Group CEO Dalmia Cement Bharat Mahendra Singhi at Paris agreement signing ceremony on Climate Change
IndiaCSR News Network
NEW DELHI: Keeping the promise of last December when nearly 200 nations unanimously agreed at COP21 Summit in Paris, to keep the world well below 2°C of global warming, the United Nations hosted a signing ceremony for the Paris Agreement at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event stressed on the impact the agreement will have on private sector operations and investments, demonstrating how climate action can improve performance, leverage new market opportunities and act as a gateway to growth and innovation. World leaders from across countries like India, China, the United States of America and the European Union were part of the event.
Dalmia Cement was part of pledge taking among other global industry representatives last year, and was invited by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to attend the ceremony. Group CEO Dalmia Cement Bharat Mahendra Singhi was invited for a high-level interactive dialogue with other world leaders to action tackling climate change, share learnings from the Paris Agreement and talk about Dalmia Cement Bharat’s vision for creating a new, low carbon economy.
Singhi said, “We have taken several steps to be water positive by conserving more water than what we consume. At the same time we aim to achieve the lowest carbon footprint in cement manufacturing. To conserve mineral resources, we have adopted the strategy of converting waste to wealth. At Dalmia Cement currently 7% of the power is being generated using renewable energy and this is likely to go up to 20% by 2019. The Indian Government has been supportive of initiatives that are in alignment with various policies on sustainability development goals and climate change.
Singhi, also the co-chair of Cement Sustainability initiative (CSI) in India added “We are committed to sustainability and have partnered with Cement Sustainability initiative of World Business Council for Sustainable Development through which we are able to share the best practices for sustainability.” CSI facilitates low carbon technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a pollution free environment, aiding sustainability.
Dalmia Cement has incrementally and consistently adopted an approach to business which is inclusive and nurturing towards people and community that it operates in. The company believes in the philosophy ‘Green is Profitable’, which encourages it to take actions which benefit the environment and also improve its profitability. Dalmia Cement and Mr. Singhi have been at the forefront of effecting changes by taking voluntary initiatives towards climate change mitigation and adopting low carbon technology to transform the energy landscape of India.
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited (DCBL), a subsidiary of Dalmia Bharat Limited (BSE Code: 533309|NSE Symbol: DALMIABHA and listed in MSE), part of the Dalmia Bharat Group, is a pioneer in the cement manufacturing since 1939. With an expanding India footprint, the company is a category leader in super-specialty cements used for oil well, railway sleepers and air strips and is the country’s largest producer of slag cement with a national presence. With a growing capacity, currently pegged at 25 MTPA, Dalmia Cement is a top quartile player in India.