All our Businesses and all our people have adopted these Values with understanding and enthusiasm. All of them have made a consistent effort to make our Values, the heartbeat of our existence.
Aditya Birla Yarn lives by its vision of creating value through sustainable initiatives and contribute towards cleaner air, cleaner water, preservation of flora & fauna and enhancement of biodiversity across the sites we operate in. Every manufacturing unit works towards minimizing its environmental footprint and endeavours to be in harmony with the ecosystem.
With growing stakeholder expectations and supported by advances in technologies, our commitment to efficient use of natural capital gets strengthened, and we strive to improve our environmental footprint continuously. Our policies for effective management of natural resources has been established and is supported by a list of standards and guidelines to mandate acceptable practices. We have articulated Biodiversity policy, Energy and Carbon policy, Environmental policy and Water Stewardship policy signed by the top management and circulated among all our employees. These policies enable us for proactive management of issues relating to energy, environment and climate action which forms a core component of our business strategy and drives the culture at all the manufacturing units of Aditya Birla textiles. We are also committed to reducing the environmental footprint of our operations and our products.
We also have a written Integrated management system (IMS) manual that ensures that all our operations comply with all national and international environmental laws and regulations. Our engineering team guides and ensures effective implementation of the IMS manual about biodiversity management, energy and carbon management, water management, solid and hazardous waste management, air quality management, noise management etc. The Unit Heads of all the manufacturing facilities makes the specific effective implementation of the ABG standards. This includes procedures about energy and carbon management, water management, solid and hazardous waste management, air quality management, noise management etc. The reports about environment management key indicators are reviewed by our top management every month to understand and support the mission.
We use renewable raw materials including Cellulosic fibre which constitutes – 73% of our total material consumption.
We are using sustainable raw materials like Recycle Polyester and BCI cotton.
We use plastic cones of recycle material – approx 10% - of our total usage.
All our packing materials contains more than 90% recycle material.
The textile manufacturing value chain is the source of the highest GHG emissions, but it also has the potential to reduce global GHG emissions significantly. We are conscious of the fact that energy is the most significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for more than half the total emissions. We monitor our GHG emissions closely and aim to reduce across the value chain. We are conscientious of the roadmap we have planned and therefore undertaken several energy-saving initiatives to reduce GHG emissions.
Our investment decisions on projects prioritize GHG emission reduction potential. We are investing in inefficient technologies and renewable energy to effect GHG emission reduction.
We focus on using energy resources responsibly as these are scarce and create a significant environmental footprint in extraction, processing and use. Our energy stewardship has two components viz., energy efficiency and renewable energy. Both these routes have the potential to reduce life cycle costs of energy and besides provide energy security and long-term cost assurance. As a responsible organization, we believe in reducing the carbon footprint of our energy through efficient operations and the adoption of better technologies. To balance the growing energy demand, we invest our resources in creating safe and efficient infrastructure, equipment intended for economical use of energy and in the adoption of advanced technology. At all our manufacturing units, environmental and energy concerns are essential aspects in the planning of productions and investments.
Our well-planned roadmap guides us in improving our quality and modernizing technologies that guide us in improving our operational efficiency, the energy efficiency of the existing equipment and processes.
A dedicated team works relentlessly to identify and implement energy conservation initiatives, resource optimization and renewable energy projects at all our manufacturing sites. It also helps us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
As a group, we believe water is a crucial resource and needs to be used responsibly with equitable sharing by the end-users, respecting the demands for domestic and agricultural uses. We recognize that good quality water has strong sustainability and ecosystem service value. Protecting and conserving water resources through excellent water management practices and governance systems are a priority for the Group and is integral to our commitment towards water stewardship. We focus on reducing water use, recycle-reuse wherever possible and harness water harvesting and water recharge opportunities.
We measure our water consumption, set targets, monitor, and optimize our water resources. We also assess risks, business cases and explore solutions for water risks within our manufacturing locations and proactively work toward mitigating the risks. Our performance is reviewed quarterly.
| # | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | 100 | 100 |
| PTE | 98.3 | 100 |
| ILT | 100 | 100 |
| ITS | 100 | 100 |
Chemical and dyes are an integral part of the textile value chain. Some of the processes involve intensive use of chemicals during its manufacturing process. Due to the hazardous nature of some of these chemicals used, adverse impacts are possible in the work environment, water bodies receiving effluents and end-users due to residual chemicals. At Aditya Birla Textiles, we aim to deliver healthy products to our consumers with minimized environmental footprint during its production. Our chemical management forms an essential element during product design, safe operations, safe effluents disposal, & no residue in the product for use. We strategize our management of chemicals to achieve a reduction in toxicity.
To address these challenges, we adopted Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) of Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals program as a mechanism to address and reduce the use of hazardous chemicals at the beginning of the manufacturing and production process, as opposed to at the end. We manage chemicals through our IMS, following ISO standards and REACH requirements. Any known/identified toxic, harmful and bioaccumulative chemicals and substances are avoided. We regularly train and update our employees on effective chemical management. We continuously conduct an assessment of chemical inventory and chemical management procedures at all the units and measure our compliance with international chemical legislation.
We evaluate the chemicals suppliers’ compliance concerning binding certificates and as per law. A scorecard for every dyestuff and chemical used within our units has been developed and assessed against the chemical supplier and rated chemicals for compliance with the above requirements. During the FY 2019-20, we conducted Zero Toxicity Action Plan, in which we assigned responsibility to all the units, to recreate process flow where chemicals are used and prepare its impact. We conducted training of all the employees, on Chemical related document management, Preparations of chemical safety norms, transportation and hazard tracking log and reassured ourselves on our chemical management for compliance. We conducted stage-wise inventory mapping for chemicals. We also assessed our suppliers on their uses of toxic materials. During the plan or activity, projects have been identified for cost savings in chemicals. We also did an external assessment of the chemical management system.
The textile industry’s primary concern is the quantity of effluent generated and the high chemical load it contains. Maintaining the quality of effluents is an essential aspect of chemical management. The level of BOD/COD monitors our diligent use of chemicals in our effluents.
In 2016-17, we had conducted an IBAT point based study where we identified the Legally Protected Areas; Internationally Recognized Areas and Priority Sites for Biodiversity that are located within 1 km, 10 km and 50 km of the location. We also indicate the potential biodiversity-related features close to the locations.