Breathtaking!

How has afforestation made a difference to Ashok Leyland, the company that makes buses and trucks?

Going green has helped the company ensure good ambient air quality levels, far better than the permissible limits prescribed by the pollution control boards, at its manufacturing plants. Intangible benefits include absorption of almost 20 kg of CO2/ tree/year — at this rate the trees planted by the company in FY18 alone have helped offset carbon emissions by 1,538 tonnes/annum, claims P Harihar, Senior Vice-President, Manufacturing and Project Planning, Ashok Leyland.

CO2 emissions, especially scope 1 emissions, are targeted for reduction year-on-year. “We implement many more initiatives to reduce our carbon emissions on a regular basis. We reduce about 5 per cent every year on our scope 1 emissions but to become carbon-neutral, we have laid out a sustainability road map and the contribution from tree plantation is a significant part of our aspiration to be carbon-neutral in the near future,” he says.

Besides taking walks through the ‘Miyawaki’-shaped forests for fresh, oxygen-rich air, the employees express happiness at being among trees and carry this feeling back home. Naturally, the employees — and their families — are now participating in the afforestation drive. What better brand ambassadors for a company than its own staff?

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