GCCA India joins hands with Xynteo's Build Ahead coalition to decarbonise India’s construction sector

The Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA) India and Xynteo announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking GCCA India’s partnership with Xynteo’s Build Ahead coalition. This landmark agreement aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of India’s construction sector through increased use of low-carbon cement and concrete.

The two-year partnership will leverage GCCA India’s expertise in the cement and concrete industry alongside the collective efforts of the Build Ahead coalition. The partnership will kick off with a critical green taxonomy and emission thresholds development exercise for cement and concrete. This foundational work will help shape policy for the production and use of low-carbon cement in India, addressing the urgent need for nation-specific definitions and standards. It will also provide several key benefits, enabling both short- and long-term innovations in the cement and concrete industry while determining how definitions and thresholds for 'green' cement and concrete will evolve over time, as well as creating inclusive definitions that encourage manufacturers across the emission spectrum to act and consider the impact of future technologies.

Deepak Khetrapal, Managing Director, Orient Cement and Co-Chair of GCCA India, said, “The reduction of clinker factor and the increasing use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in cement manufacturing is an important decarbonisation lever for the industry. Developing an India-specific definition for ‘low-carbon’ or ‘green’ cement and concrete is the need of the hour, and it is crucial for the development of a net zero CO2 roadmap for the Indian cement and concrete industry. It is essential to develop India-specific low-carbon cement and concrete taxonomy and emission intensity thresholds that align with the Indian cement & concrete industry. We are glad that collaborating with Xynteo and the Build Ahead coalition, which includes prominent companies in the building and construction space, will help develop green public procurement guidelines for the transition towards low or near-zero emission products, leverage transition financing for activities that will drive emission reduction and the commitment to reach net zero CO2 by 2070 in India.”

Speaking at the occasion, Suman Jagdev, Partner at Xynteo & Programme Director of Build Ahead, said, “We are excited to welcome GCCA India as a key partner of the Build Ahead coalition. Starting with the development of a green taxonomy for cement and concrete, this collaboration will mark a significant step towards realising our vision of a sustainable built environment in India. By combining Xynteo's expertise in driving systemic change with GCCA India's deep industry knowledge, we are poised to make substantial progress in reducing the carbon footprint of India's construction sector.”

Thomas Guillot, Chief Executive of the Global Cement and Concrete Association, which works closely with GCCA India, applauded the signing of the MoU. “India plays a significant role in our global industry’s decarbonisation journey. Delivering on the net zero aspirations of India’s cement industry needs supportive policies from its government, as well as the inclusion of the cement value chain. Primary amongst these is low carbon procurement. To this end, GCCA has published, and will formally launch at COP29, global definitions for low carbon and near zero cement and concrete to align with the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Industrial Deep Decarbonisation initiative (IDDI), which is co-chaired by the Indian government. These definitions are designed to be adopted by member countries, adapted to suit local practice and for targets at the state level to be overlaid on them. We look forward to working with our GCCA members and Build Ahead to develop this work.”

Beyond taxonomy development, the partnership will also focus on:

• Joint engagement with government and multilateral organisations on partnerships for energy transition and industrial decarbonisation
• Sharing of research findings and technical inputs to develop industry narratives for low-carbon building materials
• Exploration of demonstration projects for sustainable construction practices.