Bhubaneswar: Vedanta, India’s largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, reinforced its commitment to sustainability by organising a series of mega plantation drives with its employees, business partners and the community at its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh, Kalahandi, and at its aluminium complex at Jharsuguda, the largest in India.
Marking World Environment Day, Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda unit CEO, Mr. CN Singh and Dy. CEO – Alumina Business, Vedanta Ltd., Mr. GG Pal led the plantation drives with employees and business partners across both its locations in Odisha, respectively, in line with the mega ‘Vedanta Cares – Green Cover’ initiative. Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal virtually launched the initiative on 5th June, World Environment Day, as part of which more than one million trees will be planted across the company’s business locations.
Taking its commitment towards creating a sustainable future forward, the company also organised a plantation drive with the local communities. Creating greater environmental awareness among the Jharsuguda community kids, Vedanta conducted a drawing competition adhering to Covid-19 protocols, while believing that the collaborative efforts with the young minds can deliver impactful outcomes as it commits to building a healthier environment. Additionally, the company also distributed fruit saplings and fuel-efficient or earthen stoves (chulhas) to the community households of Lanjigarh, Kalahandi, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability and for the greater good of people.
Speaking about the company’s initiative, Mr. Rahul Sharma, Dy. CEO – Aluminium Business, Vedanta Ltd., said, “As India’s largest producer of aluminium, we are committed to sustainable development and nurture conservation efforts at our operations. Our Vedanta Cares Green Cover initiative is a strong move towards our greater goal ‘Zero Harm, Zero Waste and Zero Discharge’ as we build a better and greener tomorrow for future generations. Vedanta will continue to deploy robust ESG practices to create a lasting positive impact in line with our commitment to environmental sustainability.”
Mr. Hari Dhurua, community leader, Jharsuguda, appreciated the company’s efforts saying, “I thank Vedanta for organising the plantation drive in the peripheral areas following all COVID protocols amid the ongoing pandemic. I appreciate that the company incorporates sustainability aspects into all facets beyond their operations through various programs on environment protection and eco-conscious growth.”
Vedanta has integrated best-in-class technology and environmental safeguards to create sustainability-focused operations based on the three primary pillars of economic, environmental and social impact. In terms of creating green cover by plantation of lakhs of trees, waste recycling initiative, specific water consumption and specific energy consumption, the company has set benchmarks and is making consistent efforts towards protecting the environment. It has instituted the Vedanta Sustainability Assurance Programme (VSAP), a robust governance system following International Finance Corporation (IFC) & International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) guidelines that guide their operations and measures performance across 34 elements under the broader dimensions of Sustainability, like Leadership, Process Safety & Management of Change, Continuous Improvement, Social Sustainability, Resource Use Management, Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) Management etc.
Vedanta is India’s largest producer of the green metal, aluminium, operating a world-class 1.6 MTPA aluminium smelter and 3615 MW thermal power generation facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The only Indian smelter in the global ‘1 Million Tonne’ production and export club, Vedanta Jharsuguda is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications across core industries. With one of the largest technically qualified and diverse workforces in the country, the company is working towards a sustainable and greener future for all by spurring emerging applications of aluminium, the ‘Metal of the Future’.
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