Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Indian Companies Launch Alliance to Improve Animal Welfare
Eleven companies in India have created a group called the Karuna Ethics Alliance.
The group wants animals used in food supply chains to be treated better.
It also wants food systems to become safer, more responsible and stronger.
The companies will work together on shared animal welfare standards.
They will also study how to apply these standards in India.
The alliance plans to support checks and certification for better practices.
Researchers, financial institutions and technical experts will participate.
The alliance says helping animals and improving food systems can happen together.
Eleven Indian companies launched the Karuna Ethics Alliance (KEA) in Mumbai on September 22.
The alliance aims to improve animal welfare across food supply chains through common standards and collaborative action.
Founding members include Tata Consumer Products, Reliance Retail, financial institutions, Sodexo India and The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.
KEA plans to develop India-specific standards, assurance mechanisms, research and practical implementation tools.
KEA is an initiative of the India Karuna Collaborative, a coalition of more than 55 nonprofits and civil society organizations.
- Who
- Eleven founding companies, along with businesses, financial institutions, researchers and technical experts, launched the Karuna Ethics Alliance.
- What
- They launched an industry-led alliance to improve animal welfare across food supply chains.
- When
- September 22; the year is not specified in the article.
- Where
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
- Why
- To create common standards, improve implementation, develop credible assurance mechanisms and support more responsible and resilient food systems.
- Alliance
- Karuna Ethics Alliance (KEA), formally incorporated as the Karuna Alliance for Ethical Value Chains (KAEVC)
- Founding members
- 11 companies, including Tata Consumer Products, Reliance Retail, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, Enam Investments, HDFC Asset Management Company, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company, Sodexo India and The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts
- Legal structure
- Section 8 not-for-profit company
- Focus
- Animal welfare across India’s food supply chains
- Planned work
- Common standards, implementation support, assurance and certification, India-specific research and knowledge sharing
- Parent initiative
- India Karuna Collaborative (IKC)
- IKC membership
- More than 55 nonprofits and civil society organizations, along with more than 100 leaders