Restoring Ecosystems

Among three components of Environment - Clean Air for All is a very strategic goal and Welspun accords high importance to taking steps in mitigating air pollution including impacts due to climate change. Climate change: Over the years, Welspun India has worked tirelessly to reduce its energy & carbon footprint through dedicated efforts towards energy efficiency, cleaner fuels and replacement of virgin raw materials with recycled raw materials. It is monitoring its Scope 1 & Scope 2 emissions and reporting in the public domain. It has also initiated Scope 3 emissions calculation as per the global standards and shall report the same. With a definitive plan of reducing its environmental footprint, Welspun is looking at renewable energy sources & plans to reach an energy mix having 20% from RE sources by 2025 & 100% from RE and becoming Carbon Neutral by 2030. Welspun is in the process of adopting the SBTi methodology for developing the road map of its GHG reduction pathway. Being a global pact between WRI, UN Global Compact, CDP and WWF, SBTi methodology provides a scientific basis for the GHG reduction roadmap and will enable us in achieving the global goal of restricting temperature rise by 1.5oC.

The company is also exploring the option of cleaner transportation and logistics solutions including the use of EV’s for its outbound material transport and the employee commute to reduce its environmental footprint. Development of local ancillary industries (a unique effort by WIL) for the company has helped in reducing the inward transport related emissions and contributed to GHG reduction efforts.

An important component of the Clean Air program is also through stringent emission control at its operations using pollution control devices along with periodic monitoring & reporting.

Water is a precious and scarce resource and its limited availability is one of the key challenges of today's industry. Akin to climate change challenges, efficient water management needs immediate attention to avoid its pollution, over-allocation and improve equitable access across the globe. Welspun strives to tackle this water challenge given its facilities are located in water-starved zones and processing operations are highly water-intensive, making it imperative to be judicious in its usage. Welspun has implemented a unique project in the area of water management at Anjar through the establishment of a 30 MLD Sewage treatment plant to meet its water requirement. The project involves a running partnership with the local municipal bodies of Gandhidham, Adipur & Anjar, where the company collects, transports and treats public sewage at its Sewage treatment Plant and uses the treated water for its operational purposes. The project helps recycle nearly 7 billion litres of sewage water annually.

The STP project is supplemented by our own efforts at reducing water intensity in our processing operations by adopting various resource efficient technologies. This has enabled us to reduce our water intensity/kg of processed goods much below the industry average.

Rainwater harvesting: At Anjar, the company has established a large Rainwater Harvesting pond enabling freshwater availability for the company as well as the neighbouring communities. The project has also helped in reviving the biodiversity of the region by attracting the migratory bird species in the area.

With the World Economic Forum having listed Water as a driver of global risk for everything from mass migration, health crisis to conflict the significance of this project couldn’t have been stressed more.

As a fast-growing home textiles major, the company emphasises on achieving high product quality while creating a positive environmental & social impact. With a view to replace conventional raw materials with Organic & Sustainable raw materials, Welspun India is consistently increasing its sourcing of BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) & Organic Cotton. The company aims to achieve 100% sustainable cotton including organic, BCI by 2030. There is a concerted effort by the Agronomy team to encourage cotton farmers in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana for enhancing sustainable cotton cultivation by shifting to natural fertilisers & pesticides. These efforts help in improving soil health and enhance organic carbon content of the soil, improving soil fertility and crop productivity. A major program is underway through training of over 14,000 farmers on Good Agricultural Practices that reinforces the sustainable cotton program of Welspun.

Soil restoration is also supported through the extensive tree plantation drive in and around our plant areas. We have planted around 3,00,000 saplings till date at Anjar. Tree plantation is aimed to build soil nutrition and soil health for the future. The extensive tree plantation has nourished and supported the local biodiversity.

The company is also preventing land pollution by reducing the waste being sent to landfill by adopting circularity - conversion of waste fabric to cotton fibre which can be repurposed back in the process. We are also focussed on replacing the use of virgin polyester used in manufacturing with recycled polyester made from post-consumer PET bottles preventing them from reaching landfills. The company is also reducing its high calorific value waste disposal to landfills through recycling and reuse in power generation. This has resulted in reduction of over 80% of such wastes being sent to landfill.

In order to transform from linear to circular systems, we focus on pre as well as post-consumer waste. So, we are involved in plastic recycling for packaging as we have replaced virgin polyester with recycled LDPE, and we also reduce plastic consumption by using textile waste. Recycled paper also accounts for 85% of carton usage at the Anjar factory.

Moreover, horticulture and kitchen waste are used in the biogas plant for producing compost and energy, and PET bottles are recycled at an NGO run by women. We also run a social initiative called Spun, which is not only based on upcycling but also dedicated to women empowerment. At Spun, 2 tonnes of factory waste is recycled every month, which is used by our highly skilled, creative women to create beautiful, handmade products.

Along with this, we keep investing in sustainability-driven innovations by collaborating with start-ups in partnership with Fashion for Good.