Latest news with #ETIndiaNetZeroForum2025
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
‘Emission cuts alone won't work': Industry leaders call for clarity, circularity in decarbonising value chains
New Delhi: Industry leaders from sectors including FMCG, steel, pharmaceuticals, fashion and energy have flagged major hurdles in India's push towards net zero emissions by 2070, citing the complexity of Scope 3 emissions , high cost of carbon capture technologies and regulatory constraints across hard-to-abate sectors. 'Scope 3 emissions are substantial due to large-scale agri-commodity sourcing,' said Vishwa Bandhu Bhattacharya, Director Sustainability, Tata Consumer Products, speaking at a panel on 'Decarbonising Value Chains' at the ET India Net Zero Forum 2025. 'The real challenge is identifying what's truly relevant across its 15 complex categories. To address this, we've adopted a materiality-based, third-party verified approach that brings focus and accuracy to our reporting.' In the agriculture-linked FMCG sector, PepsiCo is driving regenerative initiatives. 'We work with 27,000 farmers to promote regenerative practices like soil testing and efficient irrigation,' said Yashika Singh, Head – Corporate Affairs, Communication & Sustainability, PepsiCo India. 'While industry is driving this through Scope 3 goals, greater policy support is needed to scale impact and unlock real benefits for farmers.' In pharma, regulatory constraints continue to slow down decarbonisation efforts. 'In a highly regulated industry, any material in contact with medicine needs multiple approvals—so process changes are slow,' said Rajesh Vasudevan, Vice President – EHS & ESG, Cipla. 'We've focused on what we can control, like recycling 50% of our water and becoming 1.75 times water positive in India. All 37 of our units are now zero waste to landfill. But challenges remain—like managing expired medicines, which must be incinerated to prevent misuse, and addressing antimicrobial resistance in third-party manufacturing.' Steel manufacturer Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) is working on emission intensity reduction while keeping additional costs in check. 'In hard-to-abate sectors like steel, we're focused first on what's within our control,' said Naveen Ahlawat, Head – Power to X, Green Hydrogen, Green Steel, CCSU, JSPL. 'Through operational excellence and energy efficiency, we're targeting a 13–15% reduction in carbon intensity with just 1–2% additional capex.' 'To go further, we're looking at larger levers like renewables, nuclear energy, and carbon capture. Carbon capture still costs around $120 per tonne, but we're already capturing 3,000 tonnes a day—scaling it sustainably is now the challenge,' Ahlawat said. Fashion sector leaders also raised concerns over the sector's environmental footprint. 'One T-shirt takes about 3,000 litres of water, and one pair of jeans uses nearly 8,000 litres. Most of this water is non-recyclable,' said Naresh Tyagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail. 'Around 80% of garments end up in landfills globally, driven by fast fashion. India's tradition has always been about reuse and recycling—saris passed through generations are a perfect example. Bringing circularity into fashion is not just necessary, it's rooted in our culture.' Industry executives said decarbonisation needs to go beyond internal efficiencies and must integrate stronger regulatory and financial support systems to enable cross-sector collaboration in value chain emissions reduction.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Corporate net zero goals backed by data, governance and sustainability KPIs: Industry leaders at ET India Net Zero Forum 2025
New Delhi: Top Indian and multinational firms are embedding ESG and net zero targets into core operations, backed by measurable key performance indicators and structured governance, company executives said at the ET India Net Zero Forum 2025. Ankit Todi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group, said, 'The conversation on sustainability and net zero differs across sectors, but for us, it began with a simple question—how do we build planet-positive businesses? At Mahindra, that means integrating emission reduction, water conservation, waste management and material circularity into our core operations. We've been water positive since 2014, and aim for zero waste to landfill across all sites.' He added, 'We are focused on making our manufacturing as well as non-manufacturing sites zero waste and also undertake circularity of materials utilised. Sustainability measures should not be looked upon as expense.' Taruna Saxena, Head of Sustainability & Societal Initiatives, Nestlé India, said the company began its net zero journey in 2020 with a 2050 target. 'It is backed by strong governance, internal carbon pricing, and task forces across high-emission areas. Sustainability is now embedded into our global operations and tracked quarterly through clear KPIs,' she said. 'We set a target to cut emissions by 20% from our 2018 baseline by 2025—and we've already achieved it globally, despite strong market growth. Now, we're working toward a 50% reduction by 2030, closely monitoring progress across all markets,' Saxena said. She also noted that Nestlé has created sustainability cadres across business units and follows an operational master plan. Arvind Talan, Chief Financial Officer, Energy Efficiency Services, said growing awareness is being matched by action. 