Reinforces the Mahindra Group's commitment to Leadership in Sustainability initiatives

New Delhi, Dec 24, 2018: CERO (Mahindra MSTC Recycling Pvt. Ltd.) is India's First authorized recycler for motor vehicles, having received accreditation by the Delhi Government on 21st December, 2018.

CERO, a joint venture between Mahindra Accelo and MSTC (a Government of India enterprise under the Ministry of Steel) has established India's first organized, fully compliant, pollution free recycling facility at Greater Noida. End of Life vehicles are are collected, depolluted and dismantled at this state of the art facility. The facility embraces a Zero pollution objective, (hence the name Cero which means 'Zero' in Spanish), and the automated plant has the capacity to recycle old Trucks, Buses, Cars, Two / Three wheelers and Consumer durables.

The Cero facility follows Environmental compliances ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and all international quality norms.

Quoted Mr Zhooben Bhiwandiwala, President – Mahindra Partners and Group Legal, Member of the Group Executive Board, "This accreditation recognizes Mahindra's leadership commitment in addressing issues of sustainability by focusing on the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle principle. CERO aims to organize the end of life vehicle eco-system which is currently entirely unorganized & inefficient. CERO's parent organization, Mahindra Accelo, has already signed up for the Science Based targets Initiative launched at the Bonn Climate Conference in May 2018."

There are an estimated 40 lakh vehicles which have been deregistered by the Delhi Transport Department and cannot legally ply in Delhi. Scrapping of old vehicles leads to recovery of many metals, especially steel which makes up 65-70% of a vehicle. Organised steel recovery will significantly reduce the country’s dependence on imported steel scrap.

Said Mr. Sumit Issar, Managing Director, Mahindra Accelo, "Large urban cities like Delhi are facing serious health hazards due to old polluting vehicles that are on the roads. Citizens who want to dispose their vehicles have extremely limited options for doing so in a responsible, environmentally compliant manner. This is where the services of an accredited recycler like Cero offers a complaint pollution free certification

Owners of old vehicles can now contact Cero for a seamless end to end experience supported by official certification. It handles the entire value chain from collection of the vehicle till its official de-registration at the RTO. The customer is issued an official certificate of destruction to ensure the vehicle / engine is not being used illegally. A customer can call Cero's toll free number 1800-267-6000 or log on to www.cerorecyling.com. and register an inquiry. Once an enquiry is registered, the entire process is handled by the Cero team. Customers get fairly compensated for the salvage value of the vehicle. One can also choose to donate one’s vehicle, with the proceeds being contributed to the Nanhi Kali program of the Mahindra Foundation. An official 80G certificate for tax exemption will be issued to the owner.

The growing trajectory of vehicles in the market, many of which are old and unsuitable for roads, is one of the key causes of ever rising pollution levels. A 15 year old passenger car is responsible for polluting air 8 times more than a new one, and a 15 year old truck is responsible for polluting air 10 times more than a new one.

The National Green tribunal (NGT) had prohibited the plying of 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR, and the transport department had announced that such vehicles will be impounded if found violating the rile. Describing the pollution situation as "very critical", the Supreme Court too had directed the transport department to publish a list of such vehicles on its portal.

With plans to start operations very soon at five other locations and subsequently across the country, CERO is looking to revolutionize the vehicle recycling business and help India move towards a zero pollution nation.

www.cerorecycling.com.
www.mahindraaccelo.com.
www.mstcindia.com.
www.facebook.com/CeroRecycling

About Mahindra

The Mahindra Group is a USD 20.7 billion federation of companies that enables people to rise through innovative mobility solutions, driving rural prosperity, enhancing urban living, nurturing new businesses and fostering communities. It enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership in India and is the world's largest tractor company, by volume. It also enjoys a strong presence in agribusiness, aerospace, commercial vehicles, components, defense, logistics, real estate, renewable energy, speedboats and steel, amongst other businesses. Headquartered in India, Mahindra employs over 2,40,000 people across 100 countries.

Learn more about Mahindra on www.mahindra.com / Twitter and Facebook: @MahindraRise

For further information, please contact:

Darius Lam / Shubhada Dharwadkar,
Group Communications,
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.,
[email protected] / [email protected]
Tel: 022-24901441