Hero MotoCorp becomes 100% zero-waste-to-landfill

Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has solidified its position as a sustainability leader, with all eight of its facilities in India, including six manufacturing plants, being certified as ‘Zero-Waste-to-Landfill’ (ZWL).

Niranjan Gupta, CEO of Hero MotoCorp, shared “Sustainability is a commitment in our journey to be an environment-friendly business.  Our zero-waste-to-landfill policy is rooted in our belief that to be a sustainable business, manufacturing with an unflinching commitment to the environment is as important as providing quality and fuel-efficient products and creating an engaging customer experience.”

“A booming economy with its ever-increasing manufacturing prowess, our country is still grappling with solid waste management, resulting in overflowing landfills in the hearts of mega cities. These landfills have been a source of multiple diseases and public health emergencies apart from posing a detrimental threat to the environment and groundwater reserves. Therefore, as the market leader, we at Hero MotoCorp took up this ambitious initiative to become completely zero waste-to-landfill, thereby setting a guiding example for the industry to follow,” he adds.

Sunil B. Medge Regional Manager, M/s Intertek India Pvt. Limited, the certifying body, said “Hero has shown tremendous success in reducing its waste output via segregation at source, promoting reusable packaging, adopting methods to utilize waste as an alternate source of energy, and creating resources from waste. One such unique example is of upcycling of grinding sludge which is converted to Ferric Alum, a useful resource in textile and other water treatment industries.” The Zero Waste-to-Landfill project began at Hero’s Neemrana facility in Rajasthan during the 2018-19 fiscal year. Since then, the company has reduced waste generation by 40% and achieved a diversion rate of over 99.9% across all plants, surpassing the 2025 target.

Hero MotoCorp operates six advanced plants in India: Dharuhera and Gurugram in Haryana, Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Neemrana in Rajasthan, Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, and Halol in Gujarat. The company also boasts a Global Parts Centre (GPC) in Neemrana and a Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur. The ambitious goal of zero-waste-to-landfill required a comprehensive approach and meticulous planning.

The company adopted an innovative water-based painting system, eliminating Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions, paint sludge, and reducing water consumption. The switch to robotic painting processes across all plants increased paint transfer efficiency and reduced paint consumption and sludge generation.

Other best practices included upgrading the chemical components in the paint pre-treatment process from zinc-phosphate to zirconium-based treatments, which eliminated hazardous phosphate sludge and reduced water and thermal energy usage. Hero MotoCorp also emphasised recycling and reuse, notably converting grinding sludge into useful alum products, showcasing continuous innovation in sustaining a circular economy.