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MSMEs Show Growing Sustainability Awareness Amidst Persistent Challenges: SIDBI – D&B SPeX

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MUMBAI, India, Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, along with SIDBI, released SPeX (also known as the ‘Green Pulse Indicator’) for July-September 2024, which evaluates the perception of sustainability among MSMEs across three key dimensions: willingness, awareness, and implementation. The index revealed a 30% jump in willingness during July – September 2024 followed by awareness, which saw a 4% increase to 62; while implementation dropped 15% to 41 compared to the previous quarter. Both the willingness and awareness dimension increased, and implementation fell from the last year quarter.

The SPeX index value ranges from 0 to 100, with an increase in index value indicating enhanced perception of MSMEs towards sustainability. The overall SPeX value reflects changes within these dimensions, providing insights into how MSMEs understand, are willing to engage, and implement sustainability measures. An increase in SPeX suggests a positive shift in MSMEs’ perception and practices towards sustainability measures. A decrease may indicate challenges or a decline in willingness or implementation.

Dr. Arun Singh, Global Chief Economist, Dun & Bradstreet, said, “MSMEs are increasingly committed to sustainability, but financial and technological barriers still hinder real progress. In Q3, the SPeX index surged across all business sizes, signaling rising awareness and a shift toward change, particularly among younger firms. However, translating sustainability ambitions into concrete actions remains a significant challenge. From overhauling production processes to adapting to new regulations, MSMEs face critical obstacles. To unlock their potential, targeted support is essential empowering these businesses to turn their green ambitions into impactful realities and drive the transition to a sustainable economy.”

Dr. R.K Singh, CGM, SIDBI, stated, “SPeX endeavours to be a tracker of MSMEs’ intent and preparedness to go for green investments. This also helps us to customise our solutions aimed at inducing MSMEs to align to value chain expectations on responsiveness. SIDBI – D&B Sustainability Perception Index Survey, July – September 2024 indicates upward movement in the SPeX score, indicates growing orientation to emerge responsive. This would require augmenting the capacity building, orientation and awareness on enterprise side to realise this dream. The level of implementation needs a fillip across all sizes of enterprises. SIDBI has prioritized the Greening of Enterprise Ecosystem. SIDBI’s Panchtatva missions viz. Energy Efficiency, E-Mobility, Renewable Energy, Circular Economy and Adaptation Finance (Nature based Solutions) through panchtools viz. Development, Financing, Risk Mitigant Models, Thought Leadership and Synergy 4 Energy (Global good practices) are oriented to enhance the acceptability amongst MSMEs to “Go Green” and adopting Environmental & Social (E&S) practices for holistic improvement in the enterprise thereby making more resilient, competitive, sustainable operations / practices / products / services.”

Highlights of the SPeX Report:

In Q3 2024, firms showed increased familiarity with environmental and governance (ESG) practices, with smaller firms generally aligning to this trend.Profitability and stakeholder appeal were widely recognized as key benefits of sustainability, with small and medium-sized firms particularly noting its positive impact on attracting employees, investors, and customers. Younger firms (less than 10 years) focused more on profitability and stakeholder appeal, while older firms (over 10 years) emphasized brand image in addition to stakeholder relations.MSMEs, particularly small and medium-sized firms, increasingly see ESG as a potential competitive advantage in Q3 2024.Throughout 2024, MSMEs prioritized environmental initiatives and employee welfare. Smaller firms, however, focused less on compliance and social welfare. Younger firms (under 5 years) placed more emphasis on employee training, while firms over 5 years old balanced environmental measures with employee welfare.Cost reduction or efficiency gains remain the main drivers for adopting sustainability measures, consistently highlighted as the top motivator throughout 2024 and 2023. Regulations also play a key role, and younger firms place more importance on stakeholder willingness to consider sustainability initiatives.While over 50% of MSMEs are building expertise in key sustainability areas, the percentage of firms with expertise or plans to build such expertise declined in Q3 compared to Q2, with micro firms showing the largest decline. Younger firms focused more on business strategy, sustainable policies, and waste management.The proportion of MSMEs likely to implement new sustainability measures in the next two quarters dropped from 79% in Q2 to 49% in Q3, with 31% undecided and 19% unlikely to act.In Q3, MSMEs prioritized energy-efficient equipment and recycling initiatives, with medium and small firms making the most progress. Older firms focused on compliance, ethical sourcing, and energy efficiency.

