Vedanta Aluminium signs MoU with Subhalaxmi Cooperativefor fly-ash brick manufacturing unit

Jharsuguda, swa news : Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium,is helping establish a one-of-a-kind women-led fly ash brick manufacturing facility that will produce close to one crore bricks annually.

Vedanta Aluminium has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Subhalaxmi Cooperative, one of India’s largest rural women cooperatives, for setting up this facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha.The cooperative will be provided with fly ash free-of-cost from Vedanta’s mega aluminium plant. Uniquely, the initiative merges the development of circular economy avenues with generating sustainable livelihood opportunities for rural women.

The facility,with the capacity to produce 25,000+ bricks daily, will be managed entirely by the members of the Subhalaxmi Cooperative. Vedanta Aluminium will extend support in the installation and commissioning of the brick manufacturing unit. It will also arrange for training the operators and ensure third-party quality testing of sample bricks, thereby boosting technical skills and knowledge within the community as well.

Fly ash isa by-product of the thermal power generation process and is being increasingly utilised in several sustainable avenues such ascement manufacturing, brick production, and road construction. Since March 2022, Vedanta Aluminium has supplied over 1.5 million tonnes of fly ash to major cement manufacturers and 3 million tonnes to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for their road-building projects, and recently marked the dispatch of its 650^th fly ash rake from Jharsuguda for this endeavour.

The Subhalaxmi Cooperative has more than 5,000 women members spread across 440+ Self Help Groups. The cooperative works towards the empowerment of its members through micro-finance, skill development, financial literacy, and market linkages. These efforts serve to help rural women build sustainable livelihoods and play a more direct role in the development and progress of their communities.

Sharing his views on the initiative, Sunil Gupta, Chief Operating Officer, Vedanta Aluminium said: “At Vedanta Aluminium, we believe that shared progress lies in empowering communities while also ensuringresponsible industrial practices. By repurposing industrial by-products like fly ash into eco-friendly building materials, we are not only contributing to a circular economy but also creating meaningful livelihood opportunities for thousands of rural women.This initiative is an apt reflection of our commitment to inclusive growth, environmental stewardship, and long-term community development.”

Adding her views, Pankajini Oram, President, Subhalaxmi Cooperative, said:“The partnership with Vedanta Aluminium marks a new chapter in our journey of empowerment. The upcoming unit will not only provide our members with a stable source of income but also equip them with valuable technical skills. For many women in our cooperative, this is more than just a livelihood opportunity – it is a chance to lead change in our communities and contribute directly to a more sustainable future for our planet.”

Vedanta Jharsuguda’s community development effortsplay a key rolewithin its overall goal of  promoting holistic social and economic development amongst the local communitiesand broader society in which it operates. Towards this aim, the company has undertaken multiple initiatives in the areas of education, healthcare, women and child development, rural infrastructure, livelihood generation, grassroots sports, art and cultural preservation.

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.42 million tonnes in FY25. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.