Hindalco Ranked World’s Most Sustainable Aluminium Co: Dow Jones Sustainability Indices 2020

Hindalco Industries, the metals flagship of Aditya Birla Group, has been ranked as the Aluminium Industry Leader for its sustainability performance in the 2020 edition of the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) rankings, the company said in a statement. Hindalco, the statement said, is the only company from India to be recognised as an Industry Leader this year. Industry Leaders are the top-performing companies in each of the 61 industries represented in the DJSI. Hindalco got a total score of 75 points as against the industry average of 51. 

The ranking is an affirmation of Hindalco’s commitment to operations under a Resilient, Responsible and Reliable business model, it added. 

According to the statement, Hindalco’s was scored in the 100th percentile in most aspects of all three dimensions of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in the DJSI Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). The ESG assessment dimensions included aspects like climate strategy, biodiversity, environment and social reporting, water-related risks, policy influence, customer relationship management, human capital development, among others. 

Hindalco had made its debut on the DJSI last year entering the emerging markets index and had scored 60 points in 2019 placing it at number 3 among in the aluminium industry globally. 

Satish Pai, Managing Director, Hindalco Industries Ltd, said, “The ranking is a profound affirmation of our commitment to our Resilient, Responsible and Reliable business model. Achieving the position of Industry Leader is a recognition of our pioneering initiatives and consistent efforts to transform the global aluminium manufacturing sector to a more sustainable one. We are happy that we have shown significant improvement in our overall sustainability scores from 60 to 75 in the past year, which is both an indication that we are very much on the right path, as well as an inspiration for us to accelerate this journey.”

Manjit Jus, Global Head, ESG Research and Data, S&P Global, said, “We congratulate Hindalco for being a DJSI Industry Leader in the Aluminium Industry and a member of DJSI Emerging Markets. A DJSI distinction is a reflection of being a sustainability leader in the Aluminium industry. With a record number of companies participating in the 2020 Corporate Sustainability Assessment and more stringent rules for inclusion this year, this sets Hindalco apart and rewards its continued commitment to people and planet.”

The aluminium industry has an important and significant role to play in the circular economy. It can contribute to lower waste and energy savings in the products it produces. Aluminium products can contribute to energy savings in the production process and use phase, as aluminium is lightweight and its recycling consumes significantly less energy than most other materials. 

Hindalco has taken a number of innovative steps on the sustainability front. In a global-first initiative to create value out of aluminium processing by-product, Hindalco has tied-up with cement manufacturers to use red mud as a replacement for mined resources. This is a pioneering effort in reducing the environmental impact on both aluminium and cement sectors. Hindalco is the first aluminium company in the world to achieve this breakthrough on red mud utilization.  

Hindalco’s efforts in product stewardship revolve around sustainable transportation and logistics. India’s first lightweight aluminium trailer and bulker, which helps transporters save up to 15,000 litres of fuel per trailer, was developed and commercialised by Hindalco. Another initiative is on sustainable packaging, a combination of aluminium and jute bags, for food items.

The DJSI combine S&P DJSI’s transparent rules-based index methodology with robust data from SAM’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), an annual evaluation of companies’ sustainability practices. Each year, SAM evaluates more than 7,300 companies around the world.