Sustainability has become a natural part of our everyday lives. Corporate responsibility has called for actions to protect the environment and increase safety and efficiency.
GREEN INITIATIVES
Green initiatives have been major focuses over the past several years. Protecting natural resources and reducing carbon footprints are goals for many businesses so that future generations can meet their needs. Governments around the world have even designed laws designated to advance sustainability practices, such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and Renewable Fuel Standards.
The changes made include reducing emissions, recycling materials, using natural energy sources, and using cleaner fuels. Incorporating solar and wind energy, recycling water through water reservoirs, switching to LED lighting, and digitization all help conserve energy and natural resources.
A Simon-Kucher & Partners survey found that in the past 5 years, 85% of consumers have shifted to purchasing products that are produced sustainably and 34% are willing to pay more for them. Also, 71% of job seekers want to work for environmentally responsible companies according to an IBM Institute study.
LONG-TERM PLANNING
Sustainability involves long term planning for an organization to deliver a positive outcome. BKT has been a leader in sustainability for several years. It has been the key to healthy growth and producing tires responsibly. Because of the green energy generated through wind and solar projects on the manufacturing sites, many of the electrical needs of the plants are being met. The first windmill was set up in 2004, and now green energy supplies 50% of the electricity for the production plants in North India.
Many other improvements have been made to the manufacturing facilities over the past few years. Coal fire burners have been replaced with gas fired boilers. This reduced coal consumption and emissions, reduced noise levels, and created electricity and cost savings. Large on-site water reservoirs capture water to recycle and reuse in production, and solar panels have been installed to produce energy in the plants.
CARBON BLACK PLANT
In 2018, BKT received approval to build their own Carbon Black plant. This helped reduce the environmental footprints and costs of imports and transport, but also ensured availability of the key raw material. As of March 2022, BKT had the capacity to produce 138,000 MT of carbon black per year, meeting 100% of their requirements in-house with the ability to sell 30% to the external market.
The impact of these green initiatives has earned BKT several certifications and awards for sustainability practices. The ISO 14001:2015 certification and the District Sustainability Award by the US Department of Energy & Environment has been obtained, as well as both National and State Energy Conservation Awards.
CLOSING THOUGHT
BKT is dedicated to continuing toward their path to full sustainability by conserving water, managing waste, and materials management. The goal is for all plants to be fed with solar power by 2025 and to decrease greenhouse gases by 25% by 2025.
For More Information:
To learn more about BKT, visit bkt-tires.com.
Modern Contractor Solutions, November 2022
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