Mumbai: The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)'s Green Building Congress 2025 in Mumbai launched a IGBC Green Hotels Rating System, a pilot version of which was unveiled to support India’s rapidly growing hospitality sector's transformation to carbon-neutral and resource-efficient operations.
The congress, held between November 27 and 29 at the Jio World Convention Centre by the IGBC, the ministry of housing and urban affairs, the ministry of new and renewable energy, the World Green Building Council, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is Asia’s largest conference and expo on the green buildings and built environment. The event brings 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 Jamshyd Godrej, past president, CII, chairman, CII - Green Business Centre and CMD, Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd, Godrej Enterprises Group; Vir S Advani, deputy chairman, CII Western Region Council and chairman and managing director, Blue Star Limited; Jeff Oatman, chair, Asia Pacific Regional Network, World GBC; B Thiagarajan, national chairman, IGBC; C Shekar Reddy, national vice chairman, IGBC.
In his address to the audience, Godrej said that 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," he said.
Thiagarajan delivered the theme address saying that as the country accelerates 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."
Reddy, while delivering the vote of thanks 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."
IGBC released India’s first embodied carbon baseline report, 'Embodied Carbon Emissions Baseline Estimation for Buildings in India'. The report establishes upfront embodied carbon intensities across five key building types. GBC introduced its Automation Tool for Green Homes and Green Interiors, a new digital platform that streamlines submissions, reviews, and certifications through intuitive dashboards, automated validations, and standardized formats—advancing IGBC’s mission to fully automate rating workflows. The IGBC Green New Buildings Rating System – Version 4, a future-ready framework with features like carbon accounting, zero-water discharge strategies, enhanced material circularity, demand-control ventilation, and decarbonisation pathways with GHG incentives, was also introduced at the congress by Ramesh Nair, chief executive officer, Mindspace Business Parks REIT.
The congress featured the International Conference on Green Buildings and 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 and technologies showcased advanced solutions ranging from low-carbon materials and high-performance HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) 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.
Dr Mala Singh, chairperson, IGBC Mumbai Chapter and co-chair of the IGBC Green Building Congress; Chitranjan Kaushik, co-chair, IGBC Mumbai Chapter; K S Venkatagiri, director, CII GBC; M Anand, deputy executive director, CII GBC; and S Karthikeyan, deputy executive director, CII GBC were also a part of the Green Building Congress 2025 inaugural session.
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