About Dun & Bradstreet:

Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, enables companies around the world to improve their business performance. Dun & Bradstreet’s Data Cloud fuels solutions and delivers insights that empower customers to accelerate revenue, lower cost, mitigate risk and transform their businesses. Since 1841, companies of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to help them manage risk and reveal opportunity. For more information on Dun & Bradstreet, please visit www.dnb.com.

Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India Private Limited is headquartered in Mumbai and provides clients with data-driven products and technology-driven platforms to help them take faster and more accurate decisions in domains of finance, risk, compliance, information technology and marketing. Working towards Government of India’s vision of creating an Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) by supporting the Make in India initiative, Dun & Bradstreet India has a special focus on helping entrepreneurs enhance their visibility, increase their credibility, expand access to global markets, and identify potential customers & suppliers, while managing risk and opportunity.

India is also the home to Dun & Bradstreet Technology & Corporate Services LLP, which is the Global Capabilities Center (GCC) of Dun & Bradstreet supporting global technology delivery using cutting-edge technology. Located at Hyderabad, the GCC has a highly skilled workforce of over 500 employees, and focuses on enhanced productivity, economies of scale, consistent delivery processes and lower operating expenses.

Visit www.dnb.co.in for more information.

Click here for all Dun & Bradstreet India press releases.

About SIDBI:

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in its role as the Principal Development Finance Institution for MSME sector has played a significant role in developing the financial services for MSME sector through various interventions including Refinance to Banks, Credit Guarantee programs, Development of the MFI sector, Contribution to Venture capital/AIF funds, MSME ratings, promoting digital lending ecosystem, etc. The Bank has proactively been working toward Energy Efficiency (EE) in MSMEs since 2005-06 as part of Direct Finance business using support of multilaterals like World Bank, ADB, GiZ, FCDO, JICA, AFD, KfW etc. for energy efficient projects. SIDBI has taken steps to promote Energy Efficiency and Cleaner production in the MSME sector and propose to accelerate its efforts for MSME sector for their survival, growth and competitiveness in long run during prevailing climate related challenges.

Looking to importance of ESG aspects and the need for a simplified, Customised ESG risk rating framework, SIDBI has already started integration of ESG framework into its operations. Subsequent to setting up of Green Climate Finance Vertical for prioritised focus, a Board level Committee has been constituted for guidance, oversight and monitoring on ESG, Green Strategy of the bank, including relevant SDGs etc. To lead with the example, SIDBI has set a target to become Carbon Neutral by 2024 and Net Neutral organization in subsequent years.

Through Green Financing products and other developmental activities, SIDBI enables the manufacturers and service providers in MSME sector to adopt green energy efficient technologies helping in lesser waste leading to positive impact on environment and sustainability.

Visit www.sidbi.in for more information.

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Kevin Murphy Grows Marketplace Revenue 141% with Pattern

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Premium haircare brand strengthens marketplace control while maintaining salon channel growth

MELBOURNE, Australia, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Premium haircare brand Kevin Murphy has grown its Amazon Australia revenue by 141% with ecommerce accelerator Pattern, transforming the marketplace from a grey market challenge into one of the brand’s fastest growing retail channels.

Distributed in Australia by Ozdare, Kevin Murphy partnered with Pattern to manage its presence on Amazon Australia amid growing consumer demand and unauthorised reseller activity.

“Given the growing influence of marketplaces in Australia, it was important for Kevin Murphy to establish a stronger presence where consumers are increasingly searching for and purchasing products,” explained George Leighton, Head of Retail (Consumer) for Ozdare/Kevin Murphy. “At the same time, maintaining the balance between our professional salon channel and consumer retail presence remained a key priority throughout the process.”

Launched in November 2025 ahead of the peak Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) shopping period, Kevin Murphy entered Amazon Australia with no official marketplace presence despite significant existing consumer demand on the platform. Within just four months of launch, the brand increased units sold by 115% quarter-on-quarter while simultaneously increasing average order value by 8.4%, demonstrating strong consumer demand for premium haircare products on Amazon Australia.

Pattern’s ANZ Managing Director, Merline McGregor said the results reflected a broader shift occurring across the Australian retail landscape as premium brands increasingly embrace marketplaces as strategic growth channels rather than viewing them as discount environments.

“Many premium beauty and haircare brands have historically approached Amazon cautiously because of concerns around pricing control, unauthorised sellers and protecting brand equity,” McGregor said. “What Kevin Murphy has demonstrated is that with the right retail media, marketplace and brand protection strategy, Amazon can become a highly effective growth channel that complements existing retail and salon partnerships rather than competing against them.”

