"Conscience Of Gen Z": Kumar Mangalam Birla On Greta Thunberg

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, has called 17-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg the "conscience of Gen Z" in a personal statement. The 10-page-long statement, titled '2020: My Reflections, My Learnings', was shared on LinkedIn by the Aditya Birla Group.

In a part of the statement sub-titled 'Sustainability: Now or Never', the billionaire industrialist spoke about the changing face of the global climate movement, the need for sustainable business initiatives and the "resounding success" of Liva Eco - the natural-based fabric  by Birla Cellulose, made from material sourced from sustainable forests.

Talking about the climate change narrative, Mr Birla wrote: "It is incredible that a 16-year-old Swedish activist, has now become the face of a global movement, forcing governments and corporations to rethink their priorities."

"Greta Thunberg could well be the conscience of Gen Z," he said, adding that the generation, born into a post hedonistic world, would make choices not for personal good but for how they would affect the world 50 years from now.

Greta Thunberg, at the age of just 15, started a movement that has reached global proportions. In August 2018, she began to stand outside the Swedish parliament, calling for stronger action on climate change.

In his statement, Kumar Mangalam Birla also spoke about the need to create sustainable initiatives before moving on to Eco Liva.

"Liva Eco boasts of the lowest water consumption, significantly reduced sulphur emission, 100% FSC certified pulp from sustainable forests, and a molecular tracer for 'end to end' traceability," he wrote.
In January 2019, Mr Birla had also announced that the Aditya Birla Group would increase investment in green technologies at all of its plants.