Cement manufacturing requires limestone as a primary raw material and other raw materials such as alumina, iron ore and gypsum. The materials are mixed together in a kiln to heat them up and form a clinker. In the process, CO2 emissions are generated from the chemical conversion of limestone (known as process emissions ) and fossil fuel combustion. At JSW cement, our business model is based on the circular economy wherein we primarily substitute emission intensive clinker with Slag - a waste or a by-product from the steel industry. Since FY 09, we've prioritized the use of Blast Furnace Slag, thereby replacing clinker and reducing direct CO2 emissions. During FY 23, slag-based products (GGBS, PSC, PPC) constituted 91% of our portfolio, marking a 1.1% increase from FY 2021-22. Besides this, we also use other alternative raw materials and fuels. In FY 23, we utilized ~7.3 MT of waste-derived resources, encompassing slag, fly ash, artificial gypsum, and flue dust.

We have taken a target of reaching 10.4 Million T of waste derived resources by FY26. Additionally, we also aim to achieve 30% Thermal Substitution Rate (TSR) by 2030.

While some circularity initiatives are implemented at our integrated unit Nandyal and Shiva, others are practiced in other grinding units

• Clinker Substitution: Since 90% of our product portfolio uses slag, our clinker factor is very low. Last year in FY23, we achieved 2% clinker factor reduction with utilisation of alternative raw materials.
• Increasing share of Alternative Fuels: We witnessed an increase of the TSR from 7.1% to 8% in FY 2022-23, due to increased consumption of industrial waste, plastics/RDF waste besides biomass waste from different industries such as Steel, Alumina, Pharmaceutical, Municipal waste, Pulp and Paper Industry, Textile Industry, and many more.
• Innovation: Our commitment to innovation extends to collaborations with academic & research institutions, resulting in advancements such as geopolymer concrete, 3D concrete printing and biodegradable polymers for eco-friendly packaging. We are also exploring alternative raw materials like calcined clay and developing super sulphate cement to further enhance our sustainable practices.
• Memberships: We are active members of various industry associations particularly working on Circular Economy - FICCI’s Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC), International Council for Circular Economy(ICCE), and relevant working groups and committees of GCCA, CMA etc. This helps to strengthen our efforts on the circular economy and decarbonisation at the sector level. We are also among the founding members of ‘Build Ahead' in FY23, an industry-first coalition with Xynteo.