Sustainable out of Passion
For FutureStarter Sasikala Sam, the path was mapped out early on. Safety and environmental protection were already on her agenda when hardly anyone was talking about sustainability. Today, she is responsible for Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) at ZF in India.
The Bhopal Gas tragedy in 1984 prompted Sasikala to dedicate her life to environmental protection – a path that led to a degree in environmental engineering and occupational safety.
Her career progressed through the food industry, pharmaceuticals and heavy industry before she joined ZF Wind Power in 2014. “Right from the start, I had the impression that for ZF, the health of colleagues and occupational safety aren’t just PowerPoint presentations but are core values that the company lives by,” she said. “I also found the expansion of renewable energies is ecologically necessary and sensible. That’s why I liked working in a plant that manufactures gearboxes for wind turbines.”
She also fully supports the Group’s “Acting Now” sustainability initiative: “As a sustainability officer and a FutureStarter, I believe our conscious use of all resources is the prerequisite for having a future at all. It’s important that we do more than is required of us. Climate neutrality by 2040 and an energy supply without emissions by 2030 are ZF goals that are also personally important,” she said.
Sasikala Sam is responsible for EHS (Health, Safety & Environment).She’s improving the daily lives of team members and their families with concrete initiatives.
Flood disaster as impetus for ZF Go Green team
Shortly after she started at ZF, another event triggered an impulse to get involved. On November 14, 2015, the monsoon rains in Chennai left a trail of devastation in its wake. Together with 24 team members, Sasikala collected food, hygiene products and clothing for 200 families affected by the flood disaster.
A few months later, the feeling of positive influence motivated the team to continue providing help. “We founded the ‘ZF Go Green’ team to contribute to a better world,” said Sasikala. “Right from the start, we focused on projects for more nature conservation, safety and education – both inside and outside the plant.” Today, the team includes almost 160 colleagues who work together with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, traffic police, educational institutions and other nongovernmental organizations (NGO).
Sam is particularly sought after by her colleagues for her expertise in waste management and her successes in occupational safety.
To date, numerous campaigns have taken place on the 66-hectare ZF Wind Power site. These range from energy-saving measures, such as switching to LED lighting and optimized air conditioning, to using a reusable packaging system instead of traditional wooden crates. “This measure alone saves more than 360 large trees every year and prevents 69 tons of wood waste from being generated,” explained Sasikala. The “ZF Go Green” team has also introduced a process that removes the oil from the grinding sludge generated during production. Around half of the oil is recycled, while the other half is used to generate power in other industries.
“Mini forest” for 9,200 of trees and over 40+ bird species
Sasikala is particularly proud of the “Mini Forest Project.” “In 2017, 9,200 tree seedlings were planted on the edge of the factory premises to contribute to reforestation in this arid region,” she recalled. The team also built a large pond that collects rainwater to irrigate the trees during the dry season. As a result of these measures, more than 40 bird species now live on the site.
The team also promotes composting household waste for use in home gardens. And they are even involved in species conservation. ZF colleagues from Coimbatore and their families have built and distributed more than 5,000 nesting boxes for birds made from wood waste.
Global number one in occupational safety
For Sasikala, her involvement in the “ZF Go Green” team is just one of many aspects of her strong passion for sustainability. As part of the global EHS team at ZF, she is particularly sought after by her colleagues for her expertise in waste management and her successes in occupational safety: “We have the lowest number of occupational accidents of all ZF locations worldwide in India,” she explained proudly. Her credo is “Occupational safety is never finished,” but it must be reactivated in continuous campaigns to prevent dangerous routines from arising in the first place.
In addition to her professional work and commitment, Sasikala supports her local Sunday school, where she regularly teaches children ethics and the basics of moral behavior. “Because action is what matters,” she said. “And that’s also what I appreciate about ZF: when it comes to sustainability, action is an absolute priority.”