Kevin Murphy’s growth trajectory is significant given the brand launched during the peak BFCM promotional period yet continued accelerating well beyond the initial sales surge. Strong March performance against a BFCM-boosted comparison period highlighted that the brand’s Amazon Australia strategy was driving sustained long-term growth rather than short-term discount-driven spikes.

Working with Pattern has helped Kevin Murphy regain greater control over its marketplace presence and pricing environment. Since launch, Buy Box ownership increased from 65% to 91% while multiple unauthorised sellers were successfully removed from the platform, helping to protect brand integrity.

As part of the ongoing partnership, Pattern developed and manages Kevin Murphy’s Amazon Australia storefront, optimising all product listings and implementing a full-funnel advertising strategy spanning branded search, generic category discovery and competitor targeting. By the end of the first quarter, approximately 80% of ad-driven sales were coming from first-time Kevin Murphy customers on Amazon Australia, highlighting the platform’s ability to drive new customer acquisition.

“The reality is consumers are already searching for premium brands like Kevin Murphy on marketplaces, regardless of whether those brands officially sell there or not. What Kevin Murphy has demonstrated is that when brands take ownership of that customer experience with the right marketplace, retail media and brand protection strategy, Amazon can become a powerful channel for both growth and new customer acquisition,” concluded McGregor.

About Pattern Inc

Pattern accelerates brands on global ecommerce marketplaces leveraging proprietary technology and AI. Utilising more than 77 trillion data points, sophisticated machine learning and AI models, Pattern optimises and automates all levers of ecommerce growth for global brands, including advertising, content management, logistics and fulfilment, pricing, forecasting and customer service. Hundreds of global brands depend on Pattern’s ecommerce acceleration platform every day to drive profitable revenue growth across 60+ global marketplaces—including Amazon, TikTok Shop, Walmart.com, Target.com, eBay, Tmall, JD, and Mercado Libre.  For more information, visit https://au.pattern.com/

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SOURCE Pattern

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Clock Ticking on San Jose Worker Contracts as City Council Eyes July Recess

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SAN JOSE, Calif., June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Several months of tense negotiations between the San Jose City Administration and thousands of dedicated City of San Jose workers have now resulted in two of the City’s largest worker contracts set to expire – just as the San Jose City Council leaves for their July recess. On Thursday, June 18, after receiving the City’s Last, Best, and Final Offer (LBFO) and working to reach a deal before contract expiration, San Jose workers represented by IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 101 have called for mediation in order to reach a fair agreement.

Last Wednesday, June 10, workers rallied at San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) to call on the San Jose City Administration to secure a contract that will allow the City of San Jose to retain and recruit excellent public workers. While negotiations continued after the rally, the City’s LBFO remains one that does not invest in city services and one that will not retain the city’s skilled workforce.

Members of both unions are concerned that the upcoming budget has proposed staffing cuts to several departments, including the Library, Public Works, and the Housing Department. Instead of investing in our community, city officials have elected to spend taxpayer money on corporate giveaways through massive contracts with ineffective AI companies and an outrageous $351 million subsidy towards hockey arena renovations. The City could develop a strategy that ensures corporations pay their fair share from benefitting directly from city services. Instead, San Jose insists on cutting taxes for some of the largest corporations that occupy the city, while residents and working families pay more.

“We are the workers who keep San Jose running every day. We’ve shown up at the bargaining table ready to negotiate a fair contract every week. It’s time for the City to turn things around in order to retain workers. San Jose workers and the residents we serve deserve better,” said Carlos Murillo, an Associate Engineer at SJC, and IFPTE Local 21 Bargaining Team Member. “It’s time to invest in our city services. It’s time to put San Jose first.”

“San Jose remains already one of the most thinly staffed major cities in California. The City has a real opportunity. With San Jose being a World Cup host city, we have seen our community come together. San Jose has the potential to highlight the amazing public services our city has to offer and the hard-working people who make those services happen,” said MEF Local 101 Chief Steward Heidi Mendiola, a Police Data Specialist.

