Click here for Health, Safety and Environment Policy

Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) is a high priority issue at MNR with the aim to provide comprehensive health services covering preventive, curative and community health care services.

Further, the management’s vision to put safety of personnel above all, is evident from the policy statement, “Safety of persons overrides all production targets”. This vision drives the company to continuously look for ways to break new barriers in safety management for the benefit of all.

To establish a direction towards attaining world-class environmental management, the Company has identified key performance indicators such as material consumption, energy efficiency, GHG emission, air quality, ozone depleting substances, water consumption, waste water discharge, hazardous and non-hazardous waste generation and disposal.

Health

MNR’s state-of-the-art Occupational Health Centre’s (OHC) at its manufacturing divisions offer health care services to its employees. This centre’s are equipped with diagnostic and therapeutic equipment and are manned by qualified occupational health specialists. The programs conducted by medical centers, include preventive health care through pre-employment and also periodic medical examinations of all employees. The results are computerized and analyzed so as to provide targeted interventions at the individual and group levels. The medical departments also carry out informative lecture sessions, exhibitions and diagnostic camps. Curative treatments are a part and parcel of the services provided. The employees are also supported for hospitalization by regular liaisoning and provision of financial support, where required.

CACHE

MNR’s preventive health care, provided through workplace improvements is carried out under the CACHE Programme. It has grown to encompass the entire enterprise. The programme has been instrumental in creating a culture of implementing health, safety and environment projects on a priority basis. This programme has also helped the Company to improve its performance on the occupational health and safety front.

Occupational Health Centre’s (OHC)

The Company’s occupational health centers are also in the forefront in organizing preventive educational programs for non-communicable diseases, such as: heart problems, hypertension, diabetes and other lifestyle diseases, along with informative sessions for communicable diseases, such as: malaria, tuberculosis and HIV / AIDS. The Company endeavors to move towards the concept of wellness as it recognizes that a healthy worker is a productive worker.


Safety

Having reached high levels of safety management the management has, in the last few years, been steadily taking strategic steps to take the Company to world class levels. This year, under the guidance of the HSE Committee of Directors, MNR is focused on behavioral as well as process safety aspects and aims at bringing in excellence in safety management.

In addition to personnel safety, process safety is also a top priority for the Company. World class documented standards, emphasis on line management responsibility, an improved and standardized process for safety observations are helping the manufacturing sites achieve higher employee participation in the safety management process.

The focus on construction safety has further increased with standardized safety management practices being established at all construction sites of new production units coming up at various places in and around Kolkata. Construction of office buildings is also being monitored strongly from a safety point of view and as per the Green construction rules and regulation. This emphasis has led to the Company achieving a low lost time incident rate even at construction projects. With business needs increasing, the Company is also focusing on transportation and distribution safety. This focus shall not only help establish international systems for the existing businesses, but also prepare for the upcoming businesses such as Retail.

The Centre for HSE Excellence is accordingly getting further strengthened with the necessary skill sets and competencies. The Centre is helping MNR to implement and practice world class standards as well as standardize the processes and establish the “MNR Way” of Safety Management.


Environment

In its pursuit of excellence in sustainable development, MNR further integrated its safety and environment performance in the overall business plan and strategy. A management system approach, consisting of gap analysis, planning, implementation, and review has percolated to all business plans through ISO 14001:2004 at all manufacturing locations.

Through its annual environment plan and business targets, the Company identifies projects and takes action to achieve these targets with the ultimate goal of becoming water positive, carbon neutral, with maximum possible recycling and reuse of hazardous and other wastes. A management framework with defined structures, roles and responsibilities, group guidelines, audits and training has been instituted to implement the journey towards world-class excellence in environment. The Company is in process to initiate reporting environmental efforts to the world through Global Reporting Initiative following G-3: 2006 guidelines. MNR’s is also initiating to come out with its first Sustainability Report for FY 2009-10, “My MNR. My Life” and shall be placed before auditing committee for the highest possible accreditation. This process will help the company in undertaking an exercise to establish world class corporate environmental standards with the help of International experts.

MNR is statutory compliant in the area of environment. As a policy, environment impact assessment and qualitative risk analysis are performed for all new and major expansion projects and incorporate all necessary measures to mitigate environmental impacts due to project implementation. All the hardware - such as effluent treatment plants, air emission abatement units and waste disposal facilities are under implementation stage. The above efforts will result in a significant improvement in water consumption, water recycle and reuse, CO2 and other air emissions, ozone depleting substances consumption and hazardous waste generation.

This year, MNR’s production division, involved in production of Textile Products has plan for initiating regulatory environment monitoring programs from the beginning of construction phase to ensure a fool-proof compliance tracking and reporting mechanism.

