Godrej Appliances sets new benchmarks in Green Manufacturing

Mumbai,10 May 2019: Godrej Appliances, India’s leading player in the home appliances segment, received the prestigious “Green Factory Platinum” certification by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). This certification was awarded to Godrej Appliances’ manufacturing unit based in Mohali, Punjab.  IGBC Green Factory Platinum is the highest recognition for any manufacturing company for its efforts towards developing an energy efficient, water efficient, healthy, more productive and environmentally friendly facilities.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Kamal Nandi, Business Head & EVP, Godrej Appliances said, “We are extremely happy and proud to have received this certification from a prestigious body like IGBC. This certification is a testimony of the efforts put in by Godrej to be eco-friendly in all our initiatives. Godrej is known as a pioneer and innovator in the field of appliances for good and green products like CFC-Free Refrigerators, Greenest Air Conditioners, energy efficient appliances and many others. We have been thought leaders when it comes to Sustainability, for us environment is a value that has been ingrained in our corporate DNA since our very inception. We believe that it is our duty to be responsible manufacturers, paving the way for sustainable manufacturing in the industry. The Godrej Appliances Mohali Plant is a living example of this belief.”

Mr. Hussain Shariyarr, Manufacturing Head and Senior VP, shared, “Our manufacturing unit situated in Mohali has taken the brand’s sustainability efforts to the next level, serving as a model for sustainability excellence. A logical extension for getting green building rating after being the first to get the platinum rating for our processes, our Mohali facility is in true sense comprehensively ‘green‘, with plant building and processes in place. It was the right time for the certification as the location has added a new factory shed and is expanding its production capacities. We are really proud of this new panorama of sustainability.”

Apart from the mandatory pre-requisites, the evaluation was done on five environmental categories defined by IGBC which included – Site Selection & Planning, Water Conservation, Energy Conservation, Material Conservation and Indoor Environmental Quality & Occupational Health plus one category of Innovation in Design.

The salient features that made Mohali plant stand out were:

• Extensive measures taken on soil erosion prevention & control with planned landscapes and storm water flow system covering all the available 48% of green area.

• Easily access to basic amenities like canteen, washrooms, shower-rooms and first aid, for all employees. Facilities were redesigned to be user friendly for differently abled. Night sky pollution is reduced further by restructuring the lighting in the campus.
• Rain water harvesting (RWH) system designed to capture 100% of run-off volumes from roof and non-roof surfaces with 11 rain water harvesting pits and a pond of 3606.75 cu m.
• For non-process areas, usage of water is reduced by 38% with implementation of water efficient fixtures. 100% water is recycled in the world class STP & RO plant for reuse. The turf is limited to 3.6% of total area. Draught resistant vegetation, efficient irrigation measures like use of drip irrigation in flower bed and sprinklers in lawns led to reduction in water usage.
• Use of energy efficient and non-CFC air-conditioning, metering and monitoring of energy at multiple locations, use of energy efficient equipment like LED lights, EE pumps, Solar PV, daylight panels, etc. in non-process areas, made the factory energy efficient. A simulation confirmed that as per ASHRAE, in comparison with base case, we are currently saving 20.54% of energy.
• A well-developed non-process waste collection, disposal mechanism and waste handling systems are in place. The waste generated from construction activities is reused effectively for various supporting structures. Even the material is procured from nearby suppliers within a range of 300 kms for carbon footprint reduction.
• Material conservation has been given a high prominence with the use of Certified Wood and Rapidly Renewable Building material only.
• Ventilation in office areas and factory building is significantly improved with specially designed louvers, turbo ventilators and forced ducts. Low VOC paints, green housekeeping chemicals, use of high SRI material roof and high SRI exterior paints are some of the measures taken for improving the air quality.
• Keeping employees’ health in mind there is Yoga room, Breakout spaces, Open air gym along with recreational room, football, volleyball & badminton courts for aerobic and cardiovascular exercises.
• The innovative features like 24.32% inhouse generation of renewable energy, green programs engaging occupants and public, going beyond boundaries to educate on green were highly appreciated by accessors.

The Godrej Appliances Mohali Plant which has been widely acknowledged as a model manufacturing entity, thoroughly impressed the IGBC ‘Green Factory Building’ Assessor, Dr. Shivraj Dhaka, who had the following to say: “More than a factory, I found enriched Bio-Diversity in the campus, a supplement that differentiated my experience of visiting an industrial unit.”