'Offshore wind was unheard of in India, but we now have our first 500 MW tender. Nuclear energy too has received a boost, with over ₹20,000 crore earmarked in the recent budget. These are capital-intensive areas, but the intent is clear—public and private sectors are coming together, and I'm confident we'll achieve our target of net zero 2070.' Ranjan Kumar, Director - Legal, Sustainability & Corporate Affairs, SKF India, said that integrating net zero targets into the company's ESG framework helps drive impact. 'In our net zero journey at SKF, we focus on three key metrics—carbon emissions, energy efficiency, and renewable conversion. We've aligned these with global standards like RE100, ISO 50001, and GHG protocols. This alignment strengthens our data, enabling informed decisions and building stakeholder confidence.' He added, 'ESG compliance is a strongly data supported framework. ESG framework which is data driven helps us take informed decisions which are reliable and accurate.' Ashok Kumar Shrivastava, Centre of Excellence – Head IMS & Sustainability, Reliance Jio Infocomm, said the company has expanded clean energy adoption and waste recycling. 'This year, we recycled 1,655 metric tonnes of non-hazardous waste for energy use and installed 23,600 distributed solar systems, generating 2.18 lakh MWh annually and reducing 5.9 lakh tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Our energy efficiency programme alone saved 1.25 lakh MWh in FY 2023–24,' he said. The panel discussion on 'Integrating ESG with Net-Zero Commitments: Corporate Leadership in a Changing World' showcased how businesses are designing long-term sustainability strategies that are aligned with national climate goals and global reporting standards.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
World off-track on 1.5°C target, delayed climate action poses huge risk: EU Ambassador
New Delhi: The European Union and India are expanding joint efforts to develop and scale clean technologies and decarbonised industries, said Hervé Delphin, European Union Ambassador to India, at the ET India Net Zero Forum 2025. 'Investing in clean tech and a decarbonised industry is a smart economic move. The EU and India are actively pursuing this through joint partnerships and through the EU-India Trade and Technology Council, working to take clean tech from research to startups and scale, with aligned standards and regulations,' Delphin said. Mentioning India's bold 500 GW renewables target by 2030, he said that it is game-changer and the EU supports this green leap through sustainable finance. He pointed out that the current global trajectory is not aligned with the Paris Agreement goals. 'The world is clearly not on track to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Current policies and pledges are falling short, and the gap between ambition and action keeps widening,' he said. Delphin added that the costs of climate inaction or delays in mitigation efforts can have severe economic consequences. 'The cost of inaction—or delayed action—is huge, as climate events, whether slow or sudden, can wipe out decades of investment and billions in infrastructure within hours,' he said. The EU and India have been working to deepen cooperation in renewable energy , green hydrogen, battery storage, and electric mobility under their strategic roadmap. The EU-India Trade and Technology Council has been facilitating regulatory alignment and collaborative industrial innovation in clean technology segments. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently launched Global Energy Transitions Forum at Davos this year, which an effort to bring together governments, international organizations and financial actors to double down on implementation. He said that, 'it is imperative to keep momentum and he hoped that India can add its voice to this Forum.' On the upcoming COP 30 meeting in Belém in Brazil in November 2025, he said, 'ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions are needed to push forward the global effort to limit temperature rise and the level of India's ambition will be the determining factor in the ability of the world as a whole to meet its collective objectives.' The remarks come at a time when both regions are looking to accelerate the transition to net zero emissions by mid-century, with India aiming for net zero by 2070.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Auto, cement, and refinery sectors outline net zero roadmaps amid rising emissions at ET Net Zero Forum 2025
New Delhi: Indian oil refineries have committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2046, ahead of the global 2050 target, as the sector currently contributes 2.55 per cent of national emissions and emits around 46 million metric tonnes (MMT) of CO₂ annually, said Gaurang Mishra, Joint Director, Centre for High Technology (CHT), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. He was speaking at the panel discussion on "Building Climate-Resilient Industries: Strategies for High-Emission Sectors' at the ET India Net Zero Forum 2025. Mishra said Indian refineries have moved from 10,000 parts per million (ppm) sulfur content to under 10 ppm. 'As of now, Indian PSE refineries emit around 46 MMT of CO₂ annually, with capacity at 258 MMTPA—expected to reach 310 MMTPA by 2030. Without intervention, emissions could rise to 67 MMT, but we have a clear roadmap. Through energy efficiency, fuel transition to gas, electrification, green hydrogen, and CCUS, we're taking a multi-pronged approach to drive this transition.' In the cement sector, carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) and renewable energy are key strategies being deployed. 