Tamil Nadu is confident of achieving carbon neutrality well ahead of India’s 2070 net-zero target, with the State having established a 2019 greenhouse-gas emissions baseline in line with IPCC guidelines and now translating it into a transition pathway towards net zero.
Delivering the Keynote Address at the CII Tamil Nadu Sustainable Manufacturing Summit 2026, themed “Driving Industrial Excellence through Sustainability”, in Chennai, Mr Bakan Jagdish Sudhakar, IFS, CEO, Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company, highlighted the State’s ongoing efforts to accelerate decarbonisation.
He said Tamil Nadu was working on decarbonisation plans for four districts and had initiated a ₹1,000-crore Green Climate Fund. The fund has an initial ₹100-crore commitment from the State Government, with the remaining corpus proposed to be raised from the market. It will support businesses in areas including energy transition, the circular economy and recycling.
Mr Muthu C, Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu Sustainable Manufacturing Summit Taskforce and President & Chief of Operations, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd, said the Summit was aimed at moving sustainability beyond commitments and towards implementation and measurable business value.
Sustainability, he noted, should no longer be viewed as a separate ESG or compliance activity, but should be integrated into manufacturing operations. This approach can help companies identify waste across energy, water, materials and other resources, while simultaneously optimising costs and improving operational efficiency.
Mr Ravichandran Purushothaman, Chairman, CII Southern Region and President, Danfoss India, highlighted the extensive work undertaken by CII through its Centres of Excellence in areas such as green buildings, energy efficiency, water management and sustainability.
He said businesses increasingly needed to understand and measure both their direct and indirect carbon emissions and leverage available technologies, skills and funding mechanisms to progressively reduce their carbon footprint.
Mr Prashant Tiwari, Chief Sustainability Officer, Amara Raja Group, emphasised the global importance of the energy transition, noting that industry had to play an active role in the process.
Sharing an industry perspective, Mr Sekar Sankaran, VP & Corporate Head – Projects & Sustainability, TVS Srichakra Ltd, said the company had started saving around ₹16 crore annually through the use of green power, including solar energy. He also highlighted the link between sustainability and operational excellence, noting that sustainability initiatives could directly contribute to improved profitability.
In his keynote address, Mr Abhinav Srivastava, Chief Information Officer – India, Indonesia, Southeast Asia & Australia Pacific, Mercedes-Benz Trucks & BharatBenz, Daimler AG, spoke on “Accelerating Sustainability through Technology” and highlighted the role of the circular economy in transforming manufacturing processes.
He said sustainability was a top priority and a long-term goal for the organisation, with a strong focus on minimising waste across its ecosystem. He also emphasised the importance of collaborative approaches, with several initiatives being pursued through partnerships across the value chain.
Mr M. Sivasubramaniam, Vice President & Chief Digital and Information Officer, JK Fenner, described sustainability as an enabler for emerging technologies and productivity improvements, including IoT and artificial intelligence.