Illusions of grandeur
No specific environmental policy, no initiative towards improving its environmental governance, not even a person responsible for environmental activities the list is endless and Majestic Auto seems to have lost its aura. The company, which is one of the main units of leading Hero Group, is placed 24th with a score of 20.5 per cent. Like most of those occupying the bottom rung, it suffers from an extremely weak monitoring mechanism and has no immediate plans to go for iso 14001 certification. Other maladies afflicting the company include absence of targets for improving resource consumption or environmental performance, lack of training programmes for its employees or any initiative toward stakeholder relationship. Like most of its two-wheeler counterparts, it has still to take the customer need into account regarding the pollution aspect. At present, the industry manufactures four brands in two wheelers, but there is no mention of environmental issues in its consumer manuals. Also there has been no effort to start a programme through its dealers network to educate its customer. It neither publishes any newsletter nor any advertisement on environmental issues.
Contrary to market trends, it only produces two-stroke two-wheelers and has no immediate plans to opt for alternate fuel technology. Considering that the group started its operation way back in 1973 and is among the leading producers of moped, it should be spearheading the regulations instead of just following the ones laid down by the government. There is absolutely no research and development activity on the impact of fuel quality or ageing on emissions to its credit. However, the company does score on account of keeping most of its polluting processes such as plating and heat treatment, and painting in-house. But the positive initiative is marred by the fact it has yet to chalk out any formal guideline to monitor the performance of its vendors who contribute significantly to both primary and secondary components,
In consumption efficiency, the company has shown mixed results. While there is an increasing tendency in water consumption, the case is reverse where energy is concerned. Like most others, it has not explored the option of using clean gaseous fuels and is solely dependent on groundwater for meeting its water requirements. The company does not monitor the disposal of grinding sludge or the emissions emanating from the paint shop. Similarly, the company has not disclosed information either on wastewater or the air emissions. Its performance in product use is average with Majestic Panther and Majestic Gizmo.
Both these products, ranking 7th and 8th respectively, are technically better in certain areas than their two-wheeler counterparts. While the company has gained on account of recyclability of its vehicles, there is much scope for improvement in product disposal.