Established in April 1994, the India-registered lnduslnd Bank Limited has its offices in Mumbai. Being a bank, its environmental footprint is minimal as far as emissions are concerned. However, being an environmentally-conscious corporate citizen, the bank has embarked on several innovative award-winning projects that make it stand out, one of which is the solar-powered ATMs.While many would be at a loss on how to even go about doing it, the bank actually calculates carbon intensity to estimate its greenhouse gas emissions, carbon-dioxide equivalent based on the scope 1 & scope 2 activity data. The table below depicts the bank’s per capita emissions over the past three years.Compared to last year, this year (2013-2014), intensity has been reduced to 2.26 MT CO2e per capita due to the bank’s numerous interventions such as renewables and energy efficient technology to name a few.*In FY 2011- 2012 the bank’s emissions did not include emissions arising out of CFD/VFD operations hence in the following year there was an increase in its per capita emissions.With a greater understanding of its environmental footprint, the bank is now developing medium to longer-term goals and accompanying programmes to deliver them. The aim is to reduce their overall footprint, even within a growing global business. This will be the bank’s focus into FY 2014 and beyond.
Given the nature of the bank’s business, it has undertaken initiatives and sustainable practices within the bank such as:Green ITPower Management Policies: Power management policies were implemented across the organisation on 10,739 desktops and laptops. The steps resulted in a reduction of power consumption by about 27.87 KWh per machine per annum. This has translated in savings of approximately 25.15 lakhs of INR and reduction in CO2 emission by about 273 tonnes in the year 2013-14.Server Virtualisation: 405 Servers have been virtualised on 4 7 physical servers, resulting in cumulative saving of about 1,248 lakhs of INR in capex cost so far and electricity savings of 99.15 lakhs INR per year.Thin Computing: Continued adoption of low power consuming thin clients resulted in savings of 300 kwh per year with a saving of INR 2,380 per user per year towards the cost of power.Paperless Fax: Deploying paperless fax servers avoided printing about 90,000 sheets of incoming faxes during the year.
Green Procurement: lnduslnd Bank considers attributes such as recycled content and energy efficiency, when interacting with vendors and suppliers; hence we procure mainly from Original Equipment Manufacturers who are leading suppliers in the country and abroad. A4 paper made from Bagasse is used instead of paper made from wood pulp. The Bank’s Visiting Cards are printed on recycled paper.LED Signage: Branches in prominent locations which had signage switched on for longer periods were changed to LED lighting.Hand-held Terminals in the Consumer Finance Division: The bank’s representatives were given hand-held devices for loan collection mechanism in all the regions, which reduced the amount of paper needed for printing of receipts.Energy Solar ATMs-The bank’s Solar ATMs project was a major step towards greening its operations. Its 100 solar ATMs have resulted in the generation of 1 ,23,241 units of energy with a saving of INR 7 .60 lakhs in commercial electricity and savings of INR 14. 78 lakhs in DG power. They have also helped mitigate a total of 146.66 MT of carbon emissions.
Solar -Windmill Hybrid – The bank works in association with the Nature Conservation Society, Amravati (NCSA) on this project to set up a unit that generates renewable energy, with a capacity to generate about 1 kW (500 watt wind and 500 watt solar) of electricity at their community centre at the Melghat Tiger Reserve. This is a hybrid unit that uses solar panels and a micro-turbine that initially stores the solar and wind energy in its batteries. This is then converted by an inverter into the appropriate wattage for use by the centre. This centre, first set up by NCSA in 2006, is a focal point to promote activities that lead to the development of self-sufficient villages in Melghat. The centre is not dependent on the Government for electricity and produces sufficient energy to run basic appliances.Recycling of Paper Waste – lnduslnd Bank initiated a new CSR program called “WOW” – A Waste Paper Collection drive in partnership with ITC-PSPD Ltd & Ramky Reclamation and Recycling Ltd (RRRL) with the aim of protecting the environment and reducing global warming by recovering valuable resources and recycling them. To date the initiative has been carried out in the South zone in Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala regions. The aim is to create awareness among citizens, institutions, business establishments and corporate offices on the need for waste avoidance, source segregation, maximum recycling and minimising waste-to-landfill and thereby to reduce the bank’s environmental impact.The initiative focuses on collecting all kinds of waste paper from employees and branches and recycling it at an ISO-certified, PCB-approved recycling plant. Waste paper products include:
- Carbon Boxes
- Shredded Papers
- Old newspapers
- Old Magazines
- Old Office Records
- Dry Waste (Paper in the waste basket)
E-waste – The bank initiated an E-Waste Collection Programme in all four zones (East, West, North and South). As part of this drive, branches across India are requested to collect electronic waste like ATMs, electronic scrap, IT equipment and so on. Zonal Branch managers will arrange for registered vendors to collect this waste and dispose of it in an eco-friendly manner or donate it to underprivileged or not-for-profit institutions. This e-Waste will be distributed or recycled by a PCB certified e-waste recycler thus ensuring the reduction of waste-to-landfill and indirectly reducing pollution.The bank has collected 21,455 kgs of e-waste up to FY 2013-14.
Besides the sustainability initiatives within the bank itself, they also lend their assistance towards sustainable development projects in areas like sustainable farming, sanitation and biog as and solar energy.Employee Awareness and Participation – In order to drill sustainability into the DNA of the Bank, all of the bank’s sustainable practices are designed such that the employees are encouraged to participate and be a part of sustainable endeavours, celebrating Sustainability Week within departments, observing awareness days like World Environment Day, E-statement Day, E-waste Drive and completing an E-learning module on the environment.The lnduslnd ‘Green Champion’ (GC) Programme has been pursued since 2009, with initiatives taken at various branches / offices of the Bank. The GC programme is driven by a group of 35 employee volunteers working hand-in hand with the CSR Department. A Green Champion must execute two activities in a year, which will include but will not be limited to:
- 'Adopt a Plant' campaign
- E-waste collection drive
- Energy conservation drive
- 'WOW' recycling initiative
- E-learning module
Further to the Green Champion Programme’s success and increase in employee participation, in order to accommodate larger employee participation, the Green Champion Programme has an offshoot called ‘Green Commandos’, where employees contribute their time to bank-initiated CSR Initiatives monitored and managed by the Green Champions.
