The construction of infrastructure has played a vital role in the growth of the Indian economy for over a decade now. While, making the cement industry a backbone for our development, it has also offered employment to more than a million people.
Keeping in mind the long-term view, the cement industry is now focusing on sustainable growth that will support fast track growth, while leveraging the tremendous potential opportunities in the Indian market.
Latest event in the series
To shed light on how the sector is placing energy efficiency at the heart of its business growth strategy, on the 24th of July Xynteo hosted another event of the ‘Leaders Inspire’ series with Mr. K N Rao, moderated by our Aneesh Jain.
With over 40 participants from the India2022 partner universe, the session focused on innovative environmental paradigms, new and clean technologies and the role of stricter environmental standards.
Insights shared
Mr. Rao shared insights on the decarbonisation of the country’s cement sector, as well as the role of cross-sector collaboration to foster and accelerate change.
Drawing on nearly four decades of experience leading energy and environment initiatives for the cement industry, Mr. Rao spoke about the journey of the cement sector in India, and what can be done to deduce its carbon footprint.
He shed light on the ways in which the cement sector is seeking to transform and brace itself for new challenges, by identifying levers of decarbonisation across the cement value chain, and the technologies and methods that can help achieve it. Illustrating the active role that the cement industry is taking towards this, he mentioned that the industry is reducing the use of thermal and electrical energy, through pilot technologies that reduce the energy intensity of manufacturing cement.
Mr. Rao also highlighted the vital role of the cement sector in handling waste from several sources, including other industries. Waste poses a major societal challenge today, and the cement sector is focusing on “creating a circular economy by repurposing waste through material recycling and energy recovery.” By doing this, the cement industry is not only transforming waste, but also creates livelihood opportunities and offers solutions for waste management, contributing towards a cleaner environment.
Collaboration for wider impact
In virtually every sector, collaboration and peer learning are crucial mechanisms for accelerating energy productivity improvements and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Participants in the session heard about the role of cross-sector collaborations by the cement sector, which benefit the industry as a whole, making it easier for businesses to share knowledge on technological advancements and best practices.
This was an inspiring and productive part of our Leaders Inspire series, with more sessions to come.
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