Business Charter Launch: Value-chain Approach to Decarbonize the Building and Construction Sector in India
At COP26 in Glasgow, India presented a long-term vision to go net-zero by 2070. Such vision would require deep decarbonization from all key economic sectors, especially the building and construction sector as it contributed to roughly 25% to India’s carbon emissions in 2016. Businesses are uniquely positioned to influence the buildings and construction value chain to adopt a low-carbon pathway – the question is how can it be achieved?
The decarbonization of the sector will require the coming together of stakeholders across the value chain and significant reduction in material and energy demand, energy efficiency and the adoption of renewable energy by having targets that are aligned with climate-science. To facilitate this, WRI India, along with its partners, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), EcoCollab, and Mahindra Lifespaces, engaged with 150+ key stakeholders through June-July 2021 on four key themes:
- Designing net-zero buildings
- Construction and operations
- Occupiers' perspectives
- Material efficiency.
The consultations helped shape the voluntary business charter with six priority action areas that will facilitate the process of transitioning to the net-zero building and construction sector.
This business charter, which has been endorsed by Mr. Anand G. Mahindra, Executive Chairman, Mahindra Group and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies has been voluntarily adopted by 15 signatories. The charter will be formally launched by a senior government dignitary followed by a panel discussion with industry experts.
SPEAKERS
- Mili Majumdar, Managing Director, GBCI India and Senior Vice President, USGBC
- Prabodha Acharya, Chief Sustainability Officer, JSW
- Prem Chandavarkar, Managing Partner, CnT Architects
- Dr RV Ramani, CEO, Argus Concrete Solutions
- Dr Sunita Purushottam, Head of Sustainability, Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd.
- Dr. Bhaskar Natarajan, Senior Policy Advisor, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) - Moderator
