On World Environment Health Day, Vedanta Aluminium renews pledge on sustainable environment stewardship
By Dr Rama Chandra Behera
Bhubaneswar,Sept.28 :On the occasion of World Environment Health Day, Vedanta Aluminium, the largest aluminium producer in India, reaffirms its commitment to fosteringsustainableecosystems within the vicinity of its operations through comprehensive initiatives focused on environmental preservation, conservation and augmentation.Through these, Vedanta Aluminium is on a mission to create an ecologically promising future for existing and coming generations.
Towards these efforts, the company has adopted a two-fold strategy of mitigating and offsetting its carbon footprint to consistently ensure sustainable operations. In terms of mitigation, Vedanta is focused on enhancing its manufacturing excellence to ensure higher energy efficiencies, increasing the quantum of renewables in its energy mix, and transitioning to low-carbon energy sources such as biofuels. To offset its carbon footprint, the company is also creating substantial carbon sinks through extensive afforestation effortsin the vicinity of its operations in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Strategic endeavours of the company towards this goal have earned it rank 2 in the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Index world rankings for the aluminium industry in FY22, making it the second most sustainable aluminium producer in the world today.
The approach of ‘Planet First’ also extends to the company’s product development and innovation. Vedanta Aluminium is the producer of India’s first-ever low carbon aluminium range, ‘Restora,’ that contributes towards meeting the increasing global demand for eco-friendly materials. The company has also inaugurated a Material Recovery Facility that makes sustainable use of waste material and contributes to the creation of a circular economy, embraced digital technologies such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based technology to reduce emissions. Furthermore, Vedanta Aluminium has deployed the largest fleets of lithium-ion battery-powered electric forklifts in India, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability across the production chain.
In step with these measures, Vedanta Aluminium has made substantial contributions to responsible water management, recycling an impressive 13.69 billion litres of water in FY23. It also achieved a remarkable 24% reduction in GHG emissions intensity in FY 2022 compared to a 2012 baseline The company has undertaken a strategic partnership with ERM India, a renowned environmental consulting firm, to enhance its Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) across its areas of operations, further underlining its dedication to environmental stewardship.
On the occasion of World Environment Health Day, Mr Sunil Gupta, COO, Vedanta Ltd – Aluminium Business, said, “At Vedanta Aluminium, our initiatives go beyond just improving the environment; they encompass a definitive vision for a sustainable future. As the world accelerates toward clean energy, the demand for sustainable aluminium products is surging, and we are poised to play a pivotal role in this transition. On the occasion of World Environment Health Day, we are committed to a healthy environment for future generations.”
Further establishing its strong commitment to sustainability, Vedanta Aluminium has received theAluminiumStewardship Initiative (ASI)international certification for its Jharsuguda operations, a resounding global indicator of its high standards. Additionally, the company’sextensive range of products have beenverifiedas environmentally sustainable by Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) International, a strong internationalmarker of their environmental practices.
Vedanta Aluminium goes beyond environmental sustainability, actively engaging with and empowering communities through various initiatives. These include an extensive afforestation drivethrough the Miyawaki method of plantation,restoration of over 40 community water bodies in FY23 that are important sources of local sustenance, and the “Jeevika Samriddhi” project, which promotes sustainable farming practices. Moreover, employee volunteers have contributed to clean up drives within city limits and also at biodiversity hotspots such as the Singhabaga wetlands in Jharsuguda, Odisha.
