About This Project

Sustainable Production and Consumption Initiative

The Sustainable Production and Consumption (SPC) project is a two-year grant-funded initiative by Shiv Nadar University, led by Dr. Sudarshan Naidu (Associate Professor, School of Management and Entrepreneurship). The project is funded through the prestigious Shiv Nadar Grant for research and social impact.

Background and Rationale

India is at a pivotal moment in its development trajectory. With a rapidly expanding consumer class, the choices made today — in classrooms, canteens, and supply chains — will shape the environmental and social landscape for decades. Fairtrade principles offer a proven framework for embedding ethical decision-making at every level of the economy.

Educational institutions are uniquely positioned to catalyse this change. When universities and schools adopt Fairtrade frameworks, they become:

• Living laboratories for sustainable practices
• Training grounds for conscious consumers
• Anchors for community-based supply chain transformation
• Models for policy adoption at scale

Project Design

The SPC Initiative works through three mutually reinforcing channels:

1. School Designation Programme

Working with VidyaGyan Leadership Academies, Shiv Nadar Schools, and Habitat Schools to achieve Fairtrade School Designation through a structured three-stage pathway:

• Stage 1 — FairAware: Forming assemblies, steering committees, and raising awareness
• Stage 2 — FairActive: Classroom learning, campaigning, and Fairtrade Switch activities
• Stage 3 — FairAchiever: Community outreach, formal policies, and independent assessment

2. University Campus Programme

Guiding Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi NCR and Chennai) through the Fairtrade University Designation process, involving:

• Establishment of representative steering committees
• Development and adoption of comprehensive Fairtrade policies
• Ensuring Fairtrade products in all campus outlets (dining, cafes, bookstores)
• Promotional campaigns among students, faculty, and staff
• Integration of Fairtrade into curriculum via service-learning projects

3. Research and Documentation

Generating rigorous evidence on what works, capturing student and community voices, and producing actionable policy briefs and toolkits for scale-up.

The Shiksha Dimension

Beyond product certification, the project embeds Shiksha (education) at its heart — creating curriculum modules, teacher training resources, and student leadership programmes aligned with:

• National Curriculum Framework
• UN Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production)
• Global Fairtrade Schools programme standards

Principal Investigator

Dr. Sudarshan Naidu Associate Professor, School of Management and Entrepreneurship (SME) Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR

📧 sudarshan.naidu@snu.edu.in 🌐 https://sustainable-production.snu.edu.in">sustainable-production.snu.edu.in

Alignment with UN SDGs

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