From Black to Green, Powered by Orange

Coal has long played a vital role in powering communities and driving industrial growth across the globe. But behind this essential resource are the miners who are working in some of the world’s most demanding conditions. As the mining industry has developed over the decades, safety for those people and the sustainability of mine sites has become a growing focus.

Path to Zero and a focus on sustainability

In response, Hitachi Construction Machinery established its Path to Zero initiative, aiming for zero emissions, zero downtime, and zero entry mines. This vision for safer and more sustainable mining is rooted in decades of engineering excellence. Now, the company is moving away from building machinery that can simply meet production demands, and working towards delivering integrated solutions in order to address the broader challenges of modern mine sites. As environmental awareness continues to grow globally, many countries have introduced regulations to meet the sustainable development goals highlighted by the UN. Many of these regulations are aimed at reducing emissions from industrial operations. To meet these goals, mine sites are under increased pressure to limit their negative environmental impact. Many mines already participate in land reclamation, which is the process of returning the mined land back to its original state, or better. However, this process alone may not be enough to offset their impact. For example, dust from mining can be spread by air to neighbouring communities, and water plants risk polluting local drinking water if they are not properly monitored.

Hitachi has been developing machinery and energy-efficient solutions for more than 70 years, and has consequently learned the particular needs of mine sites. This experience led to its Path to Zero Emissions, a key pillar of the company’s broader initiative, which goes beyond simply reducing emissions. It also focuses on advancing fuel efficiency and rethinking how equipment interacts with mining infrastructure. Hitachi’s latest range of haul trucks stands out for their ability to operate in both diesel and trolley-assisted modes, depending on site capabilities. When used alongside battery-powered mining shovels, mine sites have practical options for meeting stricter regulations while moving toward more sustainable operations. 

While they have a strong reputation of manufacturing reliable machinery, Hitachi also understands that pushing the boundaries of innovation means looking beyond what has already been achieved. The company believes that progress can be accomplished through open-source development and strategic partnerships. Recently, Hitachi partnered with EnviroSuite – a leader in environmental intelligence – to enable additional site-wide monitoring for key factors like fuel usage, water and air quality, and dust levels. These insights give mines actionable data to support sustainability reporting, but more importantly, they reinforce a commitment to the well-being of workers and surrounding communities. By integrating environmental intelligence with safety and operational systems, the partnership is working to ensure that mines are not only more productive, but also safer and more responsible places to work

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/special-reports/15102025/from-black-to-green-powered-by-orange/