Tata Steel has been pioneering in value creation from waste and by-products in its quest to contribute to a sustainable ecosystem in the iron and steel industry. Tata Steel aims for a ‘Zero Waste’ goal using the 3R (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle) principles of circular economy. We handle ~15 MnTPA of by-products spanning across 25+ product categories comprising more than 250+ Stock Keeping Units (SKUs). These value-added by-products serve as key raw materials for various industries like cement, chemical, construction, etc. In FY 2021-22, Tata Steel Jamshedpur and Tata Steel Kalinganagar achieved 100% solid waste utilisation and horizontal deployment of best practices in Tata Steel Meramandali helped to achieve 97% solid waste utilisation.

We have been investing in research to develop technologies for reuse of iron and steel slags. Our journey can be comprehended through the pioneering and materialised technologies as well as the innovation pipeline pertaining to slag-based products. Through an in-house developed process of accelerated weathering of steel slag (basic oxygen furnace slag), we developed manufactured aggregates branded as Tata Aggreto. This is India’s first steel slag-based branded product, extensively used in the construction of national highways, which has helped in conserving natural aggregates and minimising our environmental footprint. Tata Nirman, another product based on steel slag fines, has been established as a raw material of choice for the brick manufacturing industry. Through innovative initiatives aimed at supporting the farming sector, a multi-nutrient soil enhancer Dhurvi Gold, has been developed, which serves to provide low-cost soil conditioning solutions. Besides steel slag, various downstream products have been developed from blast furnace slag, such as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and activated GGBS, which can be used as partial replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) for making concrete, thereby positively impacting the carbon footprint of cement manufacturers.

Tata Steel has been adjudged winner of Indian Circular Economy Award 2021’ under the large enterprise category during the Circular Economy Symposium organised by FICCI. The award recognises Tata Steel’s practices to accelerate its business towards a circular model as the most innovative and impactful. The Company has also won the ‘Excellence in 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle)’ Award by CII during the International Conference on Waste to Worth, for the second consecutive year, for demonstrating innovative 3R initiatives in managing own wastes

The Company is committed to achieving 100% material efficiency while sustaining solid waste utilisation at 100% level across all its locations and increasing EBITDA by 2.4x from by-products business.

In line with its commitment to environmental sustainability and regulatory compliance, Tata Steel has implemented a structured and responsible system for managing waste. This approach is aligned with the requirements of both the Environmental, Health, and Safety Management System (EHSMS) and the ResponsibleSteel^TM Standard, and is subject to regular evaluation through audits conducted by authorized external auditors.

All our steel making sites are certified to ISO 14001:2015, which also includes waste management. Third party auditor assess all environment management systems elements such as policy, objectives, environmental aspects, control procedure, monitoring and measurement, management review, etc. These assessment includes waste as one of the environmental aspects and overall systems audit aids in improving the waste management process, ultimately reducing waste and creating opportunities for circular economy. Principle 11 of ResponsibleSteel^TM Standard relates to waste, and Tata Steel continually enhances its performance in line with this principle. Compliance with this requirement is verified by auditors during site certification audits. These audits identify circularity gaps and opportunities to enhance waste performance and sustainability.

Independent Practitioner’s Reasonable Assurance has been provided by Price Waterhouse & Co Chartered Accountants LLP for Tata Steel Limited. This includes BRSR Core Indicators which includes waste categories including plastic, e-waste, biomedical, battery, hazardous, and non-hazardous materials. Further, it also includes total waste generated, total waste recovered through recycling, re-using or other recovery operations, and total waste disposed by nature of disposal method including landfill.
Link - reasonable-assurance.pdf

Tata Steel conducts both offline and online training programmes focused on waste management. These initiatives aim to build awareness and enhance the competencies of employees and stakeholders in implementing sustainable waste handling practices. The training is aligned with environmental standards and corporate sustainability goals, and supports Project Aalingana, the Tata Group’s commitment to achieve "zero waste to landfill" by 2030. Training modules cover the waste management hierarchy, life cycle impact assessment, segregation techniques, and regulatory compliance. They also ensure continuous improvement and readiness for audits under EHSMS, BRSR Assurance, and ResponsibleSteel^TM frameworks.

Tata Steel has strategically integrated recycling programmes into its operations to address the persistent issue of industrial waste accumulation.

Problem Identified: Tata Steel faced a long-standing challenge of industrial waste—muck waste, ETP sludge, and other hazardous materials accumulating in landfills. This not only consumed space but also increased disposal costs and posed environmental risks.

81% of landfill waste, primarily comprising muck waste and ETP sludge, contains high iron content, enabling its internal reuse at sinter plant. This strategic insight supported sustainable waste management by reducing landfill dependency and promoting resource recovery within operations.

💡 Innovative Solutions:

• Muck & Sludge Reuse: Repurposed as raw materials in sinter production, drastically reducing landfill dependency. Achieved 81% reduction in waste sent to landfill in FY 2024-25 against previous year.
• Briquette Making: Hazardous materials like wet ultrafine sludge and manganese waste are transformed into briquettes used in electric arc furnaces to recover valuable metals.

🌱 Impact Highlights:

• Environmental: Reduced pollution, minimised landfill use, improved compliance.
• Industry First: FAP Joda introduced patented briquetting technology, a first in Indian steel plants.
• Economic: Annual savings of ₹21.7 crore from muck reuse.