The current Covid challenge that businesses are facing globally is expected to be short lived but what industries continue to battle with for a very long time is severe water shortage.
Every product that you buy needs water during its manufacturing process. So,specific to the automotive industry, do you know that approximately 147,631 litres or 39,000 gallons of water is required to produce a single new car including its tyres? Therefore, companies are increasing looking at solutions to conserve this precious resource in factories and production activities.
Taiwan’s Maxxis Tyres, which has its 106-acre India manufacturing plant in Sanand, Gujarat has been taking pre-emptive and corrective measures to save every drop of water and target sustainability.
The company, which manufactures two-wheeler tyres at its plant, says that as an environmentally conscious brand, it is committed to help conserve the environment and has committed towards the government’s ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ (Water Energy Movement) that focuses on water conservation.
This, it says, is achieved by various means including rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies, reuse of water as well as recharging of structures, and watershed development and intensive afforestation.
A zero-discharge facility
Its local entity Maxxis Rubber India claims that the Sanand facility boasts of one of the most effective water stewardship programs in India. Its efficient Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) and Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) have accorded the plant its status of a ‘Zero Liquid Discharge’ facility. It means that the plant discharges no liquid effluent into the surface water, which effectively eliminates the environmental pollution associated with treatment.
The process also makes effective use of wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse, thereby contributing to water conservation through reduced intake of fresh water.
The manufacturing unit also has a unique peripheral trench for water conservation which collects and stores rainwater and further discharges it into the ground through 22 recharge stations, rather than allowing it to run off completely.
Moreover, the company says that the trenches near every building inside its premises are also designed in a way that maximum rainwater from the roofs, as well as surface water can be collected in the peripheral trench. The total capacity of the peripheral trench approximately stands at 12,600 cubic metres and can be stored at a single time.
On an average, Maxxis India recycles around 2,000 cubic metres of water every month and the residual water after recycling is further used for plantation and cleaning purposes. The increasing groundwater draft caters to its domestic and industrial requirements which render most of the unconfined aquifer zone dry.
Close to 70 litre of water saved per tyre
As part of its responsibility towards the environment, Maxxis India says it has been continually assessing the environmental impact of its activities, products and services that forms the basis of its ‘Global Environmental Policy.’
It thrives to reduce or eliminate these impacts through the establishment of appropriate objectives and measures. The company says that it supports a globally-consistent standard intended to protect the environment and its stakeholders, and outlines practices that support compliances while minimising negative impact on the environment.
Its Sanand plant saves about 60-70 litres of water on an average in the entire product manufacturing lifecycle on a daily basis. The plant is also an ISO 14001:2015 certified facility with Maxxis claiming it being audited by a third-party accredited by Management Systems Certification. Moreover, it claims that the facility gets reviewed annually by an independent auditor to assess and ensure that all norms and compliances are being met.
The plant is also claimed to be designed in such a way that it can meet global safety standards and conserve non-renewable resources and prevent it from depletion, while also boasting a full-fledged Occupational Health Centre within the premises.
Furthermore, to ensure that the company maintains a green cover, its total green belt cover is 9.21 acre. The plant has over 3,700 trees and around 1,500 plants, thereby enhancing sustainable production. Maxxis India
Maxxis India upholds its global vision to create sustainably viable products for its consumers by minimising the impact on the environment. It says it is constantly innovating in exploring environmentally-viable products and will continue to leverage synergies from Maxxis global to achieve this mission.