Designed for circularity

Sustainability remains at the core of Birla Carbon’s success strategy. As the leading manufacturer of carbon black, the company endeavours to decouple economic activity from the consumption of finite resources and designing out excess waste from the system.

The company’s sustainability journey has been on track with 75% of its plants net energy positive,100% of its sites using recycled process water or rainwater in their operations, and 60% of material waste repurposed.

From linear to circular

The company was among the first corporates to look beyond the take-make-waste extractive industrial model and embrace the circular economy philosophy with emphasis on renewable, recyclable and closed loop materials.

At Birla Carbon, the circular economy philosophy governs the end-to-end production process, from procurement, production, energy recovery, water harvesting and reuse, to waste reduction and repurposing to being net energy positive.

Tracking lifecycle impact

Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are integral to the company’s efforts to better understand the environmental impact of its products. The company has been leveraging LCAs to measure the impacts of its feedstock and carbon black for the past five years. The LCAs evaluate the entire product lifecycle: from raw material extraction through processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, to product end-of-life by way of final disposal, recycling or reuse.

Reducing the company’s ecological footprint is essential to ensure sustainable consumption and production. Towards this end, the company lays great emphasis on procuring feedstock from suppliers close to its facilities, who are screened for risk management.

Conserving energy

The company’s carbon stewardship strategy relies on two key factors: the conversion of more carbon from oil into carbon black and the optimisation of the energy cycle.

Globally, 75% of Birla Carbon sites are energy positive, generating more energy than what is used.

Globally, 75% of Birla Carbon sites are energy positive, generating more energy than what is used. The company has been tracking its energy conversion efficiency since FY2015 and aspires to increase absolute efficiency to 80% by FY2030.

The company’s plant in Jining in China consumes over 60,000 MWh of electricity which is internally generated through energy-recovery systems. Some 25% of this consumption is used to run large equipment which enables the company to comply with, and outperform, emission-control limits.

Reducing water

Like energy efficiency, effective water stewardship is also critical. Birla Carbon’s water strategy considers short-, medium- and long-term scenarios to improve and mitigate water risks at its facilities. The company has integrated water risk management approach into its wider Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) strategy, while high-risk sites are now incorporating water resource management planning (WRMP) into their business continuity plans.

It has also partnered the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Resources Institute (WRI) to assess the water stress level at its manufacturing sites using the WRI’s Aqueduct™ tool. Additionally, the company has complemented the assessment using the specific India Water Tool for its India based plants.

Product stewardship

The company’s approach to product responsibility spans two key areas: safety and stewardship. Ensuring that carbon black products remain safe for customers’ uses tops the agenda. At the same time, product stewardship guidelines have ensured the company helps its customers handle and use carbon black effectively and safely.

Reprocessing carbon black is also crucial to attaining circularity. Off-grade carbon black is segregated and put through the manufacturing process again till it meets the company’s stringent quality standards. As carbon black has a long shelf life, customers are encouraged to return unused carbon black which is then reprocessed. The company has also intensified efforts to recover low-grade carbon black from old tires for use in low-end applications.

Designing out waste

Strategies to reduce, reuse and recycle waste are central to Birla Carbon’s circular economy objectives. The company’s Waste Management Standard outlines internal requirements for the proper accounting, handling, transfer, storage, transport and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes. In FY2017, the company introduced a new KPI to repurpose 75% of its waste, whether recycled, reused or recovered, by 2030.

The 3R philosophy is not limited to the manufacturing process. It serves as the cornerstone of every effort at Birla Carbon. For instance, the canteen in Birla Carbon’s Trecate facility in Italy, Gummidipoondi and Patalganga in India have taken a range of steps to send zero waste to landfill.

Single-use plastics, plates and cups in Trecate canteen are now made from cellulose pulp and are fully compostable at end of use. At Gummidipoondi and Patalganga, food waste is composted and used as fertilisers. At the Patalganga plant, employees are even made aware of the amount of food they disposing off with signs, updated on a daily basis with the quantity of waste thrown away that day.

The 4th R - Respect

Respecting the environment is essential for sustained growth and Birla Carbon has always laid stress on minimising the impact of its operations.

The company’s Environmental Policy, published in FY2018, outlines Birla Carbon’s commitment to continually improve its environmental performance. Over the years, the company has identified areas to reduce carbon emissions by establishing a baseline by monitoring feedstock delivery, production and product distribution data. The company’s Carbon Footprint Statement is publicly available to help its customers determine the complete carbon footprint of their own products.

While many organisations define environmental sustainability as the minimal use of a resource, Birla Carbon takes a higher road -- defining sustainable operations to include all aspects that enable the company to be a reliable, responsible and future ready corporate citizen.