Vedanta Aluminium signs MOU with TÜV SÜD for Roadmap to become Water Positive
11th July 2022
New Delhi; 11th July 2022: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has embarked on its ambitious commitment to turn net water positive, by partnering with TÜV SÜD, a global leader in safety, security & sustainability solutions. Under this partnership, Vedanta Aluminium and TÜV will chart the roadmap for the company’s water positivity goal by working in the areas of baseline study, bolstering the accounting process for water consumption, capacity building for continual improvement and conservation, and implementing innovative solutions & initiatives for a sustainable water footprint. Water management is a crucial pillar in Vedanta Aluminium’s journey of Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) excellence for climate action, the company is committed to the Vedanta Group’s goal of net water positive operations by 2030.
Vedanta Aluminium’s water management endeavours are aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of Clean Water & Sanitation. A robust water management policy guides the company’s efforts towards minimizing its water footprint, while supporting the local communities in their water-related requirements and helping maintain the ecological balance. Each of the company’s business units have undertaken water-screening assessments, using the World Resource Institute (WRI) Aqueduct Tool to identify sensitive aquatic habitats, water availability and dependence on shared water sources. Basis this the company anticipates and evaluates the degree of potential environmental and social risks related to water and implements customised water management plans for each location.
Underscored by the governing principle of Zero Liquid Discharge, which ensures that all liquid is contained, processed and reused inside operations, Vedanta Aluminium follows a 4-pillared approach to sustainable water management, which includes:
- Monitoring water usage: The company continuously monitors water intake and usage across operations, thereby identifying high-consumption areas and subsequently putting in measures to optimize water consumption in those areas.
- Ensuring maximum water reutilization: Through state-of-the-art closed-loop recycling systems and Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP), augmented with Ultra-Filtration and Reverse Osmosis, the company is maximizing water reutilization and lowering freshwater intake.
- Creating a positive footprint: On-site reservoirs and rainwater harvesting infrastructures have been created to increase quantum of water captured and ultimately replenish more water than is consumed by the company. 9 rainwater harvesting infrastructures were constructed in the last fiscal alone, having a combined water saving potential of 194 million litres.
- Enabling communities’ access to water and climate-smart agriculture: Vedanta Aluminium is building and rejuvenating hundreds of community water infrastructures like ponds and percolation tanks to help communities get perennial access to water. The company is also helping local farming communities adopt drip-irrigation, solar-powered water pumps, rainwater harvesting, etc. to boost irrigation potential and reduce dependence on monsoons for cropping. Further, it is training them on growing climate-resilient crops for improving yield in the face of irregular climactic conditions.
As a result of these endeavours, in FY22, the company recycled 15 billion litres of water for inhouse consumption.
Speaking about the company’s partnership with TÜV SÜD, Mr Rahul Sharma, CEO – Vedanta Aluminium, said, “Our partnership with TÜV SÜD will give us access to their global advisory expertise for sustainable water management. There is immense pressure on global water resources, exacerbated by climate crisis. In this decisive decade, we intend to make significant strides towards our commitment to Net Water Positive operations. Our underlying objective is to ensure water security of our operations and our local communities’ access to good quality water, while helping maintain the ecological balance in the process.”
Mr. Bratin Roy, Senior Vice-President, Industrial Services, TÜV SÜD South Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa Region (ASMEA) said, “TÜV SÜD, is proud to bring its global expertise in sustainability solutions to accelerate Vedanta Aluminium’s journey to water positive operations. The company’s unequivocal commitment to excellence in ESG is matched by our passion to enable organizations to achieve their sustainability targets. With this partnership, we look forward to creating a sustainable water footprint that will benefit India’s largest aluminium producer, the local communities and the environment.”
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.26 million tonnes in FY22. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 4th in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2021 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. www.vedantaaluminium.com
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., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. 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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This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.
