Hindustan Zinc Burnishes Green Creds With Low Carbon Zinc Launch EcoZen

Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL), India’s largest and the world’s second-largest integrated zinc producer, has launched EcoZen, its low carbon ‘green’ zinc brand today. Recognized as the world’s most sustainable metals & mining company as per S&P Global CSA, the company has launched Asia’s first low carbon ‘green’ zinc offering for its customers worldwide, to hit markets next month onwards.

HZL says that EcoZen has been certified as low-carbon zinc by a renowned global sustainability consulting firm through a life cycle assessment (LCA) and has a carbon footprint of less than one tonne of carbon equivalent per tonne of zinc produced. Manufactured using renewable energy, the carbon footprint of EcoZen is about 75% lower than the global average, it claims.

The primary application of zinc is for galvanization of steel to protect it from corrosion hence it is a critical mineral essential for modern life. It is important for its role in sectors such as steel, infrastructure, automotive and sunrise sectors such as renewable energy, electronics, hi-tech manufacturing, energy storage, defence and electric mobility. According to HZL, this newest offering will lead to a total carbon emission avoidance of about 400 kgs across their value chain in galvanizing one tonne of steel with Hindustan Zinc’s EcoZen.

The brand EcoZen alludes to the “best of eco-sensitivity and peace-of-mind of a top quality, sustainable low-carbon product that stands the test of time”.

Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Chairperson- Hindustan Zinc and Non-Executive Director Vedanta Group, said, “Sustainability continues to be at the core of all our business decisions. Hindustan Zinc being #1 in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, is testament to our commitment of building a sustainable future. Today, the launch of EcoZen is another leap in our journey of becoming Net Zero by 2050. By setting global benchmarks in the field of ESG, Vedanta’s Hindustan Zinc is revolutionizing the natural resources industry by creating safer, smarter and more sustainable operations & products.”

Speaking on the occasion of the product launch, Arun Misra, CEO Hindustan Zinc Limited expressed, “The launch of EcoZen marks a historic milestone in our journey of decarbonizing our operations, also serving environmentally conscious customers who are discerning about the origin of the raw materials they use and aim to decarbonize their supply chain. This is a major milestone in our product strategy, in line with Hindustan Zinc’s net-zero goals.”

Hindustan Zinc in alignment with its verified SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative) targets of reducing its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 is taking mitigating efforts to reduce carbon footprint. To mitigate its carbon footprint, the company has been increasing the quantum of renewable energy in its existing power mix besides improving operational efficiency. The company recently announced that it has started receiving the first flow of round-the-clock renewable energy as part of its 450 MW power delivery agreement with Serentica renewables. This is in addition to its existing 40.7 MW of captive solar power. These initiatives have helped Hindustan Zinc reduce its GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions intensity by 14% in FY24 from 2020.

As one of the global leaders in Zinc, Silver and lead, HZL supplies to more than 40 countries across Europe, South America, Oceania and the Middle East. The company’s zinc offerings are the first in the country to be Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) verified – providing comparable data on the product’s environmental footprint, along with ISO and BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certifications for quality. Additionally, the company also has REACH quality certification for exporting its products to Europe.

The former PSU firm is a Vedanta Group company since 2002, when the Anil Agarwal led Vedanta first acquired a 26% stake in the firm, followed by an additional 20% through an open offer. It has gone from strength to strength since, and is the world’s second-largest zinc producer and the third-largest silver producer globally now. The company produces 1 million tonnes of zinc, a 10x increase over the 100k tonnes in 2002. The company holds a market share of about 75% of the primary zinc market in India. Hindustan Zinc is also a certified 2.41 times Water-Positive company and is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.

 

By Yash Singh