Protecting forests is a business practice

A healthy society requires a healthy planet. At the Aditya Birla Group, we believe that the environment is a key stakeholder and there is an urgent need to conserve and restore the balance of nature. This is why biodiversity management is an important area of engagement for all our businesses.

Our approach to biodiversity is aligned with the ABG Sustainability Vision, which was launched in 2012. It states our commitment to become the leading Indian conglomerate for sustainable business practices across our global operations. Environmental stewardship is an integral component of our future-ready vision.

Since 2016, we have taken our biodiversity focus to a higher level by partnering with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global authority on conservation and measures for sustainable development.

We have based our group-wide Corporate Biodiversity Policy on the ‘No Net Loss’ approach. No Net Loss calls for negative biodiversity impact from projects to be balanced by biodiversity gains through compensation measures. Our biodiversity policy has established technical standards and guidance notes that align our operations with this approach.

Here’s a look at how some of our Businesses work to preserve and protect biodiversity.

100% natural

Sustainability is at the heart of Birla Cellulose’s operations. Moreover, the Group’s Pulp and Fibre business has consistently worked to improve the sustainability quotient of the fashion industry at large.

Birla Cellulose products stand out as they are of natural origin, made from wood sourced at sustainably managed forests. Another aspect we are proud of is that Birla Cellulose is Carbon Neutral. The forests managed directly by the company sequester more carbon than it emits.

Birla Cellulose fibres touch the lives of people across the world through textile and non-woven applications. It ensures quality through third-party certification. For instance, the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certifies Birla Cellulose fibres as free from harmful chemicals and safe for baby skin. The USDA BioPreferred® Program confirms that our products are derived from naturally occurring cellulose from plants and are fully bio-degradable in water and soil.

Best-in-class

Birla Cellulose collaborates actively with global benchmark organisations on sustainability -- such as Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Canopy Planet, Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals, Textile Exchange, WBSCD and other global institutions.

It also works actively with upstream and downstream partners so that best practices can be applied across the entire value chain. This is significant as our footprint is global. Fibres are processed at state-of-the-art dissolving pulp operations in Canada, India and Sweden, and fibre plants in China, India, Indonesia and Thailand.

To achieve its green goals, the Business employs a 360-degree sustainability approach to ensure that processes are constantly monitored and improved, and investment in cleaner technologies is continuous.

At Birla Cellulose, the intent has always been to go beyond regulatory norms and continually improve our environmental performance.

Hindalco has a well-rounded approach to sustainability, including sustainable mining practices, recycling and environment-friendly disposal of industrial wastes. Across our mining operations in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, Hindalco has shown how green belt development, reforestation and reclamation can change the face of mining.

Sustainable mining

The Bagru Hill Bauxite Mines is a showcase for sustainable mining. Here the company has created a Bio Park on reclaimed mine land along with a Butterfly Garden. Bamboo has been used to build cottages and a pavilion for training facilities. Rainwater harvesting helps fill water ponds, which are used by local communities to cultivate fish.

For biodiversity protection, the company plants native species of trees and shrubs and preserves the seed banks. In the mined and reclaimed area of the Chhattisgarh operation, Hindalco has successfully grown pears and strawberries. The company constantly monitors ambient air quality, water quality and noise levels near the mines.

The importance of topsoil

Topsoil is critical for reclamation of mined out land. Hindalco has established the best practice of conserving topsoil so that the land can later be restored to its original state and used for afforestation or agriculture. The practice is integrated into mine design. Hindalco builds watershed structures such as bunds, gully plugs, contours and terraces, which help in conserving topsoil.

Green cover

Tree plantation is a practice across all Hindalco sites. As part of our green belt development programme, we distribute plants to the communities and encourage mass plantation. The Mahan site has planted 15,000 local varieties on 500 hectares of land. Dahej and Muri have forested 117 hectares. Hirakud Plant has planted 25,800 saplings in its grounds. The other green belts include Talabira Coal Mines with 15,700 saplings, Samri Mines with 18,200 trees and Lohardaga with 50,000 saplings.

As the largest manufacturer of cement and concrete in India, UltraTech leads from the front to drive the sustainability agenda within the sector. It is a founding member of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) which drives sustainable construction, and is aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Biodiversity management plans

Biodiversity assessment and management is the practice at UltraTech. The company is currently assessing biodiversity impact at all manufacturing sites through the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT).

The biodiversity management plan is being implemented at Sewagram Cement Works, in Gujarat. Similar plans are in the pipeline for Aditya Cement Works and Kotputli Cement Works (Rajasthan), Rajashree Cement Works (Karnataka) and Balaji Cement Works (Andhra Pradesh). By 2024, the assessments of all the integrated manufacturing units will be completed.

Green zones

UltraTech also actively promotes tree plantation, green zone development, rehabilitation of exhausted mines, habitat restoration and reclamation of land. In 2019-20 alone, the company launched a massive plantation drive, planting more than 250,000 saplings. More than 85% of these saplings have survived and grown.

By driving its Corporate Biodiversity Policy, the Aditya Birla Group reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the environment.