UltraTech Cement Limited has announced that it has conserved 105 million cubic metres of water in FY24 making it five times water positive in line with its stated ambition. The 105 million cubic metres of water conserved includes the water it has reused, recycled, harvested and recharged both within its unit premises and through community interventions. This is an increase of over 20 million cubic metres of water conserved in FY23.

Through its watershed management approaches and community-driven initiatives, UltraTech focuses not just on water conservation, but also on enriching lives and livelihoods.  Additionally, UltraTech has also set up Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) plants at several of its manufacturing Units to enable the reuse of 100 per cent treated water within the Units.

UltraTech’s watershed projects focus on delivering four main objectives: 

  • Effective natural resource management for sustainable use and conservation
  • Increased farm productivity through the implementation of advanced agricultural practices
  • Promotion of livelihood activities to create economic opportunities for local people
  • Empowering women through the establishment of community-based organisations, enabling their active participation and decision-making.

Furthermore, the company has so far constructed 191 check dams and 97 rainwater harvesting structures, soak pits and large ponds through its community watershed projects. 

During FY24, UltraTech has made progress across its key focus areas of sustainability namely decarbonisation, energy transition, circular economy, biodiversity management, water conservation, safe operations and community development. Its net CO2 emission intensity has decreased to 556 kg/tonne of cementitious products in FY24 compared to 632 kg/tonne of cementitious products in 2017, in line with its target of a 27 per cent reduction in carbon intensity by 2032. 

The company has also stated its intent to not invest any further in thermal power capacity as part of its capacity expansion projects, thus further reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and increasing the use of green energy in its operations. As part of its RE100 commitment, it has increased its renewable energy capacity by 77 per cent and WHRS capacity by 32 per cent from FY23. The current capacity as of FY24 stands at 612 MW of RE and 278 MW of WHRS. 

Moreover, the company has utilised over 33 million tonnes of recycled and alternative raw materials in cement production in FY 24. In addition to this, over 1.5 million tonnes of alternative fuels was utilised by the Company in FY24. In fact, it has also adopted the Miyawaki afforestation method to increase green cover at its manufacturing sites.