In India, water is a very precious resource with the country accounting for 18% of the
world’s population and only 4% of global fresh water resources. India’s vision
of achieving over 10% GDP growth and becoming the global manufacturing hub will strain its
already scarce water resources, making it incumbent upon individuals and corporations to
use this precious resource with utmost care and responsibility.
ITC’s sustainability objective
focuses on:
• Conservation, Audit and
Benchmarking – to achieve the lowest specific water consumption (water used per unit
of production)
• Zero water discharge –
treating and recycling all the waste water, thereby not only reducing fresh water intake
but also preventing pollution of fresh water resources
• Creating a positive footprint
– through rainwater harvesting, both at the Company’s premises and through
external watershed development projects.
ITC’s total fresh water intake of
25.58 million kilolitres (KL) during 2005-06 is slightly higher than the previous
year’s (24.98 million KL), despite a significant growth in all its businesses.
The three Paperboards and Specialty Paper
units at Bhadrachalam, Tribeni and Kovai together account for 91.9% of the total fresh
water intake by ITC. Implementing water audit recommendations, deploying advanced
technology, increasing awareness and improving resource management have enabled these
three units to reduce specific water consumption by 13%, 2% and 18%, respectively.
Similarly, ITC’s Cigarette factories
reduced fresh water intake by 6%, Leaf Processing Plants by 19%, Packaging & Printing
factories by 16% and Hotels by 2% – despite significant growth in volumes. |
Zero Water Discharge:
Closing the water loop in a factory or hotel not only results in minimum fresh water
usage, it also prevents pollution of the environment, including fresh water sources. The
Cigarette factories at Bengaluru & Saharanpur, Leaf Processing Plants at Anaparti
& Chirala, Packaging & Printing unit near Chennai, Research Centres at Bengaluru
& Rajahmundry, Paperboards unit at Bollarum, ITC Green Centre at Gurgaon, ITC Sonar
Bangla & WelcomHotel Rajputana Palace recycled all their treated effluents. The
recycled water was used mostly for flushing toilets, cooling towers and gardening.
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