SCALING UP ECO-CENTRIC PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS
Scaling up eco-centric products and solutions in India is crucial to tackle environmental issues and encourage sustainable development. Fortunately, with growing awareness and customer demand, not only the building products and construction materials getting eco-friendly but even the manufacturers are incorporating eco-sensitive modes of production, operations and transportation. Gurmit Singh Arora, Chairman - CII-IGBC, MD - Rajco Group, & National President, IPA articulated, “Acknowledging the environmental ramifications of our decisions is essential. Alarmingly, global warming has escalated, along with microplastic contamination of oceans and frequent natural disasters. Regrettably, society has become indifferent to these concerns unless directly affected. Collective efforts are crucial to certify the entire built environment, contributing to 38% of worldwide carbon emissions, as green.” Discussing the effects of governmental policies on eco-friendly business choices and exploring methods for encouraging sustainable practices in both private and public sectors, Aditi Kulkarni, Associate Director – Sustainability, Buro Happold India - Mumbai office, stated, “Society often operates under a push-based model using both regulatory requirements and incentives to drive progress. The historical development of regulations, such as the MoEF mandate for environmental impact assessments and the ECBC code scheme, exemplifies this concept. Listed companies now disclose their environmental, social, and governance performance in business responsibility reports. The absence of measures can lead to non-compliance consequences.” Shibani Jain, Founder & CEO Baaya Design, said, “Moving away from large-scale to small and medium-sized industries, there are approximately 20 million artisans across the country that contribute to India's informal sector. The handmade products industry supports low carbon footprint, non-toxic materials, and rural livelihoods.” Delving into the principal factors contributing to the increasing popularity of brands and services adopting environment-focused products and strategies, Arpita Roy Luthra, Head Marketing – Boards & Panels, Everest Industries Ltd, said, “The utilisation of sustainable building materials is a significant aspect of eco-friendly construction. With the pressing need to address environmental concerns, it is vital to understand what makes these materials green and why they should be used. In fact, today's construction methods and sustainability efforts stem from the customers' latent needs. Organizations that foresee these needs and align themselves with future market demands will succeed.” Raja Mukherjee, Head - Business Group and Sr. Vice President - Lighting Business, Panasonic, added, “As leaders in the lighting sector, we adopt energy-efficient, green-rated, certified products and solutions. As we are aware, lighting accounts for 20% of total energy consumption. Transitioning to LEDs has led to a 50% energy savings; however, further improvements are necessary. To address energy efficiency and sustainability, we must evaluate lighting components such as the LED chips, drivers, and lens systems. Improved LED technologies now provide up to 220 lumens per watt at the chip level, and driver efficiency is at 90%. Lens transmissibility has also improved thanks to UV-treated lenses. Combining LED systems with IoT controls can result in an additional 10-15% energy savings and offer added convenience. Furthermore, the integration of other peripherals like HVAC control and security can be achieved via lighting infrastructure.” Sourabh Bansal, Co-founder and Managing Director, Magicrete, said, “In the building materials sector, adopting eco-friendly practices is crucial. The construction industry accounts for nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions and has experienced minimal productivity growth compared to manufacturing, due to on-site construction versus factory-based production The future of construction, is houses built in factory.” One key aspect of sustainable construction is the environment friendly building materials, that are sourced and processed in a way to reduce their carbon footprint and minimises waste generation. Addressing the connection between crafts and sustainability, and how brands can effectively convey their eco-friendly efforts to consumers, Shibani Jain said, “By choosing local artisanal products, interior designers can minimise greenhouse gas emissions associated with extraction, manufacturing, and transportation processes.” SOLUTION CENTRIC APPROACH Apart from their environmental benefits, sustainable building materials also provide economic advantages for the construction industry. Speaking about whether it is viable