Infosys and the Environment
From Lauraibm
MI Summary
Infosys show commitment to the environment this can be demonstrated by their aim to not just meet, but to go beyond safety requirements and regulatory limitations. The corporation have a clear Environmental Management System, known as the ozone initiative, this system helps Infosys to comply fully with all legal requirements and meet or exceed these expectations wherever they operate in the world.
The organisation has a variety of initiatives aimed at helping to reduce their energy consumption, they show dedication to reducing greenhouse gases and have dedicated over 30% of their area to landscaping which helps to sequester a large proportion of the greenhouse gases they emit. There are also programs in place to help with conservation of paper, water management and effective e-waste disposal.
Reviews take place throughout the year to ensure that objectives are in line to be met, and to allow any alterations to be made to ensure targets are executed. In addition to these reviews, internal environmental audits are implemented to monitor whether the environmental activities and related results comply with the planned arrangements.
It can be seen that Infosys not only set out a comprehensive environmental strategy but are also proactive in reviewing their performance to ensure targets are met, this demonstrates commitment to being considered environmentally responsible.
What the Vendor says about itself
Report on environment, health and safety
During the year, Infosys continued to work toward excellence in environment, health and safety. The focus was on strengthening existing systems and seeking ways in which to introduce new measures. Employees at all levels remained committed to meeting the set goals and objectives in terms of environmental, health and safety management.
Infosys EHS Policy
“Infosys as a corporate citizen is committed to demonstrating a high standard of environmental protection, sharing of best practices and provision of a safe and healthy workplace. To achieve this, we shall work toward:
- Conservation of resources
- Prevention of pollution
- Adherence to all applicable legislations
- Prevention of accidents and occupational injuries at work
We shall work with various stakeholders toward continual improvement of our Environmental Management System.
We shall meet mandated safety requirements as a minimum and strive to go beyond regulatory limitations to become a leader in environment, health and safety management.”
The Ozone initiative
The “Ozone Initiative”, our Environmental Management System (EMS) was subject to third party surveillance audits this year with sample audits at our development centers located at Bangalore, Chennai, Mangalore and Pune and was found to conform to the EMS Standard ISO 14001:2004.
The Ozone initiative helps us to comply fully with all legal requirements and meet or exceed these expectations wherever we operate in the world. It helps provide a secure working environment to protect our employees, assets and operations against all risks of injury, loss or damage, from natural calamities and hostile acts.
The initiative also strives to keep employees, contractors and others well informed, trained and committed to our EHS process.
Objectives and targets
Documented environmental objectives and targets are established and maintained at each relevant function and level within the campus.
Conservation of energy
We grew from 36,750 employees to 52,715 employees during the year. We also added 2.1 million sq. ft. of space during the year. The enhanced operations have increased energy consumption by 34% over the last year. Good operational controls, adoption of best practices, energy audits and use of energy efficient systems have resulted in high levels of energy efficiency.
87% of our energy requirements is obtained from the state grid and the remaining 13% is provided from our own captive generation units.
Best practices adopted for energy efficiency
We have always looked for best practices to adopt in our efforts to be energy efficient. Some of the initiatives that we took up during the year include:
- Usage of power stabilizers to improve and supply consistent voltage
- Tapping of power from LT cables is restricted to a distance of 200 meters from our substations, to reduce voltage drops
- Usage of tuned harmonic filters
- Dimmers in classrooms and conference halls
- Thermostats used to control the ‘preset’ temperatures in air conditioners
- Chillers installed above buildings to reduce circulation losses and to improve cooling effect
- Solar water heating system for on-campus accommodation. This has on an average resulted in energy savings of 23,13,300 units of electricity on an annual basis
At the construction stage, the following measures are adopted to make buildings more energy efficient:
- Double glazing with argon gas in between two glass slabs, to reduce heat ingress into buildings
- Glazing reduced in areas of direct sunlight
Reducing greenhouse gases
Despite the need for space on our campuses, we have continued to dedicate over 30% of our area for landscaping. More trees have been planted at each campus and it is believed that this green cover enables sequestration of a large portion of the greenhouse gases, emitted by our captive power generating systems.
Conservation of paper
Conservation of resources is the cornerstone of our EMS. Consumption of raw material is at a minimum at Infosys. Paper consumption increased in absolute terms by 36%, during the year, due to the increase in employee strength.
Water management
Water is diligently used on all our campuses. Though water consumption increased by 42% in absolute terms, this was due to the expansion of working space and increase in employee strength over the last year. Consumption on a per capita basis remained the same during the year.
Waste water, resulting from usage within each of our campuses, is treated and recycled in our own sewage treatment plants. All recycled water is used for landscape maintenance within the campus. Effective use of recycled water has resulted in the company reducing the quantity of fresh water intake.
Treated and dried sludge from the sewage treatment plants is used as manure in our gardens.
Waste management
A focused approach to waste management has resulted in better disposal systems. We have worked on strengthening the process for effective e-waste disposal. Best practices in waste management at Infosys include:
- Waste segregation at source
- Food waste from kitchens is converted into compost using vermiculture pits
- Food waste from our food courts is sent to nearby piggeries
- Plastic waste is sold to bona fide recyclers
- Paper waste is recycled externally by approved recyclers, and reused as note pads
- Hazardous waste such as DG oil, batteries, etc., are given only to PCB-approved agencies
- Bio-medical waste is sent to incinerators or disposed safely
- Sludge from sewage treatment plants is dried and used as manure
- Scrap is sold to authorized scrap dealers
- Suppliers are engaged in discussions to eliminate the use of non bio-degradable packing material such as thermocol. We have urged all our suppliers to use more environment-friendly packing material.
Management review
The EHS system, plans for process improvement, prevention of nonconformance, introduction of new tools, technologies, and new processes / major process changes are reviewed by a steering committee once every six months, to examine their suitability and effectiveness in achieving objectives and targets in line with the EHS policy.
The reviews shall also address the provision of necessary management support, besides adequacy of resources and funding. Such reviews and decisions are recorded.
The EHS policy is reviewed annually for its applicability to the current business scenario. The action items from the management review are recorded and followed up to closure.
Inputs to the review include:
- Progress on objectives and targets
- Analysis of internal and external feedback / complaints, if any
- Status of the Environmental Management Program
- Status of pilot efforts toward environmental conservation
- Summary of audits
- Status on legal compliance
- Accidents and incidents in the workplace
Assessment, audits and improvement
Internal environmental audits are planned and implemented to monitor whether the environmental activities and related results comply with the planned arrangements. They are meant to determine the effectiveness of the Environmental Management System of Infosys and to ensure the existence of a suitable working environment.
During the year, 15 employees were trained as EMS Lead Auditors according to ISO 14001 standards. The company now has 35 ISO 14001 Lead Auditors. The EMS has been subject to 28 days of audits during the year to check compliance. Two employees were trained as Lead Auditors and implementers for OHSAS 18000, the health and safety standard.
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