Page 14 - MMI- Nov-Dec-2021

OPED

TOWARDS A GREEN FUTURE

Industry experts share their take on why using renewable energy is crucial
for sustainable engineering and enlist the challenges in deploying it in

manufacturing facilities in India and the benefits derived out of it in terms of
savings and environmental protection.

is already underway, and man- nies to invest in research and
ufacturers in India have begun development to deploy new
to be more conscientious about and efficient methodologies for
how they can optimize the use better performance.
of resources and materials, low-
er emissions, and up machine Walking the talk
efficiency to reduce wastage. At Flex, sustainability is in our
One of the key methods that DNA. We strive to drive a tangi-
sustainable manufacturing can ble measurable difference in all
become a reality is by adopting that we do, including our journey
a sustainability strategy and a towards a sustainable future.
disciplined approach towards it We are committed to signifi-
in all that a company does. To be cantly lowering emissions
Sekaran Letchumanan
Vice President, Operations focused on significantly reduc- through science-based targets
Flex India
ing greenhouse gas emissions in partnership with suppliers
across the entire manufactur- and customers, investing in our
Sustainability strategy ing and supply value chain, one communities, advancing a safe,
and disciplined approach must take a circular economy inclusive, and respectful work
The Manufacturing sector is a approach, chart a path toward environment for all, and driving
significant contributor to India’s zero waste to recycle and repur- ESG-compliant practices with
GDP and has created several op- pose materials throughout the transparency. As part of the
portunities for all stakeholders product life cycle, and remain re- United Nations’ Sustainable De-
such as employment, etc. How- sponsible in the usage of natural velopment Goals (SDG), we have
ever, it is also a major consumer resources such as water through a 92 percent growth in renew-
of energy and natural resources reduced consumption and re- able energy use year over year
such as water, while generating source-protective practices. and have reduced the incident
waste which is detrimental to Also, most manufacturers rate by 21 percent year over
the environment. Sustainability can see the value in the use of year. As part of the company’s
in manufacturing should there- emerging technologies such new long-term sustainability
fore be a critical area of focus as as Industry 4.0 and automa- strategy, we have a global sus-
we move forward. tion, which have the potential tainability program that aims to
Manufacturing to be sustain- to create significant cost and cut down operational emissions
able depends on the industry’s energy savings by an efficient in half by 2030, and we aim to
ability to develop and use sus- manufacturing process that practice this program across all
tainable materials and products incorporates remanufacturing our sites across the world.
with long lifecycles consider- and recycling initiatives. As responsible manufacturers,
POONAM PEDNEKAR The Government of India we established a solar power
Chief Copy Editor ations. It also involves the imple-
Magic Wand Media Inc mentation of systems and pro- is encouraging companies to generation system in our fa-
poonam.pednekar@ take renewable initiatives cility in Sriperumbudur near
magicwandmedia.in cesses that curtail the amount of
damage that is caused to the en- through various policies and Chennai in 2018. Almost 20
vironment, use the least amount incentives. One of the most percent of our energy require-
of resources, and are safe for all prohibiting factors is the cost ments for our factories are met
the people involved. element involved, and the by this system, and we have
The movement towards adopt- second is space constraint. offset close to 4,438 tonne of
ing sustainable manufacturing Besides this, it requires compa- CO emission per year.
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14 | November-December 2021 Modern Manufacturing India