The second edition of WBCSD’s India Connect is set to take place from 26-27 February in Mumbai, India. The two-day event, co-hosted by JSW Steel, will feature how-to discussions aimed at positioning Indian solutions at the forefront of global challenges.
India is currently the world’s fastest-growing major economy, and is on track to become the third largest by 2027. Alongside this remarkable growth, the country has set ambitious climate goals, including reducing carbon emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
These commitments reflect India’s recognition of the interconnectedness of sustainable growth and environmental stewardship. While in other parts of the world, governments are backing off sustainability commitments, there is broad alignment in India that the country needs sustainable transitions to deliver the lowest cost energy, breathable cities, and energy security that leverages India’s solar and biomass resources.
Building on India’s progress, this year’s WBCSD India Connect brings together member companies and key stakeholders to tackle some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities. The focus is on finding practical solutions in areas like supply chain decarbonization, advancing circularity, adapting to new disclosure requirements, scaling electric vehicles and infrastructure, and promoting sustainable agrifood systems.
Here are key discussions that will take center stage:
Building Resilient, Low Carbon Infrastructure
India is investing heavily in sustainable infrastructure to support its transformation into a global economic powerhouse. The government has launched several programs, including the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), the PM Gati Shakti plan, and the National Logistics Policy. These initiatives aim to promote equitable and sustainable development by providing employment, enhancing accessibility, and increasing production.
In January, India and Germany began collaboration on a project, that will be implemented with Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German government and the Asia Low-Carbon Building Transition (ALCBT) project to integrate low-caron concepts into new and existing buildings.
The industry has also adopted prefabricated construction materials and technology, which have been proven to reduce embodied carbon emissions by up to 15.6%. Prefabrication not only cuts carbon emissions but also accelerates construction, reduces costs, enhances quality, and minimizes waste. Its resilience to extreme weather events like heat waves, urban flooding, and cyclones makes it a key innovation in India’s low-carbon infrastructure development.
Embracing Sustainability: A Growth Opportunity for Indian SMEs
As global trends shift towards sustainability and transparency, Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are uniquely positioned to leverage these growth opportunities. India’s digital stack is often heralded as a milestone developmental innovation of this century. In transforming identification, financial inclusion and service delivery through low cost, scalable and interoperable digital infrastructure, and leveraging public-private partnerships, it has accelerated India’s key productivity metrics.
By embracing supply chain traceability and sustainability, Indian SMEs can enhance their global competitiveness by improving transparency in carbon emissions, particularly Scope 3 emissions across value chains. WBCSD’s Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT) provides a global standard for calculating and exchanging consistent, comparable, and credible emissions data, enabling businesses to meet rising decarbonization expectations. Leveraging India’s advanced digital infrastructure, SMEs can integrate carbon accounting tools, streamline data sharing, and build trust with global partners, positioning themselves as preferred suppliers in an increasingly sustainability-driven global market.
Building on India’s Renewable Energy Leadership to Scale Clean Hydrogen/Ammonia
Highlighted as a market to watch in WBCSD’s Business Breakthrough Barometer, India continues to advance its green energy agenda, with a strong focus on biofuels, green ammonia, flex-fuel vehicles, ethanol blending, and green hydrogen.
At the recent India Energy Week, the Indian Energy Minister HE Hardeep Singh Puri reaffirmed the country’s commitment to achieving an annual production of 5 million metric tons (MMT) of green hydrogen by 2030, positioning India as a global leader in clean energy. India is also emerging as a significant player in the renewable ammonia market, having secured several international trade agreements with more expected soon.
Recognizing internal and cross border regulatory challenges, India has embraced the Green Energy Open Access (GEOA) rules to accelerate the country’s renewable energy initiatives and lay the groundwork for future additions that would incorporate provisions for emerging technologies like Inter-State Transmission System and power exchange-based projects. These amendments are vital to shaping the overall development of the green open access market.
Strengthening India’s Agricultural Production and Support for Farmers
India’s agricultural sector, a cornerstone of the economy, is experiencing significant growth and innovation. With the country being one of the largest producers of food grains, fruits, and vegetables, there is immense potential for practices that increase yields, incomes and climate resilience, while also unlocking finance through climate mitigation impacts.
At the India Digital-Agri Conference 2024, Dr Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, emphasized the importance of the Digital Agriculture Mission, highlighting its potential to empower farmers with real-time data, advanced support systems and knowledge to mitigate climate change. These solutions are expected to drive better decision-making, enhance rural livelihoods, and ultimately reshape the agricultural landscape in India.
To drive sustainable agricultural transformation, India must develop a robust finance taxonomy for agriculture and climate change, underpinned by strong Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). This framework should ensure that capital flows efficiently across the value chain, distributing costs and risks fairly among all stakeholders.
Crucially, farmers—who are at the heart of this transition—must receive adequate financial support to adopt sustainable practices while continuing to feed a growing population. The burden of risk should not fall disproportionately on them, as they are often the most vulnerable to climate impacts and the least equipped to bear financial strain.
Realising Circular Models to Retain More Value of Materials Used in Production
As India’s 1.4 billion people move into the middle class, it is essential to adopt circular models that retain more of the value of limited resources and reduce the environmental impact in a densely populated country.
India’s start-up ecosystem and digital advancements uniquely position the country to revolutionize resource management and accelerate the transition to a circular economy. With rapid industrialization and urbanization, the need for a shift towards circularity has never been more urgent. To achieve this, a collective effort from the government, industry, think tanks and civil society is essential to build an ecosystem that embeds circularity at scale.
India’s ability to integrate its domestic systems—spanning disclosure, food production, and manufacturing—with global networks of consumption, supply chains, and accountability will be key to its economic resilience and sustainability leadership. As global markets demand greater transparency and responsible sourcing, companies that can navigate these connections effectively will not only strengthen their competitiveness but also unlock new value for India.
Reach out to us if you’d like to contribute and share your insights on key priorities, solutions, and best practices that can drive meaningful change.
Find out more about WBCSD’s India Connect:
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