for businesses to go green, Sourabh Bansal shared, “The need for speedy construction and high safety and health standards have been instrumental in increasing application of eco-friendly building materials. There is an evident rise in demand for prefabricated construction systems in the country as they help save labour and material costs and avoid air and water pollution at construction site.” Discussing the sustainable measures, she promotes in all her projects, Aditi Kulkarni stated, “At Buro Happold, a company with 45 years of experience, we have evolved from traditional engineering backgrounds to modern verticals such as acoustics and sustainability. We take a ‘whole life’ approach, considering both the embodied and operational impacts of our projects, whilst driving clean construction, future proofing and performance verification. We are committed to achieving net zero by 2030, with a 50% reduction in embodied carbon from our 2020 baseline for new projects.” Construction methods aligned to sustainability aim to minimise the negative impact of built spaces on the environment throughout the design and construction phases to operation and eventual demolition. In response to the inquiry regarding whether eco-friendly products should command a premium, Arpita Roy Luthra answered, “Green products should be made affordable to encourage widespread adoption. To attain this, the value proposition should display long-term benefits that outweigh slightly higher initial costs. At Everest, we prioritize reevaluating materials and incorporating recyclable components, such as fly ash and denim waste, for eco-friendly products.” Regarding the influence of innovation and technology on the development and manufacturing of Eco-centric products and solutions that have minimal environmental impact, Raja Mukherjee stated, “Innovation plays a crucial role in the competitive business world, particularly transforming passive products into active, intelligent solutions. A shift is occurring from product-centric to solution-centric approaches, focusing on lighting solutions that improve comfort and productivity. Optimizing light distribution can reduce both capital expenditure and operating costs. Integrating daylight with sensors can save up to 25% of energy. As urbanization rapidly increases, there is a growing need for energy-efficient devices. Panasonic aims to make all its manufacturing units carbon dioxide emission-free by 2035 and contribute to a 3% reduction in global emissions.” Giving an example of how local crafts can be aligned with contemporary designs for buildings Shibani Jain informed, “Hand for Handmade is a non-profit organization founded in response to the COVID-19 crisis in India, aiming to support small artisan clusters through business opportunities, capacity building, and increased visibility. They focus on empowering artisans to overcome market access challenges and promote high-quality handmade non-toxic artisanal products." Sourabh Bansal stated, “A sustainable business strategy, incorporating financial, environmental, and social aspects, is essential to meet customer demand, especially among millennials and Gen Z, and to comply with government policies and regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency." Gurmit Singh Arora added, “The Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code (ECBC) has been amended by experts from ISHRAE, IPA, and IGBC, and will now cover water and waste. The updated code will be mandated by Parliament and will soon become the cornerstone of our construction practices, paving the way for a more sustainable tomorrow.” Eco-friendly Supply Chain SUSTAINABLE LIGHTING IS DESIGNED WITH ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHT SOURCES AND SIMPLE DESIGN STRATEGIES THAT CAN FACILITATE THE ENERGY SAVINGS- RAJA MUKHERJEE BOTH REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AND INCENTIVES ARE NECESSARY TO PUSH THE INDUSTRY TOWARDS GREENER PRACTICES AND ECO-CENTRIC PRODUCT - ADITI KULKARNI GREEN PRODUCTS SHOULD BE MADE AFFORDABLE AND WIDESPREAD ADOPTION ENCOURAGED BY DISPLAYING LONG-TERM BENEFITS THAT OUTWEIGH SLIGHTLY HIGHER INITIAL COSTS -ARPITA ROY LUTHRA BUILDING TRUST WITH CUSTOMERS IS VITAL THROUGH AUTHENTIC PRODUCTS, TRANSPARENT MARKETING, AND AN EMPHASIS ON NATURAL MATERIALS -SHIBANI JAIN THERE IS AN EVIDENT RISE IN DEMAND FOR PREFABRICATED CONSTRUCTION AS THEY HELP SAVE LABOUR AND MATERIAL COSTS AND AVOID AIR AND WATER POLLUTION AT CONSTRUCTION SITE- SOURABH BANSAL ENERGY CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDING CODE HAS BEEN AMENDED BY EXPERTS FROM ISHRAE, IPA, AND IGBC WILL NOW COVER WATER AND WASTE - GURMEET SINGH ARORA
Tags : environment-focused Sourabh Bansal Aditi Kulkarni Raja Mukherjee Gurmit Singh Arora Arpita Roy Luthra Shibani Jain ECO-CENTRIC PRODUCTS SOLUTIONS