The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has completed 25 years of promoting sustainable buildings and infrastructure in India. Established by CII in 2001, IGBC has grown from a small green building initiative into a nationwide movement. The council now has 20,012 registered green building projects covering more than 16.33 billion sq. ft. across 33 Green and Net Zero rating systems.
The portfolio includes around 41 lakh residential dwelling units, more than 11,770 commercial projects, over 1,320 transit infrastructure projects and more than 985 industrial buildings. It also includes 271 registered Net Zero projects and more than 190 other built environment projects.
The milestone was marked at a Silver Jubilee celebration in Hyderabad attended by government representatives, industry leaders and professionals from the green building sector. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka attended as Chief Guest, while D Sridhar Babu, Minister for IT, E&C, Industries and Commerce, Government of Telangana, was the Guest of Honour.
Dr Suchitra K Ella, President Designate, CII; Jamshyd N. Godrej, Chairman, CII Green Business Centre; Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII; B. Thiagarajan, Immediate Past National Chairman, IGBC; C. Shekar Reddy, National Chairman, IGBC; and A. R. Unnikrishnan, National Vice Chairman, IGBC, were also present. IGBC’s development is closely linked to the CII–Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad, India’s first Platinum-rated green building. Inaugurated by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2004, the building achieved Net Zero Energy status in 2019.
IGBC estimates that its green building projects deliver average savings of about 35% in carbon emissions, 40% in water consumption, 50% in energy use and 70% in solid waste. The council launched its Net Zero Mission in 2021, securing commitments from more than 350 organisations. It has recorded over 155 Net Zero Certified Projects, while more than 271 projects covering about 298.4 million sq. ft. are registered under its Net Zero programmes.
Speaking at the event, Jamshyd Godrej said IGBC had helped demonstrate that environmental responsibility and business value can work together. He said the next priority was to make greener construction a normal part of building activity through innovation, stronger policies and wider adoption.
IGBC also released a 25-year commemorative film and the IGBC@25 memoir dossier during the celebrations. The council now works across railways, mass rapid transit, high-speed rail, cities, townships, villages, logistics, healthcare and industry. It has worked with more than 2,800 government projects, trained over 60,000 professionals and operates through 32 local chapters. Thirteen state governments have introduced incentives for IGBC-certified projects. IGBC said its next phase will focus on expanding green and Net Zero practices across India’s growing cities, housing, industries and infrastructure.