San Jose workers haven’t gone on strike in two decades. Three years ago, San Jose workers organized a city-wide strike vote that shed light on the city’s dangerous understaffing and retention issues. Workers are disheartened to know that instead of working on revenue, this administration has instead continued to remain one of the few cities to cap its business license tax on large businesses, with its largest only paying $185,532 in taxes. This includes massive Fortune 500 companies, such as Cisco Systems, which reported $56 billion in revenue and $10 billion in profits for Fiscal Year 2025; PayPal Holdings, which reported $33 billion in revenue and $5.2 billion in profits; and Adobe Inc., which reported $23 billion in revenue and $7.1 billion in profits.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clock-ticking-on-san-jose-worker-contracts-as-city-council-eyes-july-recess-302805005.html

SOURCE IFPTE Local 21

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Trupeer AI Appoints Former UiPath APAC President & CEO Raghu Subramanian to Lead Japan Enterprise Expansion

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TOKYO, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Trupeer AI, the workflow knowledge layer for teams and AI agents, today announced the appointment of Raghu Subramanian as President and Chief Business Officer, as the company accelerates its next phase of global enterprise expansion. Backed by RTP Global and Salesforce Ventures and trusted by more than 50,000 teams in over 100 countries and 120 languages, Trupeer is strengthening its leadership team to scale adoption across enterprises, SaaS companies, Global Capability Centers (GCCs), and technology-enabled business services companies.

Japan is a strategic growth market for Trupeer, where enterprises face a growing knowledge-retention challenge as experienced employees retire and institutional expertise leaves with them. Trupeer addresses this by capturing workflows and institutional knowledge and turning them into AI-ready contexts accessible in more than 120 languages, including Japanese and English. By eliminating the bilingual bottleneck, the platform lets Japanese enterprises scale their own expertise to global teams, while giving multinational organizations instant access to existing knowledge for their Japan-based teams. Several of the world’s largest software companies use Trupeer to create Japanese-language content as they deepen their presence in the country, and  major Japanese pharmaceutical companies use Trupeer to enable learning and development at scale, capturing veteran expertise and standardizing how critical processes are taught across the organization.

Raghu joins from a distinguished career at the forefront of enterprise automation. As a founding member of the management team at UiPath, he was part of the core executive team that helped build the company into a $35+ billion NYSE-listed enterprise. He established UiPath’s APAC operations in 2016 and later served as President & CEO for India and APAC, making Japan one of their largest markets. Bringing over 25 years of enterprise technology leadership, Raghu has built and scaled enterprise businesses across global markets, with deep expertise in automation, business process management, and enterprise AI adoption. Prior to joining UiPath, he served as CTO of EXL Service.

At Trupeer, he will lead the company’s next phase of commercial expansion, with a sharp focus on Japanese enterprises, the GCCs operating in Japan, and the global parents of Japan-based delivery networks.

Shivali Goyal, CEO and Co-Founder, Trupeer AI, said, “Raghu has spent decades helping organisations adopt and scale transformative technologies and brings deep experience in building enterprises globally. Having seen first-hand the challenges enterprises face in organisational knowledge and agentic AI enablement, Raghu immediately resonated with our vision and the momentum Trupeer has built globally. His expertise will help us strengthen our commercial capabilities, deepen partnerships, and unlock the next phase of growth at Trupeer.”

Raghu Subramanian, President and Chief Business Officer, Trupeer AI, said, “Enterprises have long struggled to get real value from AI, and the reason is fragmented context. As businesses operate across languages, geographies, and distributed teams, critical knowledge often becomes difficult to access, share, and act on consistently. The knowledge that makes AI useful remains trapped in people’s heads and scattered across tools. In the agentic AI era, where agents are only as good as the context they run on, that gap becomes the difference between AI that works and AI that doesn’t. This is the gap Trupeer was built to close. I look forward to partnering with enterprises and organisations across the globe to build the context layer that makes enterprise knowledge structured, accessible, and actionable, and AI genuinely useful.”

About Trupeer

Trupeer AI is the workflow knowledge layer for enterprises that enables teams and AI agents. The company helps organizations capture critical operational knowledge that is often trapped in the minds of subject matter experts and scattered across tools, transforming it into structured, accessible, and queryable knowledge. Its platform captures enterprise workflows and turns unstructured, multimodal input into SOPs, guides, studio-quality videos, training assets into 120+ languages and continuously updated, AI-ready context that intelligent agents can leverage, making institutional knowledge accessible, actionable, and queryable. Backed by RTP Global and Salesforce Ventures, Trupeer supports more than 50,000 teams in over 100 countries, including Fortune 100 enterprises, Global Capability Centers and technology-enabled business services companies.

Further details: https://www.trupeer.ai/ 

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