Don’t Miss this Natural Diamond Manufacturer’s Giant Leap Towards Sustainability

Hari Krishna Exports is setting new standards in sustainable luxury by focusing on renewable energy, water conservation, and waste minimisation

In the world of diamonds, Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd. is among the most respected companies. It is among the largest diamond manufacturers, exporters and retailers in India, employing 8,000-plus people, with an extensive, global presence in 86 countries including the US, Europe and Asia.

Since the company’s inception in 1992, the family-run business has followed the core value of continuously growing and prospering in a well-aligned culture. Responsibility towards their employees, the community they work with, the environment and the world at large has been in their DNA since the very beginning.  

Championing Sustainability Through SBTi 

In line with the same, they have been among the first companies in India to commit to global climate programmes that ensure a better future for us all. These include the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). SBTi is a corporate climate action organisation that enables companies and financial institutions worldwide to play their part in combating the climate crisis by lowering their carbon emissions. Companies with science-based targets are demonstrating that creating a climate-secure world goes hand-in-hand with successful business operations.  

The game-changing pioneers of sustainability in the diamond business, Hari Krishna Exports, made a crucial commitment to the environment, by not just setting up the Dholakia Foundation, their charitable arm but signing the globally recognised SBTi. Hari Krishna Exports is one of the few companies that is committed to following all SDGs, with a focus on key areas of renewable energy production, waste management, and water conservation. 

“We believe that the brilliance of our diamonds should be matched by the brilliance of our environmental practices and that’s the foremost reason why we joined SBTi.” –  Savji Dholakia, Chairman of Hari Krishna Exports and Founder of Dholakia Foundation.

Social Responsibility at the Core

Renewable Energy

To drive this ambitious initiative, HK Exports is advocating for renewable energy alternatives. The foundation has effectively produced 3M million units of clean energy through the installation of solar panels. Diamonds in Hari Krishna Exports. are made entirely on 100 percent solar energy, ensuring little to zero carbon footprints. The company’s largest production facility is located in Surat, India, and has in-house internal solar plants that produce about 1,210,211 KWH yearly. This is more than sufficient to run an auditorium for 33 years and provide electricity to around 40,340 families. 

Furthermore, their retail brand KISNA plants a tree for every piece of jewellery sold. Additionally, they plant a tree on behalf of each customer who visits Hari Krishna Exports’ booth at trade shows worldwide. 

“The World Economic Forum recognised their One Trillion Trees Initiative to offset the generated carbon footprints.”

Waste Management

Implementing energy-efficient practices has significantly reduced waste in terms of energy consumption. Consequently, their manufacturing processes operate on this sustainable electricity, curbing their carbon emissions and advancing energy self-sufficiency.  

Last year, they distributed 7,000 books made of banana fibre to their customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. They are also in the process of replacing the office stationary, especially plastic with biodegradable banana fibre products and have inspired their employees to discontinue the use of plastic bottles.  

The company has also implemented a one-of-its-kind sustainability training initiative at the human resource level, educating its people about different ways to make sustainable choices every day. The ultimate goal though is to achieve net zero carbon emissions by implementing various short-term initiatives.

Water Conservation

Hari Krishna Exports’ unwavering commitment to the environment has been known to turn many dry and arid regions into lush green landscapes with mega water conservation and tree-plantation projects, planting ~ 3 million trees and building 155 lakes across Gujarat and Maharashtra. 

Their first such project was initiated in their home town, Dudhala, in Gujarat’s Saurashtra district. When the HK Exports’ founders, brothers Savji, Tulsi, Himmat, and Ghanshyam Dholakia, were little, their mother walked several miles to fetch water, and their father prayed hard every year for good monsoons, for water scarcity was a big challenge in their village.

But that changed when the Dholakia brothers made up their minds to resolve the issue. The foundation built lakes in the region, making the impossible possible, and converting the deserted land into a lush, green region.  

The Panch Ganga Tirth Hari Krishna Sarovar started in 2008 as five connected freshwater catchment lakes covering 20 villages. It has a total storage capacity of 5.5 billion litres, benefiting two lakh farmers in the surrounding areas. In 2022, Savji bhai, also known as Water Man of Gujarat won a Padma Shri award for his life-altering project. 

A Futuristic Approach

 The Hari Krishna Exports is a torchbearer of responsible, eco-friendly practices, which have inspired many other players in the natural diamond industry. They follow all the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or the Global Goals announced in 2015, to encourage global action towards ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring peace and prosperity by 2030. These initiatives have had a huge impact on the diamond business not just in India but also around the world.  

In a world where diamond businesses are questioned for their large carbon footprint, HK Exports is changing the narrative with their sustainability efforts.

“Through our various sustainability initiatives, we aim to create a better world for future generations. We believe that sustainability and economic growth coexist and strive to balance these aspects in all our operations and decisions,” says Savji Dholakia, Chairman Hari Krishna Exports and Founder of Dholakia Foundation.