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HCL's drive for customer awareness and public reporting on environment management processes
Today the environment is under immense stress and demands a helping hand from every one of us to preserve the diminishing natural resources that are so very valuable for our existence and survival. We at HCL believe that the right knowledge for environment protection and preservation is extremely vital for sustaining the drive to save our environment. The duty of protecting and preserving the environment has to be shouldered by one and all. Understanding this concern, HCL has taken on a drive to make all stakeholders aware of environment management issues that affect us in today's world
HCL Sustainability Report
HCL Infosystems understands the importance of a Sustainable Business model. We have already taken a lot of steps in aligning our Business practices with measures and processes that make our business model more responsive towards the sustainability of the whole eco-system we work within.
In this regard, we have already been issuing reports and data publically on a regular basis from last 3 years. To further consolidate our standing on the Sustainability front, we are in the process of selecting a reputed third party concern which will Audit our credentials on Sustainability front according to GRI indicators. Some of the important indicators which will be audited will be:
- Direct and indirect energy consumption
- CO2 emissions (Scope 1 and 2 as per the Greenhouse Gas Protocol)
- Electronic Waste generated by HCL Infosystems
- Hazardous Waste
- Solid Waste (Non-Hazardous)
Today the environment is under immense stress and demands a helping hand from every one of us to preserve the diminishing natural resources that are so very valuable for our existence and survival. We at HCL believe that the right knowledge for environment protection and preservation is extremely vital for sustaining the drive to save our environment. The duty of protecting and preserving the environment has to be shouldered by one and all. Understanding this concern, HCL has taken on a drive to make all stakeholders aware of environment management issues that affect us in today's world.
HCL Ecosafe awareness drive is a two pronged program to simultaneously educate both the internal-stakeholders (e.g. trainees, employees etc) as well as external stakeholders (e.g. customers, vendors etc).
For Internal stake-holders, we have approached the awareness program as follows:
1. Mandatory Training for New Hires: All new employees of the company- be it freshers or lateral hires- have to go thru a mandatory training session on Environmental Sustainability. This is a 3 hour session where the trainees are sensitized on Environmental-responsibility of HCL and other relevant topics. The objective is to educate the employees on choosing green alternatives wherever possible, both in their personal lives as well as professional lives. We have so far organized 12 sessions, covering 300 employees directly.
3. Events: As a part of employee sensitization, we organize at least one major event every quarter, which is pan-India in nature.
For example, from 14th Nov to 17th Nov 2011 we celebrated the e-waste week, where employees contributed their house-hold e-waste at the Green-Bag bins kept at various offices of the company. It was a very successful event and we got active response from about 85 employees, resulting in approx 200 Kg of e-waste. The contribution ranged from CDs to old CRT monitors.
4. CO2 Footprint Calculator on Intranet: Thru our on-line CO2-Calculator on the employees' intranet site, employees can evaluate how much CO2 emissions they are responsible for in their daily lives. Also, employees are provided tips on how to incorporate habits that reduce their CO2 footprint.
5. Mandatory disclosure of Employee Commute: As a part of accessing our scope-3 GHG emissions, all new employees have to give details of their daily commute to office to-and-fro. This not only helps us in accessing our Scope-3 emissions, but also it helps to sensitize the employee in a very straight forward manner.
6. All visiting cards made of Recycled paper:This is yet another effort towards directly sensitizing the employee towards green-options wherever possible. All employees who requests for visiting-cards are given an option to go for the ones on recycled-paper.
7. Official Support to External Events: HCL Infosystems was an official supporter of the Earth-Hour 2010. Internal communication was sent out to all employees, requesting them to switch-off their lights for one hour on 27th March 2010.
For external stake-holders, we have approached the awareness program as follows:
1. HCL reaching out to Schools/ Colleges: In the drive to educate and spread awareness on environment management systems, HCL has initiated a campaign for students called, 'The Green Warriors'. The aim behind the campaign is to bring to the notice of the future technology owners the effects of electronic waste and how their participation can help preserve the environment. HCL plans to extend the green warrior program at a pan India level to enhance the spread of awareness on EMS among students.
"Green Warriors"
2. HCL EduMe Program: Under HCL EduMe program for higher-education institutes such as Engineering-colleges and Business-schools, HCL has sent open invitations to about 200 institutes where our Ecosafe team would educate the student-community about various IT-sustainability issues e.g. e-waste, energy star, GHG emissions, etc. We are sensitizing this community as these people will be leaders of tomorrow and sensitizing them at this stage will go a great deal in having an environmentally-aware workforce and environmentally-sensitive decision-making in the future.
3. Communications to Vendors for EMS: To raise the level of understanding for EMS the management has sent letters/brochures to channel community, customers, suppliers/vendors, key appointment holders, and internal stakeholders. Letter to supplier community have been sent as part of agreement with strict time lines for supplying RoHS, PVC, BFR, Antimony, Beryllium and Phthalates free components.
4. Events: Every quarter, we do at least one activity where we reach out to common public and educate them about e-waste, Toxic-chemicals, Energy Star etc.
For example, from 14th November to 17th November 2011, we conducted e-waste collection drive across India in our offices.
5. Official Support to External Events: HCL Infosystems was an official supporter of the Earth-Hour 2010.
Incorporation of WEEE awareness brochures in product packaging
In an effort to educate our customers on recovery and recycling programs being offered by HCL, WEEE awareness and recovery process booklet has been placed in all product packaging as part of standard product kit. The booklet gives information on HCL's WEEE recovery and recycling processes to customers.
We have also made provisions in our web site for our customers to register a request for WEEE. Our customers sitting at home can now register a request for recovery of WEEE.
HCL - Awareness Booklet, "This is our world""
Introduction of Crossed out Wheeled Bin logo in all product packaging
The logo for, 'Crossed out wheeled bin' has been incorporated in all products to indicate our customers that the respective product should not be disposed off as municipal waste. We have also used the logo in our marketing collaterals elaborating on the importance of the logo as a synonymous symbol for recycling WEEE for the protection of the environment.
Communications to external stakeholders for EMS:
To raise the level of understanding for EMS the management has sent letters/brochures to channel community, customers, suppliers/vendors, key appointment holders, and internal stakeholders. Letter to supplier community have been sent as part of agreement with strict time lines for supplying RoHS compliant components. |
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