Vedanta Aluminium, the largest aluminum producer in India, on the occasion of World Environment Day, has announced receiving the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) International Verification for its range of products, among the largest in the global aluminum industry. Undergoing a rigorous Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Vedanta’s primary aluminum products performed well on the parameters of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and waste generation. This stands testimony to the company’s advanced manufacturing practices and green innovations towards ensuring sustainability across the aluminum value chain.

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardized and internationally recognized document that provides transparent and scientifically verified information about the environmental performance of a product. It is based on a thorough Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and provides data on a product’s environmental impact throughout its life cycle, including raw material extraction, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life disposal.

The primary aluminum products produced by Vedanta Aluminium and verified by EPD include billets, Primary Foundry Alloy (PFA), wire rods, and all categories of ingots. Together, these products find high-end applications in critical sectors like aerospace, infrastructure, automotive, electrical, and packaging, as well as sunrise sectors such as hi-tech manufacturing, renewable energy, battery technologies, electric vehicles, and more. Interestingly, this year’s global theme for World Environment Day is #BeatPlasticPollution. Aluminum, with its inherent properties of good strength, light weight, corrosion-resistance, and infinite recyclability, presents itself as a viable alternative to plastic.

The company is India’s first to launch its low-carbon, ‘green’ aluminum range, branded ‘Restora’, catering to the emerging demand for metals with a low carbon footprint. Vedanta Aluminium is also the first in the Indian aluminum industry to secure available BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certifications for its large range of aluminum products. This consistent focus on quality has allowed the company to cater to the needs of customers across 50 countries, who are actively looking to reduce their carbon footprint and are also interested in the provenance of the raw materials they use.

In testimony to such endeavors, Vedanta Aluminium ranked 2nd in the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) world rankings for the aluminum industry in FY22, making it the second most sustainable aluminum producer in the world today. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and committed to turning carbon neutral by 2050, the company is dedicated to making a positive environmental impact by revolutionizing its manufacturing processes. It has achieved several milestones in its continuous journey to augment environmental management practices across its operations:

●      Reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity by 24 percent in FY 2022, from the 2012 baseline while increasing production by eight times over the same period

●      Recycled 13.69 billion liters of water and conserved more than 1.51 billion liters of water in FY23, in the journey towards water-positive operations

●      Supplied more than 100 percent of fly ash, a high-volume industrial by-product generated during thermal power production, to allied industries in cement, infrastructure development etc, promoting the establishment of a circular economy within the Indian industrial landscape

●      Successfully conserved over 1.36 million GJ (gigajoules) of energy in FY23

●      Commissioned India’s largest fleet of lithium-ion battery-powered EV forklifts

●      Established a Material Recovery Facility, a specialized plant to segregate and process waste into useful materials, at its mega aluminum smelter in Jharsuguda

●      Partnered with leading environment conservation firm ERM, to bolster its biodiversity management plan around its operational areas

●      Deployed robust Environment Management Systems (EMS) adhering to ISO 14001:2015 across all of Vedanta Aluminium’s business units

Commenting on the certification, Rahul Sharma, CEO, Vedanta Ltd – Aluminium Business, said, “In a world rapidly transitioning to more sustainable approaches, the aluminum industry is poised for remarkable growth and innovation. As the backbone of a low-carbon future, aluminum’s exceptional properties hold immense potential for the energy transition, with Vedanta Aluminium as a key facilitator. The Environmental Product Declaration is a testament to our dedication to engineering sustainable products for our customers around the world. We always strive to develop innovative and environmentally conscious business practices, demonstrating our commitment to creating a sustainable future.”

For more information: www.vedantaaluminium.com