe, shared details about our interactive session in a LinkedIn live interview with the CRB. 

We were joined by a diverse panel including:

PRIYA AGRAWAL

Procurement Manager - Living Wage
Unilever

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JENNY COSTELLOE

Executive Director
Ethical Tea Partnership

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UDIT MISRA

Deputy Associate Editor
The Indian Express

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ANURAG PRIYADARSHI

Director of Sustainability
Tata Consumer Products

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RAHUL SURESH SAPKAL

Assistant Professor, the Centre for Policy Studies
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

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ROYAL SORENG

President
Akhil Bharatiya Chah Mazdoor Sangh (Assam) Central Committee

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Our Executive Director, Jenny Costelloe, also joined the conference's opening plenary session on Wednesday 2 November 2022. Jenny joined a panel moderated by Former Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, Arun Maira. The panel focused on the people element of the conference's focus on 'Prioritising nature and people in business to create measurable impacts'.

Other panellists at the plenary session included: Ambassador for International Sustainable Business, Ministry of Froreigh Affairs of Sweden, Cecilia Ekholm; Founder & CEO, The/Nudge Institute, Artful Satija; CEO, Nasscom Foundation, Nidhi Bhasin; Founder-Chairperson Mann Deshi Bank & Mann Delhi Foundation, Chetna Sinha.