Newly-Elected National CII – IGBC Leadership Set to Drive India’s Green and Net-Zero Building Movement

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has elected its new office-bearers for the year 2024-2026. Mr. B Thiagarajan, Managing Director of Blue Star Ltd, has assumed the role of National Chairman for CII – IGBC. He succeeds Mr. Gurmit Singh Arora, Managing Director, Rajco Metal Industries Pvt.Ltd. In addition, Mr. C Shekar Reddy, Managing Director of CSR Estates Ltd., takes over as National Vice Chairman of CII – IGBC.

The newly elected National Chairman B Thiagarajan and Vice Chairman C Shekar Reddy, CII – IGBC along with CII – IGBC dignitaries

With a collective vision for the transformation of buildings and communities, Mr. Thiagarajan and Mr. Reddy are set to drive forward the Green Building Movement in India with a keen focus on the reduction of resource consumption and minimizing carbon emissions. Their leadership aims to take significant steps in reducing the carbon footprints of buildings and accelerating sustainable construction practices to foster a culture of eco-friendly development in the nation.

The newly-elected leaderships primary objective will be to achieve a substantial reduction in both embodied and operational carbon emissions in existing and new buildings as well as built environments. Through strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts, they aim to create a paradigm shift in the real estate and product manufacturing sectors, nurturing innovation, setting new standards for a greener India, and doubling the green building and built environment footprint by 2030.

Speaking about their goals, Mr. B Thiagarajan, the incoming National Chairman, stated, “We are committed to driving a transformative shift towards green building practices by addressing the key contributors to carbon footprint of buildings. Recently, the demand for cooling has substantially increased and the Indian HVAC market size is expected to see a CAGR of nearly 16% by 2030. Our aim is to improve the efficiency of operational equipment and increase the adoption of low carbon cooling systems. With GreenPro Eco-Labelled building products made available across the country, I believe we can inspire industry stakeholders to embrace sustainability and facilitate India to become one of the foremost countries to achieve Net-Zero Carbon by 2070.“

Mr. C Shekar Reddy, the newly-appointed National Vice Chairman, added, “We have over 350 organizations committed to achieving Net-Zero status for new and existing buildings through IGBC’s Net-Zero – Energy, Water, Waste and Carbon Rating Systems. We believe that by doubling the Green Building footprint by 2030 and addressing the bottom of the pyramid, the Indian Building Sector can accelerate its sustainability efforts with a greater impact on enhancing the health and well-being of every citizen of our country.”

The CII-IGBC, housed within the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, Hyderabad, has been at the forefront of driving sustainable practices across India. With over 35,000 professionals empowered through extensive outreach and capacity-building efforts, the centre continues to lead the nation towards a transformative shift and enables it to achieve Net-Zero Carbon Emissions by 2070.

About the Indian Green Building Council

IGBC was established by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 2001 to actively promote the Green Building concept in India. The Council is represented by all stakeholders of the construction industry comprising corporate, government, and nodal agencies, architects, product manufacturers, institutions, and more. The Council also closely works with governments, the World Green Building Council, and bilateral and multilateral agencies to promote green building concepts in India.

With a Green Building footprint of 11.62 billion sq. ft., and with over 13,260 projects adopting IGBC’s 32 rating systems, the Green Building movement in India has been advancing at a rapid pace and transforming India into one of the global leaders in green built environment. IGBC’s current stakeholder ecosystem consists of 29 Local Chapters across the nation, 7100+ Accredited Professionals (IGBC APs), and 360+ student chapters.

For more information, please write to m.anand@cii.in