Pune's SEAP ESG Forum: 25 Companies and 17 NGOs Unite for Social Change
Pune, 27th April 2026: Every corporate organization aspires to undertake a wide array of impactful initiatives under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mandate. However, achieving this is not always feasible. Often, despite possessing the necessary funds, corporate entities struggle to ensure that these resources reach the appropriate social organizations or are utilized for the intended causes. Recognizing this challenge—and with the specific objective of facilitating the effective utilization of CSR funds by connecting suitable organizations with appropriate initiatives—the Software Exporters Association of Pune (SEAP) established the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Forum one year ago.
Through this platform, the past year has witnessed substantial achievements, effectively giving rise to a full-fledged movement. Today, the ESG Forum serves as a link connecting an impressive 35 corporate entities with 17 social organizations. Furthermore, Vidyadhar Purandare—Head of the ESG Project and Secretary of SEAP—announced that a successful effort was undertaken throughout the year to mobilize a movement of socially conscious citizens, specifically focusing on addressing the city’s solid waste management and traffic-related challenges.
Providing further details regarding this initiative, SEAP President Shivraj Sable stated, “For many years, SEAP has been actively working not only to promote the software industry in Pune but also to keep it organized. SEAP primarily focuses its efforts across four key domains: Leadership, Technology, Go-to-Market strategies, and Operational Excellence. However, with the aim of establishing a sustainable platform for companies to execute their CSR initiatives, the organization undertook work in the field of ESG—Environmental, Social, and Governance—last year. Through this endeavor, SEAP emerged as a vital bridge between the corporate sector and social organizations, successfully creating a sustainable platform for the benefit of the city’s citizens. As part of this effort, SEAP has also organized the ‘Pune Social Impact Dialogue’ over the past two years. The primary objective behind this initiative was to foster a vibrant ecosystem for sustainable change within Pune.”
Sharing information about the programs conducted over the past year, Vidyadhar Purandare added, “Through this platform, we resolved to address a wide range of issues facing the city—including environmental pollution, solid waste management, water management, challenges related to slum settlements, issues concerning organizations working with orphaned children, and providing educational opportunities to economically weaker sections of society. Accordingly, we organized several initiatives throughout the year. These included a symposium titled ‘CSR: From Compliance to Purpose,’ as well as initiatives focused on solid waste management, traffic-related challenges, and raising awareness regarding these issues. Furthermore, we organized a riverbed cleanup drive in Pune, for which we received valuable support from the Panchajanya Foundation and the Climate Troopers. This cleanup drive served as a poignant reminder that environmental conservation truly begins right beneath our feet—on the very ground we walk upon. Additionally, in collaboration with Poornam EcoVision, we were able to focus our efforts on accurately and respectfully addressing the immediate, critical needs of local communities.” In addition, a policy-level roundtable conference and online sessions on solid waste management were organized, which received an excellent response, Purandare added.
There is still a large scope for IT companies and their employees to join hands to address concerning issues wherein this forum will play a tremendous role in the days to come, said Purandare.
