Today, chemical companies in India are introducing practices that are expected to benefit the environment in the long run. Most companies are actually striving to ensure that sustainability is not compartmentalised and is introduced as a concept at all stages of the supply chain and to all stakeholders. A successful implementation of sustainability can be seen through the substantial savings of energy, water, and even reduction in Green House Gases (GHG) by the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of Iso Butylbenzene (IBB) to the chemical industry. IBB is used to manufacture Ibuprofen—a bulk drug, and is also used to make perfumes that many organizations in the chemical industry work with. In order to become sustainable, the supplier implemented practices and guidelines laid down by Together for Sustainability (TfS), a group consisting of major chemical manufacturing companies.
The company reviewed its existing practices and improved them to meet TfS' international standards. This entailed environmental policy encompassing environmental and work place monitoring, energy and water conservation, ground water management, etc.; labour practices and business ethics comprising human rights and labour practices, and grievance redressal system; and sustainable procurement policy covering environmental and social factors. In an audit conducted by EcoVadis, which provides solutions for monitoring sustainability in the global supply chain, the company ranked among the top 2% of the suppliers assessed.
While, the industry has made a notable contribution to sustainability, and it is gradually becoming visible in the entire supply chain, there is a need to consolidate efforts to adopt sustainable practices across the board. The existing and upcoming players, irrespective of their operational size and strength, need to work together, in order to make a change in the industry. It is only then that the Indian chemical industry can become truly sustainable, something that it is quite capable of doing!
Author of the article is Rüediger Eberhard- President for Together for Sustainability (TfS) and Chief Procurement Officer at Evonik
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