L’Oréal’s Pune facility hits environmental targets

The facility was established in 2005 in Pune, which is one of the most populous cities in the country and is situated in the State of Maharashtra, in the Central eastern part of the country. And since it first came on line the company has worked towards a series of initiatives to make it more environmentally friendly.

During that time frame L’Oréal claims that it has managed to cut water consumption by 42%, through the implementation of several projects, not the least a water-cycle-cleaning programme.

Reduction of water consumption​

This programme has ensured that between 30,000 to 35,000 litres of water are now recycled each day, which makes up for approximately 10% of the factory’s total daily water requirements.

The initiative all formed part of L’Oréal’s ambitious ‘Sharing Beauty With All’ sustainability programme, which is targeting to reduce the company’s environmental footprint by 60% by the year 2020.

The reduction in water consumption forms the three main pillars of the programme, which also include the reduction of CO₂ emissions and waste water generation.

Lowering of energy use​

In line with L’Oreal’s increased presence in the market, production at the facility has quadrupled since 2005, but the company claims that it has still managed to lower the total energy used at the facility.

This achievement has mainly been made thanks to the incorporation of renewable energy, and in particular the implementation of wind energy has helped to decrease CO₂ emissions by 57% since its implementation in 2012, while also providing 70% of the facility’s energy needs.

Meanwhile, the company’s efforts to lower waste generation has proved to be more of a challenge at the Pune facility, but the local teams have adapted the vermiculture technique – a traditional Indian practice – which has enabled them to convert sludge into compost.

Further initiatives to reduce waste have also included the replacement of cardboard or paper containers with recyclable plastic boxes, which the team says lasts longer.

The team says it is continuing to look at initiatives that aim to meet the ultimate goal of reducing the facilities environmental footprint by 60% by 2020.