India’s largest and the world’s second-largest integrated zinc producer, Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) has launched its low carbon ‘green’ zinc under the brand EcoZen for its customers worldwide. This will be Asia’s first low carbon ‘green’ zinc offering by the company, recognised as the world’s most sustainable metals and mining venture, according to S&P Global CSA.
EcoZen has been certified as low-carbon zinc by a renowned global sustainability consulting firm through a life cycle assessment and has a carbon footprint of less than one tonne of carbon equivalent per tonne of zinc produced. Manufactured using renewable energy, the carbon footprint of EcoZen is about 75 per cent lower than the global average. The product’s certification process is based on a mass-balance approach and has been undertaken using the cradle to gate method. Comprising about 8 per cent of the company’s total zinc portfolio as of now, the share of EcoZen will be raised to about 35 per cent by next year.
“The launch of EcoZen marks a historic milestone in our journey of decarbonising our operations, while also serving environmentally conscious customers, who are discerning about the origin of the raw materials they use and aim to decarbonise their supply chain,” affirmed Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc, while speaking on the occasion of the product launch in Mumbai recently. “This is a major step in our product strategy, in line with HZL’s net-zero goals. Produced with a carbon footprint of less than one tonne of carbon equivalent, EcoZen represents one of the most sustainable low carbon zinc options in the market and plays a major role in protecting infrastructure and in technologies for the low carbon transition.”
Global benchmarks
“Sustainability continues to be at the core of all our business decisions,” informs Priya Agarwal Hebbar, chairperson, Hindustan Zinc & non-executive director, Vedanta group. “HZL’s being #1 in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment is testament to our commitment to build a sustainable future. The launch of EcoZen is another leap in our journey of becoming Net Zero by 2050. By setting global benchmarks in the field of ESG, Vedanta’s Hindustan Zinc is revolutionising the natural resources industry by creating safer, smarter and more sustainable operations & products,” she adds.
HZL, in alignment with its verified SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative) targets of reducing its carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, is taking mitigating efforts to reduce carbon footprint. To mitigate its carbon footprint, the company is augmenting the quantum of renewable energy in its existing power mix and also improving operational efficiency. The company recently announced that it has started receiving the first flow of round-the-clock renewable energy as part of its 450 MW power delivery agreement. This is in addition to its existing 40.7 MW of captive solar power. These initiatives have helped the company reduce its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 14 per cent in 2023-24 over 2019-20.
The company offers one of the largest zinc product portfolios in the world and is focussed on a ‘customer-first’ approach to product innovation. It supplies to more than 40 countries across Europe, South America, Oceania and the Middle East. Its customer technical services team and Centre of Excellence work closely with customers to serve their emerging needs as per their specifications. Committed to providing the topmost quality products, the company’s zinc offerings are the first in the country in terms of Environmental Product Declaration verified – providing comparable data on the product’s environmental footprint, along with ISO and BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certifications for quality. Additionally, the company also has REACH quality certification for exporting its products to Europe. HZL is also a certified 2.41 times water-positive company and is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.
The primary application of zinc is in galvanising steel to protect it from corrosion. Hence, it is a critical mineral, essential for modern life. It is important for its role in steel, infrastructure and automotive industries, as also sunrise sectors, such as renewable energy, electronics, high-tech manufacturing, energy storage, defence and electric mobility. EcoZen demonstrates HZL’s commitment to decarbonise its operations as well as provide its customers with an unmatched competitive advantage, offering its customers more sustainable choices. The introduction of EcoZen will lead to a total carbon emission avoidance of about 400 kg across its value chain in galvanising one tonne of steel.