What is ESG :

Environmental, Social and Governance

(ESG) is strategic and operational

framework that aims to assist

organisations of any size and type to

implement and report on their activities,

products, services, and commitment

to support the achievement of

sustainable development, social justice, and good governance. Adopting ESG

brings a clear focus on organisations

impact on environment and society, including contribution to delivery of

United Nations ( UN), Sustainable

Developmental Goals ( SDG) as well as

evaluating the impacts of environment

and

society on organization.

Key Trends In India

India is the third largest emitter of green

house gases (GHGs) in the world. It is also

a signatory to the Paris Agreement that aims to limit global warming by keeping

the global temperature rise in this

century well below 2 degrees Celsius

above pre-industrial levels. India has

committed to reduce the carbon intensity

of its economy by more than 45%, to

meet 50% of its energy requirement from

renewable energy by 2030, and reduce

its total projected carbon emission by 1

billion tonnes by 2030 to become carbon

neutral by 2070.

ESG criteria have become a critical

benchmark for evaluating the

sustainability and ethical impact of

industries worldwide. While traditionally

associated sectors like finance, energy

and manufacturing, ESG is increasingly

relevant in the welding industry given

its integral role in infrastructure,

construction and manufacturing

ecosystem.

In both, the global and Indian context,

the welding industry faces challenges as

well as opportunities to align with ESG

goals.

This article delves into how “E”

i.e, Environmental pillar of ESG, is

shaping the future of welding,

the current

landscape, and the future road ahead.

Environmental (E) -Reducing the

industries footprint.

Global Perspective: Globally, welding

operations significantly contributes to

GHG emissions, particulate matter and

waste production. Common processes

such as arc welding consume substantial

electricity and release fumes containing

hazardous compounds like manganese,

chromium, and ozone. Leading companies

worldwide are implementing measures

for transition to low emission welding technologies, adopting automation &

robotic welding systems to enhance

precision and reduce material waste,

and implementing fume extraction and

filtration systems to improve air quality.

Indian Perspective: While large-scale

industries are beginning to acknowledge

their environmental responsibilities

in India, many small and medium

enterprises ( SMEs) still lag behind due to

a high cost barrier and low awareness. However, government initiatives like

“Make-in-India” and green manufacturing

policies has resulted in growing pressure

on the sector to modernize and adopt

cleaner practices.

Securities and Exchange Board of

India ( SEBI) guidelines for disclosure

through Business Responsibilities and

Sustainability reporting ( BRSR) on ESG

have put lot of focus on ESG initiatives

on listed companies.

Regulatory bodies i.e., pollution

control board, are pushing for

cleaner production techniques, waste

management protocols, compliance with

environmental regulations under the

Factory Act and Environmental Act.

Social S: Safety, Health, and

Workforce Development

Global Perspective: Welding involves

exposure to UV radiation, toxic fumes,

and extreme heat, which pose serious

health hazards. Globally, companies are

investing in Advanced Personal

Protection Equipment (PPE), automation

to reduce human exposure, extensive

safety training and certification,

programs promoting diversity, equity,

and inclusion in the skilled sector.

Indian Perspective: In India, while occupational health & safety is legally

mandated, enforcement is inconsistent,

especially in the unorganized sector.

However, with rising regulatory pressure

on large companies, including their

supply chains, there is gradual positive

change being seen.

In addition, ‘Skill India’ offers formal

certification and opportunities for

partnership with global institution to

impart advanced training. Further, there

is increasing emphasis on worker well

being, especially post Covid-19.

Governance (G) -Ethics, compliance,

and accountability:

Governance in the welding sector

involves ensuring compliance

with international standards (ISO,

ASME, AWS), ethical sourcing, and

transparent supply chains. Companies

are integrating third-party audits to track

compliance.

India is gradually adopting corporate

governance reforms. Public and private

sector enterprises are publishing

Sustainability reports introducing ESG

boards or committees.

The process of aligning with SEBI’S ESG

disclosure, i.e, BRSR for top 1000 listed

companies has begun. The welding

industry, like many other industries,

faces increasing pressure to adopt

sustainable practices. The push for

greener operations stems not only

from regulatory domains but also from

growing awareness of environmental

responsibilities and consumers’

preference for sustainable products.

Globally, during recent years welding

industry has made significant strides

in embracing sustainability, evolving

through technological innovation and a

shift in the corporate ethos.

