ITC unveils first triple bottomline report

ITC has created a total rainwater harvesting potential of 16.1 million kilolitres against its own net consumption of 8.4 million kilolitres, planted 19,500 hectares with 66 million saplings and recycled over 53 per cent of the solid waste it generated besides empowering millions of farmers through its e-choupal's providing knowledge and a trading platform to farmers, company chairman Y C Deveshwar said today in its first 'sustainability report' released to highlight its contribution across economic, ecological and social dimensions, or the `triple bottom line'.

The report claimed ITC was one of the first to release a sustainability report conforming to the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) Guidelines of 2002 jointly formulated by the US NGO (non-governmental organisation) Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies' (CERES) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The e-Choupal initiative, which uses information technology (IT) to enhance the competitiveness of Indian agriculture, had improved crop quality and productivity, while its social and farm forestry projects generated sustainable high quality raw materials for the paperboards business, Deveshwar said in the report.

Social forestry programmes helped tribals rejuvenate wastelands, generate income and helped an estimated 200,000 people in 2004 alone. Deveshwar said ITC was committed to being a `Citizen First' through its sustainable development philosophy, responsibly using resources while their business objectives and creating wealth. ITC will take care to preserve and enrich the environment, and also serve society, while being engaged in their business operations, he added.

ITC was today a 'water-positive' corporation thanks to conservation efforts and creation of rainwater harvesting potential of 16.1 million kilolitres in 2004 alone. Water-harvesting structures constructed under ITC's developmental initiatives provided critical irrigation to 8000 hectares in 2003-04.

ITC was determined to be carbon-positive and had gone in for carbon sequestration through plantations to the extent of 31 per cent of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its operations during 2003-04, Deveshwar pointed out.

Besides, CO2 emissions were reduced by using climate-neutral fuels. ITC sourced only 3 per cent of its energy requirement from the grid, as the balance came from captive generating units.

Its paperboard unit in Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh had specific energy consumption is 36.1 Giga Joules (GJ) per tonne of paperboard manufactured, as compared to the international benchmark of nearly 41 GJ per tonne of paperboard manufactured.

Deveshwar said ITC units minimised and recycled solid wastes to the extent of over 53 per cent of volume generated as part of its drive to become a zero solid waste company.

ITC's other social initiatives include imparting skills training to women, supporting women's micro credit groups, aiding government-run schools in rural India, and enhancing livestock quality.