GROWING
GREENER
OPERATIONS
Employees at the Magna Cosma and Magna Seating divisions in Sanand, India are using recycled wastewater from treated sewage to grow guava, pomegranates, Indian gooseberry and eggplants in on-site gardens.
This conservation initiative not only produces a bounty of fruits and vegetables, it proves that wastewater produced in industrial restrooms and cafeterias doesn’t need to be flushed away.
The approach avoids straining drought- stricken areas, reduces freshwater consumption, saves money and plays a small, but important role in Magna’s sustainability efforts.
The cleaned-up water has unexpected benefits, too.
“We are creating trust,” explained Saravanan Mohan, Magna’s corporate EHS (environmental, health and safety) specialist in Chennai. “At the Cosma division, one employee took some of the vegetables home, cooked them, and later served them to their colleagues. They said the vegetables were very tasty. Everyone was happy because they knew the water quality is good.”
He adds: “It would be easy for other divisions to copy this.”
These recycling efforts help to put Magna on a socially responsible path to the future at a time when there is growing awareness in India about global climate change.
Mohan notes that many states in India now ban one-time use of plastic items, such as cups and spoons. At home, he is encouraging his three-year-old son Saathvik Saravanan to be mindful about not wasting food.
“I’m trying to make him aware,” Mohan said, who has a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology and a master’s degree in environmental science and technology.
It is Mohan’s job to help Magna facilities in India and Thailand with EHS compliance, and he is one of the millions of people who have participated in Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day, a move aimed at “fighting for trash-free seas.”
“I’ve helped to clean up the beaches at the Bay of Bengal,” he said. “And I’m very committed to environmental causes related to industries.”
Saravanan Mohan, Magna’s corporate EHS (environmental, health and safety) specialist in Chennai
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I’ve helped to clean up the beaches at the Bay of Bengal and I’m very committed to environmental causes related to industries.”
Eight Magna divisions in India are using 25,096 gallons of recycled wastewater every day to irrigate on-site gardens.
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