MAM
Law & Kenneth bags ING Life’s creative mandate
MUMBAI: Financial services company ING has awarded Law & Kenneth the creative duties for its life insurance arm, ING Life.
The media spend on this account is estimated to be in the range of Rs 180-200 million, though this doesn‘t include spends on events and promotions.
The Mumbai team will handle the account.
Rediffusion-Y&R was the incumbent on the business.
ING Life India executive vice-president marketing Mohit Goel said, “We have been through an ‘exciting and intensive‘ evaluation process, during the course of which we tested multiple advertising agencies on their strategic thinking and planning capabilities. The process followed by us was quite different from a typical evaluation of an agency, which is largely based on creative output and capability. We felt that Law & Kenneth‘s expertise in planning and strategy will add a lot of value to our business. We look forward to a fruitful and long-term relationship.”
Law & Kenneth chief executive officer and managing partner Anil Nair said, “Being chosen as the creative AoR (agency of record) by ING Life Insurance India is a matter of great honour and pride for us at the agency. ING Life India has big plans to achieve a leadership position in the life insurance business in India, and we are excited to partner it to fulfill that goal.”
JWT Bangalore has handled the creative mandate for this account in the recent past; the agency won the account in April 2008. The agency created a commercial for ING Bank that marked the brand‘s very first official campaign in India. Prior to 2008, the creative mandate for ING Bank (earlier known as ING Vysya Bank) was with Rediffusion.
Brands
Amazon inks $30m carbon credit deal with Indian rice farmers
Methane-cutting farming push links climate goals with farmer income
NEW DELHI: Amazon has signed a $30 million agreement to purchase carbon credits generated by Indian rice farmers, marking one of the largest agriculture-linked carbon deals in the country to date and signalling a shift in how corporates approach climate action.
The agreement is being executed through the Good Rice Alliance, a collaboration between Bayer, GenZero, and Shell Nature-Based Solutions, backed by Singapore’s Temasek. Rather than dealing directly with individual farmers, Amazon is tapping into this alliance to scale the programme efficiently.
At the heart of the initiative is a relatively simple shift in farming practice known as Alternate Wetting and Drying. Traditionally, rice paddies remain flooded, creating oxygen-free conditions that produce methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. Under the new method, fields are periodically allowed to dry, disrupting methane formation while maintaining crop yields.
The benefits go beyond emissions. The approach significantly reduces water usage, a crucial advantage in regions already facing water stress. For farmers, it also opens up a new income stream. By adopting climate-friendly techniques, they earn carbon credits that can be sold to companies like Amazon, effectively turning sustainability into a revenue opportunity.
The current phase of the project covers more than 13,000 smallholder farmers across roughly 35,000 hectares. Amazon expects the initiative to offset about 685,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, offering a measurable contribution to its broader climate commitments.
The deal is notable not just for its scale but for its direction. While many companies have historically focused on forestry or renewable energy offsets, this move highlights growing interest in agriculture-based solutions that tackle methane emissions directly. It also reflects the increasing sophistication of carbon markets, where even small, decentralised farms can be integrated into global climate strategies.
For India, the implications are significant. As the world’s largest rice producer and one of the biggest methane emitters, scaling such models could play a meaningful role in meeting climate targets while supporting rural livelihoods.
For Amazon, the message is clear. Climate action is no longer just about reducing emissions within operations. It is also about reshaping supply chains and ecosystems. And in this case, the path to net zero runs straight through the paddy fields.
