SME Rating Agency of India Ltd (SMERA)

SME Rating Agency of India Ltd (SMERA) is a joint initiative by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India Pvt Ltd and several leading banks in the country such as : Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Citicorp Finance India Ltd, ICICI Bank Ltd, Indian Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Punjab National Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Union Bank of India and State Bank of India. SMERA is the country’s first and only dedicated rating agency that primarily focuses on the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises - (MSME) segment. SMERA’s objective is to provide ratings that are Comprehensive, Transparent and Reliable which could facilitate easier and adequate credit from the banking sector and other lenders/investors to the MSME sector, besides providing other benefits. SMERA is a beneficiary under The World Bank led multi institutional “MSME Financing & Development Project” implemented by PMD-SIDBI.

“Green Ratings” from SMERA is one such initiative to encourage Micro, Small & Medium enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in industrial activity to adopt better technologies and processes to prevent environmental damage. A risk assessment by a neutral & third party credit rating agency such as SMERA would enable the MSMEs, the lenders, the investors and the society at large to understand the adverse impact caused by the units’ economic activity on the environment & mitigation tools adopted to reduce the same. Lenders & investors can also draw comfort from third party analysis on continuity risk associated with lending or investing in such units; while society at large can benefit from MSME units’ pursuit of environment friendly technology to become responsible corporate citizens. “Green Ratings” will enable MSMEs to understand the sustainability risk associated in continuing with its existing manufacturing processes and technology, from cost as well as changing regulatory norms and could help them to consider available options in adopting better processes & cleaner technology from business, compliance & corporate social responsibility perspective. Thus, “Green Ratings” could act as a risk mitigation tool for MSMEs to reduce its business continuity risk associated with the rapidly changing world of “Environment Governance and Compliance”, with related cost benefits.

Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment- GRIHA

GRIHA – green building ‘design evaluation system’– A tool to design, operate, evaluate and maintain resource efficient ‘healthy’ and ‘intelligent’ building.

Green building:

Buildings have major environmental impacts over their entire life cycle. Resources such as ground cover, forests, water, and energy are depleted to give way to buildings. A green building depletes the natural resources to the minimum during its construction an operation. The aim of a green building design is to minimize the demand on non-renewable resources, maximize the utilization efficiency of these resources, when in use, and maximize the reuse, recycling, and utilization of renewable resources. It maximizes the use of efficient building materials and construction practices; optimizes the use of on-site sources and sinks by bio-climatic architectural practices; uses minimum energy to power itself; uses efficient equipment to meet its lighting, air-conditioning, and other needs; maximizes the use of renewable sources of energy; uses efficient waste and water management practices; and provides comfortable and hygienic indoor working conditions. In sum, the following aspects of the building design are looked into in an integrated way in a green building.

• Site planning
• Building envelope design
• Building system design ((HVAC) heating ventilation and air conditioning, lighting, electrical, and water heating)
• Integration of renewable energy sources to generate energy onsite.
• Water and waste management
• Selection of ecologically sustainable materials (with high recycled content, rapidly renewable resources with low emission potential, etc.).
• Indoor environmental quality (maintain indoor thermal and visual comfort, and air quality)

GRIHA- the green building rating system

Internationally, voluntary building rating systems have been instrumental in raising awareness and popularizing green design. However, most of the internationally devised rating systems have been tailored to suit the building industry of the country where they were developed. In India a US based LEED rating system is under promotion by CII Green Business Centre, Hyderabad which is more on energy efficiency measures in AC buildings. Keeping in view of the Indian agro-climatic conditions and in particular the preponderance of non-AC buildings, a National Rating System - GRIHA has been developed which is suitable for all kinds of 3 building in different climatic zones of the country. The system was initially conceived and developed by TERI (The Energy & Resource Institute) as TERI-GRIHA which has been modified to GRIHA as National Rating System after incorporating various modifications suggested by a group of architects and experts. It takes into account the provisions of the National Building Code 2005, the Energy Conservation Building Code 2007 announced by BEE and other IS codes, local bye-laws, other local standards and laws. The system, by its qualitative and quantitative assessment criteria, would be able to ‘rate’ a building on the degree of its ‘greenness’. The rating would be applied to new and existing building stock of varied functions – commercial, institutional, and residential. GRIHA- the National Rating System will evaluate the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a ‘green building’. The rating system , based on accepted energy and environmental principles, will seek to strike a balance between the established practices and emerging concepts, both national and international. The guidelines/criteria appraisal may be revised every three years to take into account the latest scientific developments during this period. On a broader scale, this system, along with the activities and processes that lead up to it, will benefit the community at large with the improvement in the environment by reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, improving energy security, and reducing the stress on natural resources. Some of the benefits of a green design to a building owner, user, and the society as a whole are as follows :

• Reduced energy consumption without sacrificing the comfort levels
• Reduced destruction of natural areas, habitats, and biodiversity, and reduced soil loss from erosion, etc.
• Reduced air and water pollution (with direct health benefits)
• Reduced water consumption
• Limited waste generation due to recycling and reuse
• Reduced pollution loads
• Increased user productivity
• Enhanced image and marketability