When history reflects on FY2020-2021, it will be remembered for unforeseen hardships, and disruptions. At ABFRL, however, we will remember it as the year we pushed the envelope, by accepting the changing circumstances and overcoming them successfully.
By diversifying into different product lines and markets, crafting new ways of communication to strengthen the fabric of our Organization, and embarking on a new sustainability journey, this is how we turned the year into advantage.
Pantaloons: A year of new ventures
In the financial year 2020-2021, life changed forever. From the daily morning rush and spending a significant part of the day in the office, our homes became the centre of our lives. Recognizing this changing demand, Pantaloons innovated and ventured into the home décor segment.
While we were spending our days at home, it was essential to show solidarity to our fellow countrymen. To help our nation and respond to the call of vocal for local, Jaypore launched the Artisan Direct Campaign to enable artisans who had lost livelihoods. Jaypore provided a , pan-India platform to 250+ artisans to reach customers digitally, offering a ray of hope to renew their income.
As a recognition for these efforts, Sangeeta Pendurkar, CEO, Pantaloons and Jaypore, and Whole-Time Director, ABFRL created a hat-trick of accolades:
- CEO OF THE YEAR, ET PRIME Women Leadership Awards 2020
- IMPACT’s 50 Most Influential Women, Media Marketing and Advertising 2020
- One of India’s most Powerful Women, featured inBusiness Today
Sustainability: A year of looking after the environment
With the pandemic holding the entire world at ransom, nature was affected as well. Earth healed when the world was in lockdown. While we have always known sustainability and looking after the environment is vital, we were further inspired to improve our efforts of looking after the needs of the environment. We decided to transition our sustainability journey from process-led to product-led, which we call Sustainability 2.0.
ABFRL’s sustainability initiatives not only gained good momentum, but also picked up several awards along its journey-
- Asia’s Most Sustainable Company and 8th globally in Textile, Apparel and Luxury Goods Industry by S&P Global CSA 2020
- Outstanding Accomplishment Award in the Corporate Excellence category at the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2020
- One of India’s Most Sustainable Companies, 2020 by BW Business World
- Golden Peacock Award 2020 for Sustainability in the Textile and Apparel Sector.
The year of seamless communication
In this period, we needed to communicate with the outside world more than ever before. Teams that used to meet every single day seldom met in person. In such a year, communication came to the forefront to make people feel connected, motivated, and engaged as part of our family. Today, although physically apart, our teams have never been closer.
Here’s how our efforts of fostering a strong virtual community through crisp and concise communication were lauded-
- Janet Arole named in the Top 100 PR and Corporate Communications Influential Game Changers List 2020 by Exchange4Media
- Second prize for Public Relations in Action for Jaypore’s Artisan Direct Campaign at The Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) National Awards 2020.
- Third prize in the Best Newsletter (English) for ABFRL’s internal newsletter, “InTouch” at The Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) National Awards 2020.
- Third prize for Best Communication Campaign (Internal) at The Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) National Awards 2020.
While at the cusp of FY2021-2022, we will take these lessons into the year and continue treading new paths and making our mark.
