Introduction to Maruti Suzuki Ltd. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. is one of the leading manufacturers of four-wheelers in India. Born in 1983 with a mission to power India, Maruti was a joint venture between the Indian government and Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. It soon became the largest compact car manufacturing company in India and remained so until 2004. The company started with Suzuki holding the minor stakes of the company while GoI held the major stakes. Currently, the Indian government has completely disinvested its stakes in the company and handed over the management of the company to Suzuki Motor Corporation. Today, Maruti and its partners employ more than 75,000 people. Its manufacturing facilities are located at two locations, Gurgaon and Manesar, both south of New Delhi. Maruti's Green Philosophy Maruti's green philosophy stems from its use of the 'three R's': a policy of reduce, recycle and reuse in its factories, so that there is minimum stress on natural resources. The company has launched a number of initiatives under the umbrella of the Three Rs to make factories more efficient in terms of resource usage. It is also ISO 14001:1996 certified for its environmental management system program and uses the principle of “Smaller, lighter, shorter and neater” for its operations. Maruti - Sustainable Operations Through Internal Efficiency Maruti in recent years, through several innovative measures like investment in green equipment, its employee-led campaigns and Kaizens (workshop improvements), has significantly reduced energy consumption. electricity and water as well as the production of waste in its installations. The company also attributes this decrease in utility consumption to its adoption of a “just-in-time” approach to its operations. Some facts and figures supporting Maruti's claims are as follows (figures available for the year 2007): • Total energy consumption per vehicle has decreased by 26% over the last six years. • Energy consumption has decreased by 31% over the past six years. • Water consumption per vehicle has decreased by 63% over the past six years. • Waste sent to landfills has decreased by 67% over the past six years. • Carbon dioxide emissions per vehicle (produced during manufacturing) have decreased by more than 39% over the past six years. five years. Maruti not only works towards implementing best environmental practices in its facilities but also actively participates by working collaboratively with its suppliers to implement best practices in their facilities through its Environmental Management System (EMS ), thus bringing a benefit to the entire value. channel.Initiatives taken by MarutiThe initiatives taken by Maruti that have helped the company reduce its utility consumption and waste generation levels are listed below.