Managing The Carbon Footprint - For A Greener Future! - Mr. Anil Makkar

Coining a vision statement at times is quite challenging, it could appear as an arrow in the dark with no path defined. 

It takes me back to 2007, when we at JK Tyre’s mother plant were working on a water conservation project, titled “Operation 500”  -- to run a plant of 250 tons/day with total water consumption not exceeding 500KL in a day.; at a time when we were already utilizing over 1000 KL per day. It was a humongous task back then!  

As per the book - ‘Apparent in Hindsight’, on the Theory of Constraints, the past challenges look much simpler when you think about them today with results. The same plant at JK Tyres today operates at 1.2 KL/ton levels without any difficulty. Not only does it contribute towards water conservation, but also gives an added advantage towards saving fuel and power. We are now focusing on achieving Zero Raw Water for the process, leaving fresh water only for domestic purposes.

In FY’14, we took our journey to the next level by taking a pledge to ‘reduce our carbon footprint by 50% in five years’. By the end of the first year, though we had covered some ground, we were nowhere close to international benchmarks.  

After scanning through almost all the world’s top Tire Industry (reports) and comparing our performances in various KPIs, it seemed like an uphill task to accomplish what we had set for ourselves. Though challenging, we made all our internal stakeholders believe in the program and urged them to extend support for our future generations. We succeeded by making it a movement across our six manufacturing facilities in India and across the globe. 

Analyzing further, we understood that comparing with international benchmarks will not lead us anywhere as most of the developed world has already switched to gas as a fuel while India at large stayed as a Coal based economy. There is a huge difference in eCO2 factors when comparing coal and gas as heating mediums. 

Based on all the factors influencing Green House Gas Emissions, we adopted 10 Commandments of Natural Capital for continuous improvement in eCO2 levels at JK.

1. Reduce specific consumption of energy and water 2-5% every year over the next ten years
2. Reduce the specific generation of waste and reduce the quantum of waste going to landfills by 2-5% every year over the next ten years
3. Reduce specific greenhouse gas emissions and other process emissions by 2-5% every year over the next ten years and explore opportunities through Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) & other Carbon Exchange Programs
4. Increase the use of recyclables and enhance recyclables of resources embedded in the product by 2-5% every year over the next ten years
5. Increase the share of harvested rainwater in the overall annual use of water by 2-5% every year over the next ten years.
6. Incorporate lifecycle assessment criteria for evaluating new and alternative technologies & products
7. Strive to adopt green purchase policy and incorporate latest clean technologies
8. Take lead in promoting and managing product stewardship program, by forging a partnership with business and communities
9. Reduce depletion of natural capital, which is directly attributable to our activities, products, and services by 2-5% every year
10. Reduce the depletion of natural capital, which is directly attributable to the Company’s activities, products, and services by 2-5% every year over the next ten years. We also committed to demonstrating attainment of these commandments in our pursuit to certifications such as TS16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, SA-8000, ISO-50001, ISO-27001, Green Buildings and Eco-Labels Sustainability reporting among others.

Another area which we picked up in-line with above -- was to reduce our daily dependence on thermal power. We started relying more on renewable power. Today, we are proudly drawing 39% of our electricity usage from renewable sources.

With all the actions -- It gives us great satisfaction that within just five years, we were able to reduce our carbon Footprint by over 45% from base year. Although, we fell short of our target by 5%, but our achievement is enough to keep us motivated and strive for further advancements in greener and sustainable manufacturing. 

Mr. Anil Makkar

Guest Author Mr. Anil Makkar, Manufacturing Director, JK Tyre & Industries.