In a significant move towards circular production, Jindal Stainless, India’s largest stainless steel manufacturer, is set to double its slag processing capacity with a new wet milling plant at its Jajpur unit in Odisha. This initiative will bolster the company’s expanded capacity operations and long-term sustainability goals by recovering metal from industrial waste and conserving valuable natural resources. It is also expected to create around 140 new jobs in the region.

For this project, Jindal Stainless has partnered with Harsco Environmental, a global leader in providing innovative environmental solutions for the metals industry. The company is committing to an investment of USD 150 million to build and operate the plant under a 15-year partnership with Harsco Environmental, further enhancing the long-standing collaboration between the two companies in driving circular operations. Over the course of the agreement, the plant is projected to recoup its value through the recovery of metal from slag.

Commenting on this development, Managing Director, Jindal Stainless, Abhyuday Jindal said, “As we expand capacity to meet the rising stainless steel demand in India and globally, our focus remains strongly on doing so responsibly and in an environmentally conscious way. We are strengthening our partnership with Harsco Environmental, an organisation that shares our commitment to circularity in stainless steel production. The upcoming wet milling plant, with its benchmark metal recovery and waste management, will enable gainful utilisation of slag and create new opportunities for the communities where we operate.” 

Manjunath Raghavelu, Managing Director for India & MEA, Harsco Environmental, added: “I am thrilled to announce the signing of this 15-year contract between Harsco?Environmental and Jindal Stainless for the establishment of a second wet milling plant at their Jajpur facility. This partnership deepens our decade-long collaboration and marks Jajpur as the first site in India with two wet milling plants. Together, we will enhance our focus on the circular economy and slag utilization, reinforcing our commitment to sustainability."

This initiative forms an integral part of Jindal Stainless’ long-term Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals and its commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2050. In FY25, the company reduced its carbon footprint by ~14 per cent through various decarbonisation initiatives. Some of its pioneering efforts include establishing India's first green hydrogen plant for powering stainless steel production and installing the largest captive solar energy plant within a single industrial campus in Odisha, along with several other notable sustainability milestones.   

Enviri’s Harsco Environmental division is the largest and most comprehensive provider of onsite material processing and environmental services to the global metals industry, with operations at over 130 customer sites across more than 32 countries. Harsco Environmental is a technology partner delivering cleaner, more efficient metal production, providing customers with economically and environmentally viable solutions for the treatment and reuse of production co-products.

Jindal Stainless remains focused on a greener and sustainable future. The company manufactures stainless steel using electric arc furnace, a process that significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and allows for recyclability of scrap without compromising on quality.