MUMBAI: Vedanta, one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals Company, will launch a mega green cover initiative to commemorate World Environment Day on Saturday.
As part of the Vedanta Cares Green Cover initiative, which will be virtually inaugurated by Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal, the company’s employees and business partners will be able to register on its microsite – the Vedanta Cares Plantation portal – to plant a sapling to celebrate their dear ones who have recovered from Covid-19.
More than 1 million trees will be planted through the Vedanta Cares Green Cover initiative, which will be rolled out across the company’s business locations. The plantation drive is an expression of gratitude for the countless gifts we receive from Mother Earth. The company had planted around 1.2 lakh trees in 2020-21.
Vedanta Group CEO and Chief Safety Officer Sunil Duggal said, “Vedanta Cares Green Cover initiative is a significant step towards our larger goal of `Zero Harm, Zero Waste and Zero Discharge’ across all its operations. In the days ahead, Vedanta will continue to drive inclusive growth, focus on responsible mining and develop robust ESG risk mitigation plans. We have adopted carbon reduction goals in line with Government of India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and are fully committed to building an Atmanirbhar Bharat in an environmentally responsible manner.”
Vedanta has been at the forefront of sustainable practices and is leveraging new technologies to safeguard the environment and communities. Guided by the philosophy of `Zero Harm, Zero Waste, Zero Discharge’, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices are at the heart of Vedanta’s operations which are focused on delivering sustainable and responsible growth thereby creating value for all stakeholders.
Vedanta is committed to substantially decarbonize its operations by 2050, after voluntarily pledging to move towards carbon-neutrality earlier this year. Vedanta has re-constituted the ‘Carbon Forum’ – the company’s apex body on climate strategy – to help steer the group towards a less carbon-intensive way of operating.
Vedanta is also focused on effective water management and have saved 7.5 million cubic metres of water over the past three years.
The company plans to substantially reduce waste generation with a total waste recycling at 94%. Each facility plans to incorporate Biodiversity Management Plans (BMPs) into development processes to address and monitor biodiversity impacts. Fly ash management will be a strong focus for the company as they initiate a detailed assessment of the environmental risks.
Vedanta is aligned with the recommendations made by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and is collaborating with the TCFD to develop good practices and standards for transparency. The company has released its maiden TCFD report this year, which is the first by an Indian mining and metals company.
The company is being recognised globally for their sustainability initiatives. The company’s Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) ranking in the metals and mining sector globally has risen to #12 this year, as against #21 in 2019. Hindustan Zinc, and Vedanta have topped the DJSI rankings in the Asia Pacific region this year.
