International body verifies Vedanta Aluminium products as environmentally sustainable
6th June 2023
- The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is testament to Vedanta Aluminium’s commitment to achieving the highest industry standards in sustainable manufacturing
New Delhi; 6th June 2023: On the occasion of World Environment Day, Vedanta Aluminium, the largest aluminium producer in India, has announced receiving the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) International verification for its range of products, among the largest in the global aluminium industry. Undergoing a rigorous Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Vedanta’s primary aluminium products performed well on the parameters of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and waste generation. This stands testimony to the company’s advanced manufacturing practices and green innovations towards ensuring sustainability across the aluminium value chain.
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardized and internationally recognized document that provides transparent and scientifically verified information about the environmental performance of a product. It is based on a thorough Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and provides data on a product’s environmental impact throughout its life cycle, including raw material extraction, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life disposal.
The primary aluminium products produced by Vedanta Aluminium and verified by EPD include billets, Primary Foundry Alloy (PFA), wire rods and all categories of ingots. Together, these products find high-end applications in critical sectors like aerospace, infrastructure, automotive, electrical, and packaging, as well as sunrise sectors such as hi-tech manufacturing, renewable energy, battery technologies, electric vehicles, and more. Interestingly, this year’s global theme for World Environment Day is ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’. Aluminium, with its inherent properties of good strength, light weight, corrosion-resistance and infinite recyclability, presents itself as a viable alternative to plastic.
Commenting on the certification, Mr Rahul Sharma, CEO, Vedanta Ltd – Aluminium Business, said “In a world rapidly transitioning to more sustainable approaches, the aluminium industry is poised for remarkable growth and innovation. As the backbone of a low-carbon future, aluminium’s exceptional properties hold immense potential for the energy transition, with Vedanta Aluminium as a key facilitator. The Environmental Product Declaration is a testament to our dedication to engineering sustainable products for our customers around the world. We always strive to develop innovative and environmentally conscious business practices, demonstrating our commitment to creating a sustainable future.”
The EPD can be accessed here: https://www.environdec.com/library/epd6491
The company is India’s first to launch its low-carbon, ‘green’ aluminium range, branded ‘Restora’, catering to the emerging demand for metals with a low carbon footprint. Vedanta Aluminium is also the first in the Indian aluminium industry to secure BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certifications for its large range of aluminium products. This consistent focus on quality has allowed the company to cater to the needs of customers across 50 countries, who are actively looking to reduce their carbon footprint and are also interested in the provenance of the raw materials they use.
Testimony to such endeavours, Vedanta Aluminium ranked 2nd in the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) world rankings for the aluminium industry in FY22, making it the second most sustainable aluminium producer in the world today. Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals and committed to turning carbon neutral by 2050, Vedanta Aluminium is dedicated to making a positive environmental impact by revolutionizing its manufacturing processes.
Vedanta Aluminium has achieved several milestones in its continuous journey to augment environmental management practices across its operations:
- Reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity by 24% in FY 2022, from the 2012 baseline while increasing production by eight times over the same period
- Recycled 13.69 billion litres of water and conserved more than 51 billion litres of water in FY23, in the journey towards water-positive operations
- Supplied more than 100% of fly ash, a high-volume industrial by-product generated during thermal power production, to allied industries in cement, infrastructure development etc, promoting the establishment of a circular economy within the Indian industrial landscape
- Successfully conserved over 1.36 million GJ (gigajoules) of energy in FY23
- Commissioned India’s largest fleet of lithium-ion battery-powered EV forklifts
- Established a Material Recovery Facility, a specialised plant to segregate and process waste into useful materials, at its mega aluminium smelter in Jharsuguda
- Partnered with leading environment conservation firm ERM, to bolster its biodiversity management plan around its operational areas
- Deployed robust Environment Management Systems (EMS) adhering to ISO 14001:2015 across all of Vedanta Aluminium’s business units
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com
About Vedanta Aluminium Business:
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com
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