India aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2070. Responding to the call for increased ambition in its 2030 climate targets, the country updated its Nationally Determined Contributions in August 2022.  The growing focus globally on prioritization of the ESG (Environmental, social, and corporate governance) at the corporate level is also making the chemical industry renew its commitment to meeting the targets set by respective authorities.

In this context, India's leading chemical players shared their vision and strategies at the 4th edition of Indian Chemicals Council (ICC) Sustainability Conclave held in New Delhi on November 17-18, 2022. The event was themed, ‘Boardrooms to Community- ESG, Carbon Neutrality, Operational Safety, Greener Solutions.’ 

“It took one and half years for us to create realistic views for ESG. We ensured that it is not out of sight and eventually it resulted in the fact that we are not burning even a single kilogram of coal at our plants, meaning we are a zero coal burning entity. We have taken a call that we won’t allow any product that is made by burning coal. We are investing in a new product and working with a European company.  We plan to be zero carbon emission by March, 2023,” said Ranjeet Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Kanoria Chemicals. 

Ravi Goenka, CMD, Laxmi Organic Industries said, “The 70% of the workforce do their activities in shifts and we don’t have any women in the same. We must consider even small things and focus on frugal innovation. Safety, water conservation and zero liquid discharge are the primary areas of focus. ESG for innovation might be a criteria and question but not heard from any Indian bank on it.”

“Recognition of the need for sustainability has witnessed a change. Sustainability is not just for chemical industry stakeholders but everybody. We have defined targets for nine areas. Carbon neutrality for the soda ash industry by 2050. There are 40 transition projects to reduce carbon usage. It is noteworthy to mention that 38% of our energy in India comes from renewable sources. All our new projects have methodologies and we have a unique strategy.  I would rate our initiatives as 7 out of 10 on ESG. We have defined our targets,” said Mukesh Malhotra, Country Manager & Managing Director, Solvay, India.

“In 2003, we introduced sustainability and in 2019, we laid down targets in energy and water conservation. We are moving to achieve these. From 2.5% earlier to the current 6%, and we plan to take it to 10% in the next few years. In my opinion, coal will be a hard nut to crack. Moving to biomass completely is a challenge due to the design of the reactors. At the global level, ESG has become a norm for suppliers,” said Anil Khubchandani, CO-CEO and Whole Time Director, Jubilant Ingrevia.

“We haven’t heard from any bank about the financial integration on the ESG. I would give 7 out of 10 in ratings on ESG as we have a dedicated General Manager for ESG initiatives. We have created a manual for the activities and we are doing monthly meetings for the same. It is a continuous process,” said Yogesh M. Kothari, CMD, Alkyl Amines Chemicals Limited.

As a two-day conclave, ICC Sustainability Conclave 2022 broadly focused on the topics such as ESG in Boardrooms: Vision and Strategies for value creation; Decarbonizing the Chemical Sector: Reflections to Actions Product; Stewardship: Going beyond Regulatory Landscape; Unlocking the potential of Digital Transformation for Sustainability; Exploring Green Growth Opportunities: Solutions & Technologies; Leveraging Cleaner Energy Transitions; Safety promotes Sustainability; Embracing Net-Zero Transition: Risks & Opportunities; and Session by UNEP -Plastic Pollution: Strengthening the Role of the Industry.

Various speakers expressed their views on climate, sustainable development and the steps that could be taken in this direction. CEOs and representatives of the Indian and global chemical companies, people working in EHS dept. in companies; Central and State Government officials, Pollution Control Boards, international multilateral organizations, Global chemical industry bodies and experts from Academia and civil society organizations are participating in the event.

The annual flagship event is a major initiative of ICC for promoting sustainability in the management of the entire life cycle of chemicals.

Indian Chemical News was one of the leading official media partners of the event.