Innovations driving sustainability

One of the most impactful changes in the welding industry is the adoption of

advanced technologies that enhance

efficiency and reduce waste. Additionally,

the welding industry has optimised the

use of material and energy, significantly

reducing the carbon footprint associated

with manual welding methods.

Sustainable welding processes and

products and technologies:

A. Life Cycle Assessment of Welding

Processes:

As per one of the research studies on

environmental life cycle (LCA) and social

life cycle assessment of (SLCA) of various

welding processes i.e. Manual Metal Arc

Welding ( MMAW), Manual Gas Metal

Arc Welding (Manual- GMAW) ,

Automatic Gas Metal Arc Welding

(Automatic- GMAW) and Automatic

Laser Arc Hybrid Welding ( LAHW)

, MMAW contributes the highest

environmental impact and LAHW

contributes the least impact. Automatic

GMAW contributes lower environmental

impact than Manual GMAW. The

main reason is the difference in the

consumption of electricity for the

welding machine and the filler material.

B. Energy efficiency power sources:

Advanced Power Sources: Inverter-based

welding power sources offers greater

energy efficiency compared to traditional

welding power sources i.e, transductor or

magnetic amplifier-based power

sources, step switch-controlled machines

or thyristor technology. These power

sources offer improved power factor

resulting in energy saving up to 30%,

excellent welding characteristics, less

requirement on welder skills, and

are lightweight (approximately 60

% reduction in weight as compared

to conventional power sources)

and compact in size. These features

reduce their carbon footprint at the

manufacturing stage and during their

usage in welding operations .

C. Battery operated power sources:

Recent breakthrough development of

battery-operated welding machines

in India offers versatile solutions for

welding in an environment where access

to power is limited. These power sources

use lithium-ion batteries, which are

Environment friendly due to

their ability to store clean energy from

a renewable source. These power

sources offer exceptional portability

with extended battery life and dual input

supply options, and reduced carbon

emissions.

Technology offers a mobile application

facility, which provides user with the

ability to observe and manage various

parameters from a distance i.e. output

current, arc force, hot start, battery

voltage etc.

These are versatile in use as they can be

used with either a three phase supply, (if

available) or on a battery supply.

These battery-operated welding

machines are very useful for applications

such as outdoor welding, construction

sites, pipeline construction, marine

applications, railway track repairing etc. Battery-powered welding machines

represent a significant advancement in

welding technology, offering flexibility,

convenience, and efficiency to diverse

welding applications.

D. Eco-friendly welding consumables:

Development of copper-free wire at the

global level and recent development in

India offers an eco-friendly solution for

manufacturing of this wire (eliminates

hazardous acid and copper salt

consumption during wire drawing at the

manufacturing stage ). During welding,

this wire ( ER 70 S6) emits fewer harmful

fumes and reduces welder health concerns

While in use, these wires offer excellent

wire feeding, stable arc with reduced

f

luctuations of current, and comparable

shelf life.

With this, the welding operations can

be carried out with higher efficiency to

provide a good quality weld and better

performance over conventional copper

coating wire.

These wires offer benefit to user i.e.

minimal spatter, low welding fumes, no

issue of copper flaking from the surface

and the possibility of nozzle choking,

longer contact tip life, higher welding

speeds etc.

In addition, many companies are

beginning to offer welding wires spools

from biodegradable materials, reducing

plastic waste in landfills.

Currently, both these above initiatives

are at a nascent state at the user end,

however, efforts are being made by both

the manufacturer of these products and

the user industry to establish these

eco-friendly initiatives.

E. Electronic gas monitoring & saving

system:

Implementing an electronic welding

regulator – a device which controls the

f

low of shielding gas for arc welding

process – is recommended. The

combination of supply ,distribution of

gas flow based on welding current, surge

suppression, and quick responding valve

shut off enables large-scale reduction in

gas usage. These technologies are

IoT compatible with 60% gas savings.

F. Advanced Welding Technologies:

One of the most impactful changes in

the welding industry is the adoption of

technology that enhances efficiency and

reduces waste. Laser welding and friction

stir welding offer greater precision and

lower thermal output, which minimizes energy consumption and material waste.

Even though these technologies may not

be able to replace conventional welding

processes completely, these processes

are being used successfully in high

demand sectors i.e, Aerospace & aviation,

automotive Industry, space ,railways,

shipbuilding, and defence sector.

