The World Recycling Day is celebrated on March 18, to increase people’s awareness of the harmful effects of plastics in the world.
Tier 1 supplier Spark Minda has set an ambitious approach towards sustainability under its philosophy of ‘Transforming towards Sustainable Mobility’. Sanjay Gupta, President & CEO, Advanced Technologies, Spark Minda, says the company has actively undertaken several initiatives to minimise its environmental footprint through the diligent use of resources such as fuel, electricity, water, and raw material. It aims to ensure ecologically responsible value creation by the group.
“Our all-embracing sustainable operations strategy encompasses responsible materials management, energy management, GHG emissions reduction, water and effluents management, and waste management contributing to reducing the carbon footprint. We strongly promote sustainable and local sourcing of products. In fact, with changing dynamics of auto component manufacturing sector, we have underlined our focus on lightweight construction, carbon emissions and transmission to electric vehicles.”
He says the company has also setup an in-house R&D facility for EV solutions that is high in quality, scalable, and cost-effective. “This has helped us minimise our impact on the environment and maximise value for all our stakeholders. We will continue to adopt and integrate more environmentally conscious measures in our business practices,” he adds.
Optimal utilisation of resources
As is the case for organisation, there is a growing need for higher utilisation of resources for the production of finished goods as it makes for an integral part of the sustainable operations processes in the manufacturing cycle. Spark Minda is working towards rationalising the material consumption, especially for virgin material.
Most of the metal scrap generated during manufacturing is recycled or reused during the operations itself. Gupta says the recycled material can be used to a certain extent in the manufacturing process provided it meets the preferred requirement of health, safety, and quality standards.
He further states that the company is closely working with its suppliers to reduce its carbon footprint. For example, as part of its product packaging, it has tried to replace ‘single-use’ boxes with reusable bins and promote the reuse of packaging materials among others.
“The use of recycled materials in auto components manufacturing is an important step towards sustainable production. In addition to recycled metals, there are several other recovered materials that are utilised by auto component suppliers,” says Gupta.
He mentions that plastics are widely used in auto components, and the use of recycled plastics can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the automotive industry. These could be used across a wide range of applications, including interior components, exterior body panels, and engine components.
Rubber is another material commonly used in auto components, and the use of recycled rubber can reduce waste and the need for fresh raw materials. It can be used in a variety of applications, including tyres, floor mats, and engine mounts.
“By adopting a two-pronged approach of reducing waste generation and the need for fresh raw materials, the automotive industry can significantly reduce its environmental impact and move towards a more circular economy,” he concludes.