ITC Ltd has been declared the winner of the prestigious ‘Golden Peacock Environment Management Award’ at the 5^th World Congress on Environment Management being held at Palampur in Himachal Pradesh. The award was presented to ITC by the World Environment Foundation (WEF)

The award to ITC is in recognition of its introduction of cleaner technology. The paper major has set up the first chlorine-free pulp, paper and paperboards plant in the country, apart from its afforestation efforts, reduction of green house gases and contribution to overall socio-economic development through its paperboards and specialty papers business.

ITC had recently initiated a ‘Cleaner technology programme’ at its paperboards plant in Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh. The company implemented the elemental chlorine-free (ECF) bleaching system for the manufacture of pulp, paper and paperboards in the unit, with an investment of Rs 225 crore.

It has already achieved zero-affluent discharge from the new chlorine dioxide plant. Elemental chlorine-free pulping and paper manufacture is universally acknowledged as the best environment-friendly technology by the European Community. The ECF technology also complies with the rigorous Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Cluster Rules of the US. Alongside, power consumption at ITC’s paperboards plant in Andhra Pradesh has been significantly reduced from 1,456 kilowatt-hours (KwH) per tonne of paper and paperboards in 1997-98 to 999 KwH in 2002-03. This has made the paperboard unit one of the most energy-efficiency paperboard plants in the world. Similarly, water consumption per unit of paperboard production has also been reduced from 183 cubic metres (cu.m.) in 1997-98 to 79 cu.m. in 2002-03.

Treated effluent is used to irrigate a large expanse of agricultural land in the vicinity of the mill that grows cash crops such as paddy, cotton and chillies. Nearly 44 per cent of the fly ash generated in the unit is utilised to manufacture cement and bricks. The rest is used to make green mounds.

The company has also afforested 16,000 hectares of land by planting 35 million high-yielding, fast-growing and disease-resistant saplings developed through in-house biotechnology research. Over the next 10 years, ITC aims to afforest 1,00,000 hectares by way of planting 600 million saplings.

The Golden Peacock Environment Management Award (GPEMA) is designed to encourage and recognise effective implementation of environment management systems and their continuous improvement. The emphasis is on maintaining the ecological balance by effectively controlling all the adverse of industrial activity and striving to achieve sustainable growth.