SUSTAINABILITY

  • ITC's Environment, Health & Safety - Ensuring Greenest and Safest Operations

Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)

ITC's EHS goal is to achieve the greenest and safest operations across all its operations.

In terms of environmental performance, the aim is to minimise impact and create a positive footprint wherever possible. A rigorous system of monitoring resource usage/generation, setting targets in accordance to internal, national and international benchmarks and performance audits has enabled ITC to progressively improve water, energy and waste efficiencies.

To ensure a safe and healthy workplace for the wellbeing of its employees, ITC ensures that all its facilities are continually ahead of national legislation and benchmarked to the best international standards and practices in terms of design and infrastructure. All units also have action plans to develop and foster a culture of responsibility and safety.

Policy on Environment, Health and Safetys

ITC is committed to conducting its operations with due regard for the environment and providing a safe and healthy workplace for its employees.

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Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency

ITC has adopted a low carbon growth plan as part of its multi-pronged strategy to combat climate change - maximising the use of renewable energy and sharpening energy efficiency in all units are key elements in this action plan.

Currently, around 43% of ITC's energy comes from renewable sources - biomass, wind and solar. Several ITC units, including a number of premium super-luxury hotels, already meet their entire energy need from self-owned wind farms.

ITC also constantly strives to reduce energy consumption in its operations through a variety of measures, mainly by deploying cleaner, more efficient technologies and by promoting awareness and a culture of conservation in the workplace.

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions & Carbon Sequestration

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a key action area in ITC's low-carbon growth plan which in turn, is part of its multi-pronged strategy to combat climate change. ITC computes its GHG inventory in accordance to ISO 14064:2018 - the latest international standard for quantifying and reporting GHG emissions and reductions.

Continuous efforts to reduce energy consumption and switch to renewable sources from fossil fuels have enabled ITC to control GHG emissions and achieve its internal targets. This has also been made possible by ITC's strong focus on green buildings. ITC currently has 40 green buildings, including all its super-premium luxury hotels which have received LEED Platinum ratings*. Several of these hotels are mostly or entirely powered by self-owned wind farms. All new ITC facilities are designed in accordance to green norms which are also being incorporated into existing buildings to the extent possible.

Beyond the fence, ITC's Afforestation Programme has created green cover on a significant scale. Along with multiple other environmental benefits, these plantations sequestrate substantial quantities of carbon dioxide, mitigating the negative impact of increasing GHG levels in the atmosphere.

As a result of all these actions, ITC has been carbon positive for the last 18 years.

Water Security

ITC has put in place an integrated and multi-faceted action plan with strategies to conserve and replenish this critical resource both within the scope of its operations and beyond the fence.

Each and every ITC unit is mandated to constantly improve water efficiency performance - i.e. to minimise water consumption, maximise rainwater harvesting on-site and recycle/re-use waste water as far as possible. To achieve these goals, all units have systems to monitor water intake, conduct water audits, set targets and assess performance against internal, national and international benchmarks.

Beyond the fence, ITC works extensively with farmers through its Watershed Development and Sustainable Agriculture Practices Programmes to increase water efficiency in agriculture. Agriculture is the largest consumer of India's water resources, and ITC's Programme focuses on both supply and demand. Supply side interventions include construction of water harvesting structures to build storage capacities and planned measures to enhance aquifer recharge. On the demand side, ITC promotes the use of efficient irrigation devices, e.g. sprinkler sets and drip systems.

As a result of all these actions, ITC has been water positive for the past 21 years.

Waste Recycling

ITC's action plan for waste management in its operations centres on minimising waste generation by constant monitoring and setting targets to improve resource utilisation, and maximising recycling to cut down the amount of waste going to landfills.

Paper and packaging waste is an important focus area for ITC as its Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division and Packaging & Printing Business are among India's largest in their respective sectors. ITC's manufacturing units are steadily increasing use of post-consumer waste paper as raw material instead of using virgin fibre. ITC is also collaborating with academic/research organisations to develop solutions for sustainable packaging and for reducing the environmental impact of post-consumer packaging waste.

Outside the scope of its operations, ITC runs a solid waste management programme called WOW (Well-being Out of Waste) that works in partnership with citizens, municipalities and rag-pickers/waste collectors to promote source segregation and recycling. ITC also runs several other waste management projects - the overall goals are the same but solutions are often tailored to local situations, e.g. the promotion of home composting or the involvement of women's self-help groups.

As a result of these measures, ITC has been solid waste recycling positive for the last 16 years in a row.

Safety

Instead of compliance to standards and guidelines, ITC's safety strategy is geared towards developing a behavior-centric safety culture in order to achieve and maintain its goal of zero accident status at all units.

ITC's safety programmes employ a highly collaborative approach to reinforce positive behavior and correct unsafe behavior, thus bringing about a cultural change. Employee involvement is the key factor in success - this is ensured through structured exercises like risk assessment workshops and conversations on Safe and Unsafe Acts (SUSA).

All units undergo safety audits during the design and construction stages as well as at regular intervals while operational. Unit EHS committees monitor performance, set targets and put in place action plans to ensure these are achieved.

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