Last week, after Greenpeace activists targeted the Essar offices here and in London on the issue of environmental damage at Mahan in Madhya Pradesh, the Ruia-owned group slapped a Rs 500-crore defamation suit (Rs 1,000-crore suit, says Greenpeace) against the global pro-environment group in the high court (HC) here.

Even as companies take legal steps against environmental groups, chief executives say they realise the importance of the concerns raised by environmental groups; they insist they have taken initiatives themselves, too, in the area.