With the increased scale and scope of business, the demand for water keeps on increasing. The 100 years old decorative company in India has set a sustainability goal to become water positive organisation by 2025, by putting more water back than taking it out.
Kansai Nerolac Paints’s sustainability goal of 2025 is focused on reducing water consumption and replenishing in areas where water is scarce. According to the goal, Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited (KNPL) will become water positive in the next five years. This means they will reduce their water use intensity and put more water back than they are taking out.
KNPL, a leading paint company in India, led by H. M. Bharuka, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, having a net turnover of Rs. 4690 crores (FY 2020-21). The size of the domestic paint industry is estimated at around Rs. 55000 crores as of March 2021.The Recycled water consumption has significantly increased from 10% to 22% since FY 2015-16.
In FY 2020-21, the figure for water withdrawal stood at 3,80,147 KL.
“With the goal of becoming a water-positive organisation by 2025, we are developing an action plan with the following key focus areas: reduce freshwater consumption; increase usage of recycled or reused water; increase usage of rainwater in the process; and water replenishment in nearby villages.”, the company said.
In FY 2021-22, the target is to reduce Specific Water Consumption by 5% in comparison to FY 2020-21, initiate rainwater uses in process at Bawal manufacturing plant; and drive integrated watershed management in the nearby villages at Sayakha and Hosur through CSR activities. Eventually, these interventions will be applied to other locations, too, the company’s annual report revealed.
Water Consumption
In FY 2020-21, it consumed 5,00,058 KL of water, of which 1,12,112 KL was recycled water and 7,800 KL was rainwater.
The water issue and business
Water scarcity may cause serious problems for companies and gradually take the form of both physical and financial risks, the former caused by pollution and insufficient freshwater availability, the latter due to increased water costs and/or reduced revenues as a result of damage to the corporate image.
Key Challenges
The new manufacturing facility at Goindwal Sahib is in a water-stressed area. The company’s focus is not only on consuming water efficiently within operations but also to ensure water sustainability in the area it operates in. In the past two years, it has installed water recharging modules in nearby villages, resulting in an increased recharging potential of over 59,000 KL, according to the report.
CSR and Water Management
The company is driving watershed management projects in neighboring villages through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for larger community benefits.
Method of Calculation
Specific Water Consumption is the ratio of water consumed in plants to the total production of finished goods during a specified period.
Key Water Conservation Measures
- Reuse of boiler condensate as boiler feed Restoring water ponds/Creating water-recharge modules
- Multiple effect evaporator condensate recycled in boiler feed
- Utility RO reject reused for pallet cleaning and boiler ash quenching
- Provision of a filter at cooling tower area for recycling of
- reactor drained water
- Stripping water recycling in tanker cleaning
- Installation of softener plant to reduce RO rejects
- Installation of dry screw vacuum pump in place of water based vacuum pump
Greenbelt development
KNPL ensures compliance with the 33% Greenbelt requirement of CPCB across all plants. Currently, a total of 47,247 trees are planted within the factory premises across all locations, of which 4,120 trees were planted in FY 2020-21. In addition, a total of 3,417 trees were planted outside factory premises in FY 2020-21. It has set a target of planting 5,000 trees outside the factory premises in FY 2021-22 that will not only enhance the ecological value but also offer myriad other benefits.
(India CSR Network)
