Charter on Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Protection Tannery

1. Chrome Recovery

1. All the chrome tanning units in the country will have the Chrome Recovery Plant either on individual basis or on collective basis in the form of Common Chrome Recovery Plant and use the recovered chrome in the tanning process by December 2005.
   
   
2. Common Chrome Recovery Plant is to be installed and commissioned at Kanpur by December 2004 for which the Feasibility Report has already been prepared. All the chrome tanning units will make their financial contribution to the extent of 10% by June 2003.
   
   
3. Recovered Chromium is to be utilized in tanning process by December 2004.

1. Waste minimisation circles will be formed in all the clusters of tanneries in the country to implement waste minimisation measures and for adoption of clean technologies by March 2004.
   
   
2. Waste minimisation measures as identified by the Task Force to be implemented in all the tanneries by December 2005.

• All the tanneries will install water meters and flow meters to measure actual consumption and waste water discharge by December 2003.
  
  
• Water consumption rates will be brought down to 28 m3/tonne of hides by taking water conservation measures by December 2003.

4. Compliance of Standards
All CETPs and ETPs will take the following measures:

1. Deployment of qualified and well trained staff for O & M of the ETPs/CETPs by December 2003.
2. Installation of automatic monitoring instruments by CETPs/large tanneries by December 2003.
3. Separate Energy meters for ETPs / CETPs by December 2003.
4. Replacement of open anaerobic lagoons with cleaner technology options will be implemented. By : December 2005.
5. Implementation of guidelines developed by CPCB for Health & safety of workers employed in the industry / ETP/ CETP. By : December 2003.
6. All large tannery units (processing more than 5 tonnes/day of hides/skins) will undertake Environmental Auditing on annual basis. By : June 2004.
7. Modification / up-gradation of the CETPs/ETPs wherever necessary will be taken up by tannery units and CETP management. By : December 2005.

5. Management of Total Dissolve Solids (TDS)
For TDS Management following methods will be adopted:

• Manual / mechanical desalting. By : December 2003.
  
  
• Use of cleaner technology for less use of salt. By : December 2005.
  
  
• High Rate Transpiration system for effluent treatment will be adopted wherever feasible. By : December 2004.
  
  
• Treated wastewater will be mixed with the sewage wherever feasible and further treated and the treated combined effluent will be used on land for irrigation. By : December 2005.

6. Solid Waste Management
For solid waste management, the following methods will be adopted:

• Utilization of Process sludge for by-product recovery. By : December 2004.
  
  
• Resource Recovery from process sludge and ETP sludge in the form of Biogas. By : December 2004.
  
  
• Safe disposal of hazardous sludge and non-hazardous solid wastes. By : December 2005.

7. Salt from Solar Evaporation
The following methods will be adopted depending on the site specific conditions:

1. Reuse of recovered salt. By : December 2005.
   
   
2. Safe land disposal or Sea disposal wherever required.

8. Use of Boron bearing compounds will be dispensed with. By : December 2003.
   
   
9. Ground water quality monitoring to be strengthened wherever the treated effluents are applied on land for irrigation. By : December 2004.
   
   
10. The implementation of recommendations of the Task Force constituted by the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India will commenced by June 2003.