The government’s goal of 500 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 is ambitious but achievable – the country has already achieved 209.4GW as of January 2025. The focus on manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines will only speed up the renewable energy capacity creation while also creating jobs and adding to the GDP. The next step necessarily must be greening manufacturing processes, going beyond the current strategies of substituting fossil fuel with green fuels in industries and also focusing on CCUS to capture final emissions.
As this report explains, changing manufacturing processes will involve making conscious production strategies that move away from the current processes. And it will involve ensuring that the changes take place in the industries with highest emissions – Steel, Cement, Automobiles, and Oil & Gas. As India’s steel sector gears up to scale production capacities in response to increasing demand, expansion of ‘green steel’ production pathways can align with the goal of net-zero emissions.
Similarly, the Cement industry, which accounts for 6% of India’s emissions, has maintained a strong focus on ‘Green Cement,’ which is made utilizing alternative materials like fly ash and slag to reduce clinker content, resulting in lighter and stronger structures while minimizing waste. In the Oil & Gas sector, all public and private companies have set Net Zero targets and are implementing multiple initiatives such as large-scale biofuel blending and strategic collaborations, building almost 20 GW of renewable energy capacity, piloting use of Green Hydrogen as a fuel as well as feedstock and CCUS.
This report “How green manufacturing is reshaping India’s industrial landscape” by EY details the stage at which green manufacturing is in India currently – and what needs to be done to accelerate it. The hurdles in the way include higher upfront capex and opex costs and lack of a proper ecosystem to boost green manufacturing and industrialization. The path forward will need incentives and policy push, R&D, private-public partnerships and access to capital.
Access the report here
