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Irfan Nazeer Ahmad: Results are quite encouraging. less water. We are already collaborating with
We feel proud to share that US DENIM is the first Agriculture University Faisalabad to develop HEMP
organization in the textile world that has achieved as one of the fibers to be used in our product range.
AWS Certification in March last year. It is a natural fiber and, as per initial estimates,
US Group to reduce Inspired by our Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) consumes one third water, as compared to cotton,
during its growth. The business community must
invest more and more on such R&D related projects.
saying, “DO NOT WASTE WATER EVEN IF YOU WERE
water consumption by AT A RUNNING STREAM” we have taken lot of TEXtalks: Besides AWS, what other sustainability
initiatives to reduce, reuse and recycle process water.
initiatives is US GROUP taking?
50% within 3 years In terms of reduction, our product development and Irfan Nazeer Ahmad: As a responsible supplier and
stakeholder of our society US GROUP initiated a
R&D teams at US GROUP are continuously making
9-points strategic plan named “SUSTAINABILITY
efforts to develop new products based on such
SUSTAINABILITY recipes that would use less water. Similar focus is on CHALLENGE 2022” at the start of 2020. According to
the plan, the entire management of US GROUP
the machines and technology, using less water, that
committed itself to certain targets to be achieved
we would be investing in future.
CHALLENGE 2022 In terms of re-use, US DENIM MILLS was able to within three years, starting from 2020. Water was one
of the most important segments of this plan.
save 18 per cent of water through the following
initiatives during the year 2020: soft water recovery Just for reference, here are the key areas of our
The US Group is a Lahore, Pakistan-based company Irfan Nazeer Ahmad: Water quality: The first key step from finishing; alkaline water recovery; and hot water SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE 2022, with targets
that creates denim and jeans for clothing brand to improving water quality is to start testing it. We reused from the condensate recovery system clearly defined, to be achieved by 2022:
leaders who require reliable quality and delivery. By get raw water tested from EPA- approved labs every (CRU). i) Water management: Reduce by 50% through
specializing in denim, US Group provides quarter. The wastewater is tested monthly. Results process improvement and conservation, reuse and
state-of-the-art fashion jeans solutions. are compared with NEQS standards and are found to TEXtalks: How has certification to AWS Standard recycle WWTP
improved your company’s ZDHS and Higg Index
be well within the acceptable NEQS limits. scores? ii) GHG emissions: Reduce by 40%
US Group engaged with businesses, academic Irfan Nazeer Ahmad: We saw a significant iii) Energy management: Reduce consumption by
institutions, residential communities and public Efficiency: To improve on efficiency, the first and most improvement in our ZDHC score that improved from 45%
departments. This led them to develop a ‘water important step is to start measuring it. US GROUP 25 per cent to 67 per cent. Higg Index score iv) Renewable energy: 20% should be from Solar
stewardship plan’ for the site and catchment based has installed a comprehensive metering system, improved from 63 per cent to 67 per cent. Just for (7MW)
on shared water risks. Team TEXtalks International SCADA, on its water extraction point, consumption your reference HIGG Index focuses on seven v) Chemical management: 100% comply with MRSL
had a conversation with Irfan Nazeer Ahmad, points and disposal points. Through this metering different parameters and, water is just one of those and RSL; Reduce usage by 20%
Managing Director, US Denim Mills to know more system we are able to effectively monitor our water seven parameters. vi) Waste management: Reduce Waste by 25%;
about their sustainable goals. usage. As a matter of fact, we have set ourselves to Reuse & recycle; Hazardous waste to landfill must be
reduce water consumption by 50 per cent within TEXtalks: What role can the private sector play in ZERO
TEXtalks: What was the main requirement for three years under our internal plan of managing the water resources and how important it vii) Materials & technology: Use sustainably grown
achieving the Alliance for Water Stewardship “SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE 2022”. is for business continuity? materials by 10%; Use recycled materials (5%).
Standard (AWS Standard) certification? Irfan Nazeer Ahmad: The private sector has a viii)Health, safety and well-being: Continuous
Irfan Nazeer Ahmad: The main requirements of AWS Important water-related areas: We also recognize significant and important role to play. Both, on-site improvement in total recordable injury rate; lost time
program was to adopt a five-tier plan in order to: important water-related areas that must be and off-site. First of all, we need to raise the injury; training man hours; capacity building; and
• Gather data and understand the challenges that considered, such as the Safari Park Lake. awareness level on this subject with all stakeholders clean drinking water for all as per WHO standards.
we face as a shared community and make them realize about the water scarcity, ix) Gender Ratio: 20% Female population.
• Commit ourselves, as an institution, to the cause of Water governance: To improve water governance, we water availability and water quality.
saving water and make a strategic plan involved various stakeholders, both those within the
• Implement the plan in true spirit with clearly facility as well as outside, and talked about our A sense of emergency needs to be declared based Significant improvement has already been made in
defined objectives, and with responsible persons shared water risks. on the data available which is quite alarming. All these areas during the year 2020. We will be
nominated to achieve targeted objectives by defined industrial units, as a starting point, must install flow publishing the achieved numbers on our website in
dates Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH): We ensure meters / SCADA to capture the actual data. Unless coming weeks. The declared data would be
• Evaluate the performance on periodic basis clean drinking water, access to sanitation for all our we have the real numbers available we will not be auditable by third parties.
• Communicate and disclose our efforts on water employees and further intend to provide access to able to make any conservation / improvement plans.
stewardship to all stakeholders, including data. clean drinking water to those in our catchment. The business community must invest in the kind of Team TEXtalks International thanked Irfan Nazeer
Ahmad for his valuable time and it was great to
technologies that use the least amount of water learn more about the sustainable initiatives taken
TEXtalks: Describe the key steps you have taken to TEXtalks: How do you see the results in water possible. Furthermore, new products should be
improve water sustainability? saving, after the implementation of AWS? developed based on fibers and recipes that consume by the US Group and paid best wishes for the future
steps to make the world more sustainable.

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