Jindal Stainless commits to Net Zero with appointment of its first Chief Sustainability Officer

TBB BUREAU

GURUGRAM, JAN 9, 2023

Taking another step towards achieving its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals, Jindal Stainless has introduced a senior position of Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). Kalyan Kumar Bhattacherjee has been appointed as the Company’s first CSO. Bhattacherjee will be responsible for leading Jindal Stainless’ sustainability initiatives, including efforts to decarbonise and eventually reduce the carbon emissions for its current and future capacity expansion plans with the goal to achieve the Company’s Net Zero by 2050.

Commenting on the appointment, Managing Director, Jindal Stainless, Abhyuday Jindal, said, “The creation of CSO position at Jindal Stainless is a step towards setting the road for sustainable excellence in business and beyond. As a responsible Corporate that is committed to transitioning to sustainable manufacturing, we have consciously undertaken steps to reduce our carbon footprint. We reduced ~1.4 lakh tonnes of CO₂ in FY22 through various initiatives. From investing in Renewable Energy, Green Hydrogen production to introducing EVs at our manufacturing plants, we are continuously building an ecosystem that supports our Environmental, Social, and Governance goals.”

Talking about his new role, Chief Sustainability Officer, Jindal Stainless,  Kalyan Kumar Bhattacherjee said, “Sustainability has been at the forefront of Jindal Stainless’ operations and expansion plans since the beginning. We are India’s first stainless steel Company to install a Green Hydrogen Plant to manufacture stainless steel. We are continuously investing in low Carbon technologies, recycling process, digitalization and process upgradation for energy efficiency projects. I am thankful to the Company for entrusting me with this responsibility as we move to a sustainable future.”

Bhattacherjee has been associated with Jindal Stainless for over 15 years now. Prior to his new role in Jindal Stainless, he was the Vice President-Energy & ESG in the Company. As the Vice President-Energy & ESG, he has led initiatives of Enterprise ESG transformation, carbon neutrality in steel manufacturing, decarbonisation pathways, and sustainability. Overall, Mr Bhattacherjee has around three decades of experience in the steel industry.

Jindal Stainless is continuously evaluating its CO₂ emissions. The Company recently signed an agreement with RenNew Power, the country’s largest renewable energy company, to develop a utility-scale captive renewable energy project for its plant in Jajpur. This project will generate 700 million units per year using a combination of solar and wind power-generation technologies. Jindal Stainless also partnered with Hygenco India Private Limited to build a Green Hydrogen Plant in Hisar that will help in CO₂ reduction significantly. By undertaking such partnerships, Jindal Stainless is also aligning with India’s goal to achieve Net Zero by 2070.