Ashoka Buildcon Ltd. released its new initiatives towards environmental and social aspects for the fiscal year of 2023-24, which signifies a more specific concentration toward sustainability, waste management, and generally human welfare.
These initiatives fulfilled the main objective of the company—sustainability and giving back to the future in both ways: environment and community that such projects will impact.
Green Innovations
A notable activity from the company is the adoption of an eco-friendly road reuse technique in its milling activities. This technology has benefits for waste reduction and sustainable construction. The company has brought in a new energy-efficient technology into its Hot Mix Plant (HMP), thereby increasing the energy efficiency within the operations.
The biogas initiative by Ashoka Buildcon in Nashik is also towards renewable energy. It has a daily production rate of 1 ton, using food wastes and cow dung as inputs; the created biogas could help reduce emissions and provide an alternative source of sustainable energy for adjacent communities. In pursuit of these ends, the company is promoting the adaptation of solar plants at all toll plazas and corporate offices, besides electric vehicles at project sites, in a bid to achieve reductions of 564 tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) by FY 2023-24.
Waste Management Activities
Waste management activities are aligned with the 3R approach: reduce, reuse, and recycle. In FY 2023-24, Ashoka Buildcon recycled and processed significant volumes of waste, including 22 tons of plastic waste and 21 tons of e-waste. These are the social engagements of the company toward a lesser environmental footprint and engagement with the circular economy.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives
In line with its corporate social responsibility, Ashoka Buildcon has continued to focus on health and education infrastructure in tribal communities. CSR projects have been targeted at building and upgrading health units as well as education facilities. Such upgraded facilities provided much-needed services for these unreached populations.
The company also established a grievance mechanism that addresses environmental, health, and safety complaints. This system allows all employees, workers, and members of the community to air grievances so that problems are identified, addressed, and solved as quickly as possible.
Human Rights and Employee Care
Ashoka Buildcon incorporates human rights considerations into its business-to-business agreements. It therefore imprints social responsibility within its operations. Agreements in the company reflect a commitment to protect workers and local communities and further immersion in topics of sustainability beyond environmental impacts.
The company presently employs 2,201 workers, and the permanent account is at 1,442, of which the remaining are non-permanent, which amounts to 759. Of these, 65 are female, translating to 2.95% of the total, besides two differently-abled employees besides permanent staff. These represent the company trying to produce a diverse and more varied workforce.
Health and Safety Measures
The health of the employees at Ashoka Buildcon is also taken good care of, as 100% of permanent employees are covered with full insurance. Medical, accident, and maternity covers are there for female workers. The company also plans to spend 0.09% on the revenue for its well-being program as a whole.
In terms of safety, Ashoka Buildcon has offered comprehensive training programs. The key managerial personnel were corporately governed and went through the regulatory updates, while other employees underwent training in 62% of the area, and workers received training in 48% on HSE management and safety procedures. This is very crucial in minimizing accidents and ensuring that the work environment is safely maintained across all project sites.
Emergency Preparedness and Compliance
It has established and implemented a disaster preparedness and response emergency response plan at each of its project sites. It delivers training to its employees and workers regularly with mock drills, thus keeping them highly prepared in case any disaster strikes.
Its compliance with the statute is maintained through board review on a periodical basis that has taken care of all regulatory and guideline requirements. This has seen the reflective governance in its operations and marked the desired compliance in its respective business.
Conclusion
Ashoka Buildcon’s environmental and social initiatives for FY 2023-24 are well-balanced sustainability and corporate responsibility practices. To further improve the lives of the employees and the communities around it and minimize its negative effects on the environment, the company can also engage in waste management programs, renewable energy projects, employee welfare programs, and social initiatives. As the company continues on this track, it is not losing sight of its aspiration of becoming a significant player in the more environmentally friendly and socially responsible future that is expected to materialize in the following years.
Source: BRSR
Credit: Ashoka Buildcon Ltd.