Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) says that it will eliminate coal usage across its operations replacing it with green alternatives such as biomass and biodiesel. The company has join hands with biomass suppliers and local farmers to ensure sustainable supply of green fuel thus making it necessary for the renewable transition in n its coal-fired boilers to happen, said an HUL statement. Besides, the shift from coal to renewable energy sources has also resulted in savings for the company, it added.
To make its functioning smooth,the company has collaborated with biomass suppliers and local farmers, to ensure sustainable supply of green fuel. It also made the necessary changes for the renewable transition in its coal-fired boilers, it said.
For example, one of HUL’s largest Home Care plants, found solutions to eliminate coal usage which has helped achieve 3.5 crore in fuel savings whilst reducing 4 million kgs of CO2 emissions and increasing fuel efficiency as well, it said.
Sanjiv Mehta,Chairman and Managing Director,HUL said, “This is a milestone achievement in our Compass journey and our commitment towards achieving zero emissions in our operations by 2030. As a company, we have always strived to be people and planet positive and firmly believe that responsible business is the only way forward.”
The path leading towards zero coal had started over five years ago with Unilever committing to eliminate coal across its manufacturing operations by 2020.
“The impact of this transition not only increases HUL’s green footprint but also improves the quality of air around its factories and enhances the income of farmers through the buying of biomass,"
Willem Uijen, executive director of supply chain at HUL, shares his views that the factories responsible for manufacture Horlicks and Boost had boilers run on coal. They were converted to biomass/biodiesel boilers. HUL bought the Horlicks, Boost, Maltova and Viva brands from GSK last year and also mentioned that HUL has a network of 32 manufacturing sites across the country, covering all product categories since 98% of everything that HUL sells in India is produced in India.
He also spoke about the biomass and how the company uses includes the stubble that farmers are left with after the harvest, and sawdust. “We also used cooking oils, oils that come from refineries, or those from the production that we have, for these biomass boilers. Using stubble as biofuel provide relief to farmers thus helping them generate income from this crop waste that they used to burn, causing air pollution.
So, by stopping the use of coal—which emits one of the highest amounts of carbon dioxide among fossil fuels—HUL has removed a significant polluter and contributed to its parent’s aim of achieving net-zero emissions by 2039.
.jpg "Shaping the Future of Automotive Intelligence")
