HIGHLIGHTS
INR 59 crore invested as environmental protection expenditure in FY 2017-18
Fumer Technology: Gainful waste utilisation
While mining brings employment, government revenues, and opportunities for economic growth and diversification, it also impacts the environment we live in. At Hindustan Zinc, we conduct our business in a responsible manner and in a way that has minimal environmental and social impact. Technology and innovation have been integrated in to the way we conduct our business strategy which ultimately enables us to sustain long-term stakeholder value.
Both our products and processes have sustainability at their core. Our products - Zinc, Lead and Silver - help us in protecting the environment and minimising any negative impact. Zinc prolongs the life of steel and iron structures by protecting them from corrosion and in the process saves raw materials, energy and water which would otherwise be required for replacing the corroded structures. Lead is mostly used for manufacturing of lead acid batteries; lead sheets are used in building industry for roofing and cladding. Silver is used in silverware and jewellery making, while its anti-microbial as well as non-toxic properties make it useful in medicine and several consumer products.
Our processes are designed to check and ensure that the environment remains undisturbed during all stages of operation; be it reducing the dust and suspended particles which cause air pollution, to setting up zero discharge plants that do not contaminate water sources, and transitioning from open pit to underground mining.
We have embedded sustainability in all stages of mining and smelting - right from exploration, design and planning to construction, production, closure and reclamation. Planning for project closure begins even before we start, and we restore the land for productive post-operation land uses after closure.
Vision 2020
To be an industry leader in using green technologies for reducing our environmental footprint; this we envisage to achieve by innovating processes for water stewardship; introducing captive usage of energy from renewable sources; and adopting new methods for waste reduction.
Aspect Boundaries
Mining and smelting operations are hazardous to the environment by nature. Unless the associated risks are managed properly, it can have a negative impact on the communities surrounding our operations.
Performance
Highlights of FY 2017-18
Ranked 3rd in Dow Jones Sustainability Index environmental dimension in the industry group - Mining and Metal
Improved our scores in CDP - Climate Change disclosure band from “C” to “B”
Participated in CDP - Water Disclosure for the first time and received score band “B”
0.46 |
million cubic metres water saving |
Signed MoU with Udaipur Smart City Limited for another 40 MLD STP
ZERO |
environmental incidents in Category 4 & 5 |
Generated significant monetary savings from waste-to-resource conversions
Recorded total energy consumption at 47.54 million GJ, equating to total carbon emission of 4.98 million tCO2e
Phase-wise implementation of BMP - recommended projects commenced across all sites
Dow Jones
Sustainability
Indexes
In the Dow Jones Sustainability Index under mining & metal industry group
Ranked 2nd in 'Environmental Policy & Management System' and 'Operational Eco-Efficiency'
Scored 92 against the industry avg of 59 in the 'Environmental Policy & Management System' category