Climate change and Energy conservation: MNR plans to initiate Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project under the guidance of leading Conservation Company like KPMG, Price Water House cooper  and Ernst & Young to place the white papers pertaining to the projects before United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Once the same is approved each and every textile bag manufacturing unit shall be benefitted in receiving Certified Emission Reduction (CER) points. The Company is exploring all possibilities to take the benefit of CDM credits through various projects. MNR has also set the ball rolling for becoming an active member of Carbon Capture and Sequestration Association, London and Climate Neutral Association, London for active participation in worldwide activities related to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

To decrease the Company’s carbon footprint, activities have been initiated in the area of production; where in the following methods are being implemented:

1. Introduction of high-tech manufacturing machines working with solar energy;
2. Introduction of rain water harvest;
3. Introduction of wind mill to store extra electricity;
4. Introduction of clever light management system.

These efforts of MNR will translate into huge benefit for the company and the society as a whole.

MNR is also donating part of its sales proceeding to the following organisation to help the Climate Control Program.

1. Equi Climate
2. Zero Carbon
3. Carbon Control

Fresh water consumption and effluent discharge: MNR as a responsible corporate has accorded top priority to water conservation and reuse to preserve fresh water, one of the precious natural resources. MNR has taken the initiative of introducing a effluent water treatment plant so that its Falta Manufacturing Division is not dependent on fresh water resource and continues to generate fresh water from River Ganges. A study is being undertaken by internationally renowned consultants. Their recommendations will be implemented. Similarly in future, new facilities will be created for township and labor camps at the Falta Manufacturing Division and also at other Manufacturing Division for the treatment of domestic sewage and its reuse and recycle. MNR is striving to reduce its consumption of water at manufacturing locations and achieve 100% of recycling of the treated water and thus attain the status of “Zero discharge” sites.

Waste reduction and utilization: MNR’s Manufacturing Divisions is also implementing waste management and reduction system at Falta Manufacturing Units. This will result in to significant reduction in hazardous waste generation through process improvement, recycling and reuse. This system will be very well documented and shall continue to reduce load on municipal waste. These efforts will also generate employment for the weaker sections of society. A project on conversion of biological sludge to manure by vermin-compost will be initiated at Falta Manufacturing Divisions. Canteen waste at Manufacturing Divisions will also be converted to bio-gas and shall be used as fuel. MNR also plans to convert Horticulture bio-mass to coal briquettes and use it as fuel.

The Company has taken a proactive measure for the safe disposal of electronic waste, fluorescent tube lights, empty paint containers, spray cans, etc. MNR’s Falta Manufacturing Division is trying to establish E-Waste disposal through approved recycling agency. MNR also plans to introduce in all its Manufacturing Divisions by instituting tube light and empty paint container crusher with recovery and safe disposal of toxics. These practices once implemented shall help the company in waste reduction and management system.

Training and Audits: During the year, MNR has accorded highest priority to the training, awareness and learning mechanism at all levels. During the year, various internal and advanced training programs and inter-site meets were conducted involving experts. Learning on specific environmental issues through participation in national and international conferences, workshop and courses,has been encouraged at MNR. Effective networking and collaboration with national and international agencies such as universities, research institutes, regulatory bodies, industrial and professional association has helped to assimilate and implement the world class best practices in HSE management.

Environment audit is one of the important tools on which special emphasis is given and the Company is planning to have “Trained Lead Auditors” for ISO 14001:2004 amongst the existing employees of the company. Various audits conducted during the year include third party statutory audits in the state of West Bengal and ISO audits; group environment audit; implementation of independent assurance of MNR’s Sustainability Reports by Ernst & Young; Audit by International Auditing Agencies like Fair Working Conditions (FWC) from UK at Falta Manufacturing Plant. Action plans are made to liquidate all audit observations.
Community Environment Initiatives: Various environment programs, such as tree plantation, water conservation & harvesting and energy saving initiatives were conducted by the various manufacturing locations within the Falta Economic Zone complex and in the nearby community. All units, as part of the ‘World Environment Day’ celebrations created awareness on Global Warming and melting of ice. This year, MNR has initiated a program through its Falta Manufacturing Division at Falta to give special emphasis to schools and initiate Green School project using the framework developed by Centre for
Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi.

To enhance bio-diversity, MNR undertook an extensive mangrove plantation exercise and also forestation for restoration of degraded mangrove areas in Sonarpur Area of West Bengal in association with Sustainable Social World Foundation. MNR plans to sponsor study of coastal wetlands of Bay of Bengal to Environment Centre through reputed NGO of West Bengal.