ITC has been declared the winner of the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award at the 5th World Congress on Environment Management. The award is in recognition of ITC’s introduction of cleaner technology (ITC has set up the first chlorine-free pulp, paper and paperboards plant in India), afforestation efforts, reduction of green house gases and contribution to overall socio-economic development through the Company’s Paperboards and Specialty Papers business. The award was presented to ITC by the World Environment Foundation (WEF) during the 5th World Congress on Environment Management on June 14, 2003 at Palampur in Himachal Pradesh.

ITC had recently initiated a "Cleaner Technology Programme" at its paperboards plant in Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh. The Company implemented the Elemental Chlorine-Free (ECF) Bleaching system for the manufacture of pulp, paper and paperboards in the Unit, with an investment of Rs 225 crores. ITC is the first Indian Company to manufacture chlorine-free pulp, paper and paperboards. The Company has already achieved zero-effluent discharge from the new chlorine dioxide plant. Elemental Chlorine free (ECF) pulping and paper manufacture is universally acknowledged as the best environment-friendly technology by the European Community. The ECF technology also complies with the rigorous Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Cluster Rules of USA.

Power consumption at ITC’s paperboards plant in AP has been significantly reduced from 1456 kilowatt-hours (KWH) per tonne of paper and paperboards in 1997-98, to 999 KWH in 2002-03. This has made the ITC paperboard Unit one of the most energy-efficient paperboard plants in the world. Water consumption per unit of paperboard production has also been reduced from 183 cubic metres (cum) in 1997-98 to 79 cum in 2002-03. Treated effluent is used to irrigate a large expanse of agricultural land in the vicinity of the mill that grows cash crops like paddy, cotton and chillies. Nearly 44% of the fly ash generated in the Unit is utilised to manufacture cement and bricks. The rest of the fly ash is used to make green mounds.

"A constant focus on developing environment-friendly products and processes is internationally recognised as one of the most important competitive differentiators in business today. In ITC our commitment to preserve and in fact, even enrich the environment is as strong and deep as our focus on creating economic value for the shareholders," observed Mr Pradeep Dhobale, Chief Executive of ITC’s Paperboards and Specialty Papers business.

ITC has also undertaken major farm and social forestry programmes as a part of its afforestation mission. The Company has afforested 16,000 hectares of land by planting 35 million high-yielding, fast-growing and disease-resistant saplings developed through in-house biotechnology research. Over the next 10 years, ITC aims to afforest 100,000 hectares over the next 10 years through the plantation of 600 million saplings.

The Golden Peacock Environment Management Award (GPEMA) is designed to encourage and recognise effective implementation of environment management systems and their continuous improvement. The emphasis is on maintaining the ecological balance by effectively controlling all the adverse environmental impact of industrial activity, and striving to achieve sustainable growth.