Cognizant has expanded its partnership with Orica to deliver an ESG data strategy and a digital platform that provides real-time reporting and forecasting of scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using agile approaches.
In a statement, Cognizant said the project is an integral part of Orica’s Net Zero Strategy, notably the AUD37 million (USD27 million) Kooragang Island Decarbonization Project.
Cognizant will utilise Orica’s existing technological investments, notably its Microsoft Azure data lake, as part of the partnership to provide Orica with a unified ESG data platform. This platform is planned to capture and curate Orica’s GHG emissions data, including structured, unstructured, and real-time data, allowing Orica to monitor, report, and forecast its GHG emissions reductions and track the origination of Australian Carbon Credit Units.
Orica Chief Information Officer Chris Crozier said the market increasingly pressures large firms in the resources industry to analyse, report on, and reduce their carbon impact. Crozier stated that Orica, a significant supplier to mining and construction companies, can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“As such, we needed a trusted partner with a similar focus on ESG goals and sustainability and one with an expertise in data analysis, AI, design and IoT. We look forward to working with Cognizant to help us achieve our own sustainability objectives, while we look for ways to support our customers meeting their own goals,” Crozier added.
Cognizant ANZ Sustainability Lead Jonathan Smith said, “Core to our company’s purpose of engineering modern businesses to improve everyday life is our commitment to embed sustainability into our thinking, decisions, and actions. Growing numbers of customers, investors, regulators, and governmental bodies now expect corporations to make measurable progress toward reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. To do so, these companies will need to transform their product and technology strategies, supply chains, logistics models, and more. Data is a crucial factor that allows companies to analyze their current emissions and measure against ESG goals over time, and we are incredibly proud of having been appointed as the data, AI and analytics partner for Orica to be able to measure Orica’s ESG efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.”
Orica has implemented catalyst abatement technology at its nitric acid manufacturing facility on Kooragang Island, which is expected to result in considerable reductions in GHG emissions, notably nitrous oxide. The Kooragang Island decarbonisation initiative is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 4.7 million tonnes by 2030. This project’s estimated cumulative reduction is equivalent to 1% of Australia’s yearly carbon footprint, or eliminating GHG emissions produced by the equivalent of 35,000-50,000 Australian households annually.
Orica previously hired Cognizant to migrate its IT infrastructure to the cloud, allowing it to reach increased levels of efficiency, agility, and business impact while reducing operating expenses.
