Towards Carbon Neutrality – The Integral Coach Factory of Indian Railways

Abstract

This case is about the journey of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) of the Indian Railways towards attaining carbon neutrality through a mix of technological and managerial interventions. The ICF, a factory under Indian railways, a government department, was established in 1955 and is India’s oldest (and largest) railway coach manufacturing organization. The initiatives through which the management approached the challenge of developing a mind-set among employees whose jobs (and to an extent progression) are guaranteed that respected the environment and valued efficiency have been discussed. Thus, there are instances of the introduction of new technology and material to improve efficiencies, and at the same time the management never lost sight of the 10,400 workers and created a sense of belongingness through mechanisms to honour the senior most member of the team regardless of his or her hierarchical position in the organisation. The role of government policy and incentives, and how the top management leveraged these is also highlighted, with respect to ICF’s investment in renewable energy. With many of the low hanging fruit towards environmental efficiency harvested, the case ends on the note of setting up systems to keep ICF on track towards greater sustainability in the future.