'Since 50–55 per cent of cement sector emissions come from the process itself, we're also focusing on carbon capture and utilisation. We're setting up a CCU facility at our eastern plant under a DST project, and earlier partnered with ADB for a feasibility study on large-scale CCU,' said Anupam Badola, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer, Dalmia Cement (Bharat). He said, 'In renewable energy, we've taken several steps—be it waste heat recovery-based power generation at our cement plants or setting up solar power through supportive captive policies. As of FY25, we've achieved 36 per cent renewable energy transition, and within a year, we aim to reach nearly 60%. Some plants have already crossed 70–80%, depending on regulatory support.' Auto manufacturers also highlighted the importance of measuring actual use-phase emissions. 'In the auto sector, 97 per cent of a vehicle's carbon footprint begins the day it hits the road. Without accurate measurement and mapping, much of what we hear about net zero remains theoretical,' said Thakur S Pherwani, Chief Sustainability Officer, TVS Motor Company. He added, 'Even clean energy sources like solar, wind, or batteries carry long-term environmental costs. Battery waste is a growing concern—we must build strong recycling and upcycling systems before it becomes a crisis. With EPR norms now extending beyond plastic to tyres, rubber, and metals, OEMs are shouldering rising responsibility, which could impact EV affordability.' Mohit Raj, Senior General Manager - Business Development & Sustainability at PIL, stressed the importance of natural gas as a transition fuel. 'We're doing everything possible to reduce emissions, and the entire oil and gas sector is aligned on this. Natural gas, while a fossil fuel, remains a crucial low-emission transition fuel on the road to net zero. We've made major investments in LNG terminals, pipelines, refineries, and city gas distribution networks. It's essential that we fully optimise these assets before moving to the next phase of the net zero journey,' he said. The panel discussion featured detailed accounts from leading industrial sectors on the strategies, investments, and technologies being adopted to cut emissions and align with India's 2070 net zero target.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Net zero needs green corridors, local tech, and R&D push, says top govt and industry leaders
New Delhi: India must scale up its nuclear energy capacity to 100 GW by 2047 to stay on track with its net zero targets, former power secretary Alok Kumar said at the ET India Net Zero Forum 2025. He flagged a mismatch between solar power generation and evening demand as a major challenge in aligning the country's energy transition pathway. 'India's big challenge is aligning our demand with our resources — we're headed for a solar-led future, but we generate power during the day and consume it in the evening. That's the gap we need to bridge,' said Kumar. He added that achieving 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 and 250 GW by 2070 would help India stay on track, else the country may need to fall back on carbon capture and green ammonia to run coal plants in a limited way. NHPC Chairman and Managing Director Raj Kumar Chaudhary said that while renewable energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030 is achievable, unpredictability of generation from solar and wind power poses a risk to grid stability. 'Unpredictability of energy generation via wind, solar energy is a challenge and requires ensuring grid stability as well as generation of more energy from hydrogen and biomass sources,' he said. Chaudhary added that green energy corridors are being developed to transmit solar power from high-potential zones like Ladakh to demand centres. 'The government is building green energy corridors. To enable this, 50 GW of renewable bids are planned each year till 2028,' he said. NHPC currently has 8,193 MW of green capacity in operation, 9,843 MW under construction and 9,030 MW in survey stage. The pipeline includes pumped storage projects in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and other states. He also highlighted India's plans to develop hydro projects in Nepal and Bhutan. Referring to concerns around environmental impact , Chaudhary said hydropower development contributes to vegetation growth. 'Hydro projects are often seen as reducing forest cover, but they actually help increase it. We undertake large-scale afforestation, often doubling the area used,' he said. UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharp said global deforestation continues at a pace of 10 million hectares a year. 'If this continues, by 2030 we'll need two Earths to meet our consumption needs,' he said. He noted that India, with one-sixth of humanity, has emerged as a key force in climate action , and is now the third-largest electricity generator globally. NABARD Chairman Shaji KV said India's rural population remains vulnerable to climate change. 'India's rural population, which consumes one-fifth of energy produced, is vulnerable to climate change which is impacting production from gross crop area,' he said. He said farm productivity in India lags 30 per cent behind the global average and that concessional finance and non-market-based solutions are required. 'We can't burden low-income farmers with the cost of net zero—solutions must be concessional, not just market-based,' Shaji said. He added that with 75 per cent of India's infrastructure yet to be built, it is critical that future development is climate-resilient. Godrej Industries Managing Director Nadir Godrej said employee involvement helped the group cut costs while meeting sustainability targets. 'We've made strong progress on Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Scope 3 is a challenge, but with supplier collaboration, we're confident of tackling that too,' he said.
