IGBC Introduces New Standards At Green Building Congress 2025

The 23rd edition of the IGBC Green Building Congress 2025, Asia’s largest conference and expo on the green buildings and built environment, was inaugurated today at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. Organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and World Green Building Council, the event brought together global sustainability leaders, policymakers, developers, architects, and technology innovators to accelerate India’s journey towards a greener and more climate-resilient built environment.

The inaugural session was addressed by leaders, including Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej, Past President, CII, Chairman, CII - Green Business Centre & CMD, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd, Godrej Enterprises Group; Mr. Vir S Advani, Deputy Chairman, CII Western Region Council & Chairman & Managing Director, Blue Star Limited; Mr. Jeff Oatman, Chair, Asia Pacific Regional Network, WorldGBC; Mr. B Thiagarajan, National Chairman, IGBC; Mr. C Shekar Reddy, National Vice Chairman, IGBC. In their opening remarks, the dignitaries highlighted the crucial role of green buildings in shaping sustainable urban futures, particularly for megacities like Mumbai that face increasing climate, sustainability, and resource-related pressures.

Dr Mala Singh, Chairperson, IGBC Mumbai Chapter & Co-Chair of the IGBC Green Building Congress; Mr. Chitranjan Kaushik, Co-Chair, IGBC Mumbai Chapter; Mr. KS Venkatagiri, Director, CII GBC; Mr. M Anand, Deputy Executive Director, CII GBC; and Mr. S Karthikeyan, Deputy Executive Director, CII GBC were also a part of the Green Building Congress 2025 Inaugural session.

Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej, Past President, CII, Chairman, CII - Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre & CMD, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd, Godrej Enterprises Group while addressing the Green Building Congress 2025 said, “India’s green building movement has made remarkable progress, reaching 14.8 billion sq. ft. and 18,000 projects. As we shift from ‘green’ to ‘net zero,’ it is essential to show that sustainable and net-zero buildings make strong business sense. With IGBC’s leadership and industry collaboration, we are accelerating climate-resilient, low-carbon, and people-centric development. ‘Green Shifts for Greener Tomorrows’ captures our collective responsibility and our confidence that India can lead the global transition to a sustainable built environment.”

Mr. B Thiagarajan, National Chairman, CII Indian Green Building Council delivered the theme address saying, “India’s green building movement has reached an exceptional milestone with over 18,000 projects and 14.8 billion sq. ft of certified green space. As we accelerate towards a net-zero future, IGBC’s efforts—from low-carbon cooling and green finance to bottom-of-the-pyramid initiatives—are helping transform the built environment at scale. With strong partnerships, global collaborations, and the unwavering support of states like Maharashtra, we are confident that India will lead the world in creating climate-resilient, resource-efficient and people-centric buildings. Simply put, going green makes business sense—and together, we can make net zero a reality. “

Mr. C Shekar Reddy, National Vice-Chairman, CII Indian Green Building Council while delivering the vote of thank summed up by saying, “The insights shared today by our distinguished speakers and global partners reaffirm that the future we aspire to depends on the actions we take today. India’s green building movement—strengthened by strong leadership, committed industry stakeholders, and expanding global collaboration—is shaping a path where sustainability and development move forward together. As we advance toward a net-zero future, IGBC remains fully committed to working with government, industry, and communities to accelerate green adoption, drive innovation, and build a climate-resilient, people-centric tomorrow.”

Day 1 of the Green Building Congress was marked by several major launches that highlighted IGBC’s role in pioneering sustainable transformation across India’s building sector. One of the key highlights was the launch of the Green Hotels Rating System – Pilot Version, a milestone initiative designed to support India’s rapidly expanding hospitality sector as it moves toward carbon-neutral and resource-efficient operations. With the hotel industry projected to reach USD 45.39 billion by 2030, the new rating system provides a comprehensive framework that addresses both environmental performance and enhanced guest wellbeing. It covers sustainable site planning, water and energy efficiency, responsible material use, improved indoor environmental quality, and green operations and housekeeping. By embedding sustainability across the entire hotel lifecycle, the rating system aims to enable hotels in metro, Tier II, and Tier III cities to upgrade their infrastructure, reduce their environmental footprint, and deliver healthier and more comfortable experiences for guests.

The day also witnessed the launch of the IGBC Green New Buildings Rating System – Version 4, an advanced and future-ready framework chaired by Mr. Ramesh Nair, CEO, Mindspace Business Parks REIT. The updated rating introduces cutting-edge focus areas such as embodied carbon accounting, zero water discharge strategies, enhanced material resource circularity, demand-control ventilation, decarbonization pathways with GHG incentives, and strengthened ESG integration. These enhancements reflect the rapid evolution of building technologies and the need for India’s construction industry to adopt robust climate-responsive practices. Version 4 is expected to guide thousands of upcoming projects in meeting national and global sustainability benchmarks.

Reinforcing its commitment to technology-driven governance, IGBC launched the Automation Tool for IGBC Green Homes and Green Interiors. This digital platform simplifies the submission, review, and certification process through intuitive dashboards, automated validation checks, and standardized formats. The tool is part of IGBC’s broader endeavour to fully automate rating system workflows from project registration to certification issuance. Features such as AI-enabled preliminary assessments, planned for phased rollout, will help accelerate review cycles and improve accuracy. The introduction of this platform marks a significant step toward increasing transparency and streamlining the certification ecosystem for developers, consultants, and project teams nationwide.

Another major highlight was the release of India’s first comprehensive embodied carbon baseline report titled “Embodied Carbon Emissions Baseline Estimation for Buildings in India,” developed with support from the SED Fund. This landmark study uses Life Cycle Assessment methodologies and data from 20 case-study partners to establish upfront embodied carbon intensities across five key building typologies, along with variations across climatic and seismic zones. As India progresses rapidly in addressing operational carbon in buildings, the report emphasizes the urgent need to integrate embodied carbon considerations into design and procurement decisions. The insights are expected to shape future policies, drive innovation in low-carbon materials, and support developers and architects in making informed choices that reduce total life cycle emissions.

Alongside these launches, Day 1 featured the International Conference on Green Buildings & Built Environment, which brought global and national experts together to discuss climate-resilient urban planning, net-zero strategies, green finance, and the future of sustainable construction. The conference placed particular emphasis on Mumbai’s evolving infrastructure landscape and the need for resilient, efficient, and equitable building solutions. Complementing the conference, the Expo on Green Building Products, Materials & Technologies showcased advanced solutions ranging from low-carbon materials and high-performance HVAC systems to renewable energy technologies, water-saving innovations, and circular construction tools. Exhibitors and attendees engaged in meaningful exchanges to drive the adoption of cutting-edge innovations across India’s built environment sector.

The opening day of IGBC Green Building Congress 2025 set a powerful tone for the three-day event, combining visionary leadership, pioneering tools and ratings, and data-driven insights that reinforce India’s commitment to building a greener future. The Green Building Congress will continue over the next two days with sectoral conferences on green finance, net-zero homes, reimagined workspaces, green energy in buildings, green factories, and logistics parks, along with leadership sessions and B2B engagements that will further advance the green building movement.