The United Nation celebrates World Environment Day on June 5 every year. It’s an opportunity to encourage worldwide awareness and action to preserve our environment. At AM International, we believe ecological mindfulness is a critical business responsibility, and the conservation of natural resources is key to our manufacturing competitiveness.

This year also marks the beginning of the ‘UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’ (2021-2030). The decade will focus on preventing, halting and reversing the damage to ecosystems. It marks the transition to healing the planet. The global movement will include reviving billions of hectares, from forests to farmlands, from the top of mountains to the depth of the sea. Fittingly, the theme for World Environment Day 2021 is ecosystem restoration, and its theme is “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.”

The group companies of AM International celebrate World Environment Day every year by hosting drives to plant trees and activities that spread awareness. We also realise that protecting the planet is a year-round responsibility that requires consistent efforts. Hence, our teams work persistently to integrate sustainability into our plant processes and business practices. The group companies at AM International are committed to:

• continually improve operations to reduce our average impact on the environment
• minimise waste generation and maximise recovery and recycling efforts
• comply with the region’s environmental legislation and regulations
• create environmental awareness among customers, employees, suppliers, and the community

AM International’s environmental goals in action

Switching to alternate energy and recyclable resources is an essential aspect of our efforts to build a sustainable future for the planet. We are actively working to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and do our bit to combat global warming and protect the environment.

Here’s a look at some of the initiatives by our group companies that take AM International closer to our environmental goals:

Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Ltd

Our flagship company, Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC), follows several measures to monitor and control pollution to minimise the impact of its activities on the environment. The recent commission of a direct pipeline from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)’s facility at its Tuticorin factory in Tamil Nadu enabled SPIC to enter the Natural Gas era. Being a green fuel, this development bolsters the company’s efforts to adopt environment-friendly practices. It is a critical step in SPIC’s progress to green and modern manufacturing. The company’s other measures include renewing the urea plant reactor, online monitoring of ammonia and particulate matter in the urea prilling tower, installing effluent quality monitoring system, online monitoring of ammonia plant-reformer flue gas stack Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) analyser and optimising the steam network.

Manali Petrochemicals

Manali Petrochemicals (MPL) has eliminated the use of fresh water in its manufacturing processes. Instead, the company uses 100 per cent treated sewage water. The switch helps MPL to reduce water wastage which ultimately contributes to the company’s objective of optimal water management. The company is also moving towards the use of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) in all its processes to lower the environmental impact of combustion. MPL has also taken the responsibility to create a green belt in the industrial area around its Plant-1 to mitigate the effects of industrial activity.

Tamilnadu Petroproducts

Tamilnadu Petroproducts (TPL) is equipped with a waste air de-chlorination system that absorbs released chlorine and prevents chlorine emission into the environment. The company uses recycled water from the Tertiary Treated Reverse Osmosis (TTRO) plant and from its in-house Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant to encourage freshwater conservation. Over the last two years, the company has made conscious choices to invest in cleaner fuel to enhance the plants’ eco-efficiency. Some examples include switching from fuel oil to LNG, atomising steam reduction in the furnace and improving heater efficiency.

Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals & Fertilisers

Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals & Fertilisers (TFL) is the first and only company to have installed a carbon capture unit to manufacture soda ash. The installation allows TFL to recover Carbon dioxide (CO2), harmful greenhouse gas and convert it to soda ash which is then supplied to global customers. The unique and pioneering process can capture and process up to 60,000 MT of CO2 that would otherwise have been emitted into the atmosphere. In 2020, TFL won the ‘Partnership of the Year’ Award from Unilever for supporting its clean future agenda in South India.

Greenam Energy

Greenam Energy is committed to introducing new-age technologies that optimise sustainable and green energy production norms. The company is installing a 24 MW floating solar power plant, one of the first in India. Once completed, the project will fulfil SPIC’s electricity needs, and the surplus will be supplied to state power utilities. Spread over 62 acres, the project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions to the tune of 50 million kg per annum. Simultaneously, it will save freshwater evaporation up to 100 million gallons per annum from SPIC’s raw water reservoirs.

All of us at AM International recognise that today’s intentional actions will enable our businesses to be future-ready and contribute to a better world tomorrow. A robust and practical framework for sustainability is vital in this context. The strategy will be integral to create new-age opportunities, continually improve our operational performance and positively impact the entire stakeholder value chain.