Environment & Sustainability

Merino Group & Environment

Merino Group, with its focus on building a healthy environment, has taken various initiatives to Merino follows the 5R approach for water management, i.e., Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, Replenish and Restore. By consciously bringing in technological improvement Merino has been able to save 63815 KL of water annually. Also, by adopting reservoirs and by installing ground water recharge systems across all its locations, Merino has been able to replenish & restore nearly 5,53,815 KL of water, thereby moving towards its twin goal of Zero Discharge and Double recharge. conserve natural resources. It is actively working towards reducing pressure on natural resources by adopting an effective pro-environment stance alongside adhering to eco-conservationist standards. Merino has undertaken the following environment-friendly practices in its various manufacturing facilities.

• By introducing improved technologies, such as, energy efficient boilers and secondary furnaces (Incinerators), that uses renewable fuels like Sawdust, Agro-wastes, waste woods etc.., 84.2% of the heat energy requirement of Merino is met. Whereas 26.3% of the electrical energy requirements are met through Solar Power and biomass-based turbines.
• All Merino locations are equipped with Water Treatment Plants and adequate measures are in place to ensure compliance with the prevailing norms of the Regulatory Agencies. Through its efficient water management systems, Merino have been able to save 63815 KL of water annually and reduce its water Intensity by 55% over the last 5 years and approximately 75% Water Neutrality has been achieved so far.
• Ash generated from boilers and incinerators along with ash from NTPC power plant are used for manufacturing bricks and tiles. These are used for internal pavements inside the factory premises.
• Bio-manure of paddy compost is made from the decomposition of organic materials, such as paddy straw, rice husk, and cow dung, using effective microorganisms. During 2022-23 Merino produced 215 MT of Bio manure by utilizing around 50 MT paddy straw and 170 MT of other organic wastes like potato peel, biogas slurry, neem, saw dust, bio ash and water. The use of manure helps in improved growth, increased yield and more sustainable agricultural practices.
• We encourage Plantation and development of “Green Belts” inside our premises as well as in the neighbourhood. During 2022-23, over 20,000 trees were planted across 5 manufacturing units of Merino located in India. Additionally, 35 lac Eucalyptus saplings were given to approximately 750 farmers in Halol, Gujarat region. Further Merino continues to maintain a 5-acre Bamboo plantation and existing Miyawaki plantations that carried out in 2018 and 2021 in Hapur.
• Along with 5-acres of Bamboo plantation the plot is also used for vermicomposting, that yields appx. 95 metric tonnes of vermicompost of exceptional nutritional value. Bamboo is also known to sequester substantially higher CO2 and more Oxygen than the other species. Tree plantations, farming and agroforestry have helped to sequester around 18,000 tons of CO2 equivalent GHG during FY 2022-23.
• Merino diligently adheres to maintaining lower emission than stipulated under manufacturing activities and is committed to keep the workplace green and clean. These measures include electrostatic precipitators, bag filters and wet scrubbers.
• To ensure that we are not affecting the fragile ozone layer, Chlorinated Fluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants have been replaced by technologically advanced hydrofluorocarbons (e.g., R-410A) refrigerant in over 400 tons of refrigeration (TR) systems annually. This has helped to mitigate an equivalent amount of Ozon Depleting Gases (ODG) from the environment.