Maruti plans to become a greener company

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki plans to bring down emissions and reduce greenhouse emission of its vehicles by lowering carbon footprint in manufacturing operations and identify and invest in new, environment friendly technologies.

"We have a well thought-out plan to minimise resource use, to become a greener company and safeguard the environment. As we expand our business and put in newer facilities, our focus will be to adopt and invest in new environment friendly technologies and practices to minimize the impact of our business on the environment," said Shinzo Nakanishi, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki

The car major will bring down carbon footprint of its manufacturing operations through improved operational efficiencies and constant innovation. The power consumption per car for instance has come down by nearly 30% in Gurgaon in the last decade and by about the same percentage in Manesar in five years. In addition, the company is also helping its vendor partners to quickly adopt these energy efficient technologies.

Some recent examples:

- 100 % LED usage in Manesar Plant B plant
- Use of natural gas to generate power and minimise carbon emission.
- Installed steam-driven systems for power generation, which use steam from the waste heat recovered from our gas turbines.
- Use solar power effectively for street lighting and water heaters.
- More extensive use of solar power as a clean energy source for its operations.

The company has also pledged to invest in new, cost-effective technologies that bring down greenhouse gas emissions of its facilities. The Manesar B plant commissioned in September 2011 is the first car plant in the country that is 100 % LED. With this innovation in place, Manesar B Plant is significantly more energy efficient than any of the other plants, including the Manesar A Plant which was commissioned in February 2006.

As the company, introduces new models in the market it continues to bring them on next generation engine technologies that assure high fuel efficiencies with lower emissions. For instance, the new Swift and new Swift DZire, the engineers have significantly reduced emissions by 4-5% per kilometer and enhanced efficiencies by working on vehicle aerodynamics besides adopting several innovative weight reduction techniques.

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