ACC achieved the highest recognition of ‘Outstanding Accomplishment’, under Corporate Excellence category at CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2019. The Award recognizes the way ACC integrates sustainability into governance, strategy, business processes and demonstrates through results the sustainable impact it is making on business and stakeholders. CII-ITC also conferred ACC Chanda Cement Works with the “Commendation for Significant Achievement in Environment Management” for its innovative approaches, policies and practices in reducing environmental impact.
“We are delighted to receive the “Outstanding Accomplishment” award in the Corporate Excellence category of the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2019. At ACC, we are committed to generating a third of our turnover from enhanced sustainability solutions, and optimizing our value chain towards practices that progressively reduce our environmental impact. ACC aspires to become carbon-neutral, bio-diversity and water positive, as well as plastic-negative,” says Sridhar Balakrishnan, Managing Director & CEO, ACC Ltd.
ACC demonstrates outstanding performance across all three pillars of sustainability excellence—people, planet and profit. Its sustainability strategy is led by its Sustainable Development (SD) 2030 Plan that focuses on four broad themes of Climate, Circular Economy, Water and Nature and People and Communities.
Climate: ACC has taken several CO2 emission intensity reduction measures such as clinker factor reduction, Waste Heat Recovery (WHR), renewable energy and adoption of new technologies. With 505 kg/t of cement, ACC maintains one of the lowest specific CO2 emissions in the world.
Circular Economy: By using slag and fly ash, and co-processing waste in its cement kilns to recover fractional material value from waste, ACC brings the concept of circular economy to life. In 2019, ACC utilised ~12.5 million tonnes of waste-derived resources reducing the extraction of fresh resources such as limestone, consumption of fossil fuel, and quantum of waste being dumped in landfills, which also leads to a reduced CO2 footprint.
Water & Nature: Through process optimisation and upgradation to water efficient technologies, installation of Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP), rain water harvesting and other measures, ACC is making every effort to reduce consumption of fresh water in its operations. ACC adopts sustainable mining practices and plants more than 100,000 native species trees every year.
People & Communities: ACC facilitates the empowerment and holistic development of local communities around its plants particularly in the areas of skills building, quality education, water and sanitation, benefiting over half a million people across 215 villages.