STL progresses towards UN SDGs and net-zero ambition; gets global recognition for its efforts

STL, a optical and digital solutions company on Tuesday shared its progress and achievements on ESG in FY23. The company has earned 19 national and global recognitions for its efforts towards environmental sustainability and community development in FY’23.

STL’s ESG and CSR efforts were recognised in these forums:

• Golden Peacock CSR Award for proactive action across areas like Women's Empowerment, Healthcare, Education and Environment Conservation

• Global Sustainability Award and Wastemet Award, for adding value through excellence in environment, sustainability and waste management,

• Greentech Environment Award, Environment+Energy Leads Award in the ‘Top Project Waste Management’ category UN Women Empowerment Awards for STL’s flagship Jeevan Jyoti Women Empowerment program run in rural Maharashtra

• International Green Apple Award for leveraging partnerships for climate action to ensure holistic development in water-stressed regions and restoration of biodiversity.

At the beginning of 2022, STL announced its ambition to keep sustainability at the core of its manufacturing operations and is on its way to becoming a Net Zero company by 2030. During the year, STL has taken significant strides in the following areas:

• Effective waste management - Four of its manufacturing units in India and two in Italy are Zero Waste to Landfill. These plants have diverted more than 96% of waste from landfills. These best practices are being replicated at its China and US plants as well

• Zero liquid discharge - STL achieved Zero Liquid Discharge across 6 out of its 11 global manufacturing facilities, ensuring zero pollution through untreated wastewater in nearby communities.

• Water conservation - STL, which runs its flagship glass and optical fibre and cable facilities from Aurangabad, replenished 1.4 bn litres of water in rural Maharashtra in FY 23.

• Labour & Human Rights aspects of sustainability - STL has invested substantially in developing a dedicated Human Rights policy that values transparency, regulatory compliance, grievance redressal and employee safety. STL has a silver rating on the Ecovadis Sustainability assessment. Last year, it moved from a score of 59 to 68.

STL is not only extensively focused on sustainable operations and greener product developments but also coming up with an Eco-labelled product portfolio. Besides all this, the company is extensively working on the ground level to empower communities through tech-driven and sustainable initiatives. During the year, STL has designed programmes to ensure education to underprivileged children, provided equitable healthcare access to all, and empower women financially. With its efforts, STL has impacted 2 mn lives with healthcare access and more than 200K lives with quality education. It has imparted financial empowerment to more than 24k women through training programs under Jeevan Jyoti.

Speaking on this achievement, Akanksha Sharma, Global ESG Head, STL, said: “Our sustainability efforts are aligned with not just the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but also our local priorities. We believe we need to continue reimagining how we operate and create meaningful social and environmental progress and build a greener internet not only for India but also for the world.” We are honoured to have been recognised for our efforts. I want to thank our leadership and our teams for giving their all to sustainability and community efforts.