Environment Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS) Framework

The EHSMS supports our ESG approach in the areas of environment, sustainability, compliance, and employee health and well-being. Integrating EHS and business excellence is a key element of our policy.

It is implemented in line with the latest Environment Management System ISO 14001:2015 and the Occupational Health and Safety Management System Standard ISO 45001:2018.

Our EHSMS takes a 360-degree view of possible solutions, going beyond the immediate task to evaluate how these changes can be introduced or managed with the least risk exposures or impacts on the workplace, business, community and environment. It allows us to mitigate negative effects emerging from our operations while maximizing opportunities related to the environment, health and safety of employees and stakeholders for continual improvement of the EHS management system performance.

Energy and Emissions

WNS has committed to set near- and long-term company-wide emission reductions in line with science-based net-zero with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). WNS has responded to the SBTi’s urgent call for corporate climate action by committing to align with 1.5°C and net-zero through the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign.

We continue to monitor our carbon footprint which includes emissions due to electricity purchased and generated for running our office across various locations. The electricity we purchase from national grids is the dominant emission source. We also consume a limited amount of diesel for running generators which provide backup power to our offices. Considering our major emission source (in Scope 1 and Scope 2) is electricity consumption in our buildings, we have taken conscious steps to reduce it. This objective also forms an integral part of our environmental management plan as highlighted within our Environment Management System (EMS).

Initiatives we have undertaken toward efficient energy consumption in our office infrastructure include the installation of energy-efficient equipment. WNS may opt for green buildings for future offices or new premises. Our efforts to improve the energy efficiency of our office infrastructure have been recognized in the recent past. The operational sites in India have maintained their Energy STAR ratings.

Sr. No. Award Category by BEE Location STAR Rating
Certification
1 Energy STAR Rating Plant No. 10 & 11, Mumbai 4 Star
2 Energy STAR Rating Weikfield IT City Info Park, Pune 4 Star
3 Energy STAR Rating Tower 1, Pune 4 Star
4 Energy STAR Rating Tower 8, Pune 4 Star
5 Energy STAR Rating NH-8, Silokhera 5 Star
6 Energy STAR Rating RMZ, Bengaluru 4 Star
7 Energy STAR Rating Vishakhapatnam 5 Star
8 Energy STAR Rating Shree Niketan, Nashik 4 Star
9 Energy STAR Rating V Tech, Nashik 5 Star
10 Energy STAR Rating Plant 5, Vikhroli 3 Star
11 Energy STAR Rating Airoli 5 Star

We have been able to achieve these ratings through focused energy-saving initiatives targeting key consumption areas in our buildings. These are primarily focused on lighting and heating / ventilation / air conditioning (HVAC) systems in our offices.

In addition, many energy-saving alternatives have been generated as a result of the consolidation of our operational sites and focused actions that were implemented to reduce the energy waste during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Going forward, renewable energy is one of the focus areas for WNS in our Net Zero program. Plans to pivot the energy consumption of our sites to greener options are currently in progress. For instance, we have adopted 100% ‘green electrical energy’ for two of major work locations in India. The total energy share of green energy now stands at 81% of WNS India’s power consumption.

WNS has also identified minimizing its carbon footprint of data centers as another focus area. WNS is in the process of capturing energy data specific to its data centers, identifying the associated impact, and taking actions to reduce them.

We currently measure and track our direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions in alignment with the measurement and tracking of our energy consumption. The methodology used for calculating our GHG emissions is aligned with the globally accepted GHG protocol standards developed by the World Resources Institute.

To reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, we have adopted video and teleconference facilities, wherever possible, to reduce our dependence on employee travel. This has not only helped us conduct our business in a sustainable manner but also enabled and maintained a smooth transition to remote working following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Key Parameters Unit FY 2021-22
Direct GHG emissions (Scope 1) tons of CO2 e 2,852
Indirect GHG emissions (Scope 2) tons of CO2 e 25,443
Total GHG emissions tons of CO2 e 28,296
Total GHG emissions tons of CO2 e / FTE 0.55

Waste

There are two major sources of waste generation in our operations:

  • Non-hazardous waste such as food (from cafeterias) and stationery waste (paper, and other items)
  • E-waste from old and discarded electronic items, which is handed over to authorized recyclers for reuse and recycling

Some of the steps we take to minimize waste include:

  • Optimizing the utilization of IT equipment to reduce e-waste
  • Implementing digitalization in most of our processes to drive paper-less operations
  • Eliminating the ‘use-and-throw’ concept:
    1. Replacing paper cups with ceramic mugs (reusable)
    2. Replacing packaged plastic water bottles with reusable glass water bottles
    3. Replacing plastic packaging shrink wrap film with reusable acrylic closed containers
    4. Eliminating the use of tissue paper wherever possible
  • Employing robust waste segregation, waste reduction and recycling processes for paper, and bio-composting of wet waste wherever possible
    1. Conducted workshops on ‘Swachagraha’ to promote the use of compost bins called "The Green Spot” at work, spreading awareness on the benefits of bio-composting of waste for residential premises

Water

The majority of our facilities are leased premises, where the lessors are responsible for providing water from various sources, such as municipal water supply, groundwater or tankers.

We use water for domestic consumption in our office buildings. The wastewater generated from our operations is treated in centralized sewage water treatment plants owned, operated and maintained by the lessors in most locations. As a part of our endeavor to improve our water consumption efficiency, we have made several efforts to optimize water consumption and reduce wastage.

To improve our water consumption efficiency, we are making a focused effort to optimize water consumption and reduce wastage via steps such as:

  • Installing push taps to replace conventional taps
  • Reducing the number of cooling towers to prevent water loss
  • Adopting better water technology (air-cooled chillers over water-cooled ones)
  • Using gas-based air conditioning that consumes energy from thermal sources and does not use water for cooling
  • Installing waterless yet hygienic urinals where suitable
  • Using recycled water wherever possible

Alignment of Environment Management System with Carbon Net Zero

Our EMS is based on the latest International Standards of ISO 14001: 2015, and all our major delivery centers are certified. We monitor environmental performance indicators such as consumption of natural resources, GHG emissions {tCO2e } and ozone-depleting substances, and take steps to meet the established targets.

Identified Thrust Areas to Address Emissions Reduction

 

National Energy Conservation Award 2021