G. Waste Management :

Leveraging digital welding solutions and

precision techniques can greatly reduce

material waste. Digital planning tools

can help in pre-determining the exact

requirement for a project, resulting

reduction in over-ordering and waste of

resources. Adopting the high precision

approach helps industry towards more

sustainable practices, ensuring materials

are utilised efficiently.

Waste management is crucial to reducing

the environmental impact of welding.

Properly disposing of welding waste

products like spent welding electrodes,

empty cylinders and other by products is

important. Properly labelling and storing

waste can also reduce the risk of spills

and accidents, and adversely affect the

environment.

Some materials can be recycled or

reused. Metals can be recycled, gas

cylinders can be refilled and reused.

Materials that cannot be recycled should

be labelled and properly disposed of to

prevent environmental contamination.

H. Digitization in Welding Industry:

With continuous advancement in

technology in welding power sources, it

is possible to implement Industry 4.0 in

the welding sector. Powerful analytical

Software's are available to improve the

networking of products and people,

which improves efficiency and quality

while reducing cost and resources. These

software enable comprehensive analysis

and custom report generation. It enables comprehensive analysis and custom

report generation.

It has benefits, such as;

• Quality improvement:

Documentation of welding parameters and welder of every run

provides long-term traceable welding

quality.

• Increase productivity:

Longer arc

time per layer improves efficiency.

Paperless transfer of all data

and WPS (Welding Procedure

Specification ) to the workplace

reduces non-productive time.

• Pre-set welding parameters reduce

the number of error corrections.

• Prompt, consumption-oriented

maintenance notice result in fewer

downtimes.

I.

Enhanced training and

certification.

Educating welders about sustainable

practice is vital for widespread adoption.

Globally, more training programs now

incorporate modules on sustainability,

teaching new welders about energy

efficient technologies and how

to minimise resource use. Waste

certification program have been

updated to include criteria for

sustainable practices, pushing entire

industry towards greener methods .

In India , as well, Welding equipment

& consumables manufacturers are

contributing by offering courses on

sustainable welding practices.

Significance of ISO standards &

frameworks in ESG initiatives and

reporting:

Over the years, various organisations

from the fabrication and welding

industries have implemented

ISO standards i.e ISO 140001,ISO 45001

,ISO 3834 and IW 48 : 2024 (en) etc.ISO 14001 - Environmental Management

System ( EMS): Helps to identify and

control environmental risk associated

with industrial activities. Reduce carbon

footprint, pollution, and resource

depletion through efficient waste and

energy management. Demonstrates

commitment to sustainability, improving

stake holder trust and ESG ratings.

ISO 45001 - Occupational Health &

Safety Management system (OH & M):

Ensures safety, reducing accidents and

health risks, which contributes to the

social pillar of ESG. Promotes safe and

sustainable work environment risks from

workplace incidents. Improves regulatory

compliance and corporate reputation in

ESG performance.

ISO 3834 -Welding Quality Management

System: Ensure high-quality welding

practices, minimising defects and rework.

Reduce material wastage and energy

consumption, contributing to sustainable

resource usage. Supports compliance

with environmental regulations by

maintaining process efficiency and

reducing emissions.

IWA 48: 2024 ( en): This document

provides high level framework and set

of principle to give guidance on how to

implement and embed environmental,social and governance ( ESG) within

the culture of organisation to support

management of ESG performance,

measurement and reporting enabling

consistency, comparability and reliability

of ESG reporting and practices globally.

Additional ESG benefits by

implementing standards:

Risk mitigation: Reduce legal,

environmental and operational risk.

Cost savings: Efficient process, lower

waste and energy cost.

Competitive Advantage: ISO certified

companies attract investments and

customers valuing ESG

compliance.

Regulatory Compliance: Aligns with

government sustainability polices and

reporting framework.

Challenges and future outlook :

During recent years the welding industry

has taken commendable steps towards sustainability driven by technological

innovations, adoption of green material,

energy efficiency and corporate social responsibility.

Despite these advancements, the

welding industry still faces challenges

in its journey towards sustainability.

The high cost of new technologies

and need for ongoing training can be

barriers especially for smaller operators.

Moreover, there is ongoing need for

industry wide efforts that unify efforts

and create more competitive market for

sustainable welding solutions.

Looking ahead, the industry is likely to

continue its path towards sustainability

with even greater integration of cutting

edge technologies and materials.

Collaboration among companies,

governments and educations institutes

will be crucial in overcoming current

challenges and enhance the industries

overall impact on environment.

It is time for all stake holders in welding

industry to commit to sustainability

and work together to undertake

transformative changes.