Prabodha Acharya outlines emission goals, waste reuse plans, and Scope 4 strategies ahead of India’s 2047 climate goals

With India’s Net Zero 2070 goal in place, JSW Steel has set a 2050 carbon neutrality target supported by a 2030 emissions intensity reduction benchmark. In an interview with BW Sustainability World, JSW Group Chief Sustainability Officer Prabodha Acharya explained how the company plans to meet these targets through capital allocation, technology partnerships, and supply chain engagement. He outlined that, from a green hydrogen facility and CCUS trials to product certifications and waste reuse, JSW Steel is planning steps to reduce emissions and align with upcoming domestic and international climate rules. He added, “These targets are not just aspirational figures; they are underpinned by tangible capital allocation and technological exploration.”

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As Net Zero 2070 sets the national ambition, what concrete milestones is your company setting for 2047 to ensure your net-zero journey is credible, measurable, and aligned with global climate benchmarks?
A credible decarbonisation journey in a high-emission sector requires more than just a distant goal; it demands a clear, measurable, and externally validated roadmap. Our most crucial, board-approved milestone is a target to reduce our specific CO₂ emissions intensity by 42 per cent by 2030, from a 2005 baseline. This 2030 target serves as the foundational phase of our journey, positioning us to pursue our ultimate goal: to achieve net neutrality in carbon emissions by 2050. Both our short-term and long-term targets are aligned with the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS) and with India’s NDC.

These targets are not just aspirational figures; they are underpinned by tangible capital allocation and technological exploration. For example, we are currently building a Green Hydrogen plant of 3800 tonne to be used for steel making and have entered into a contract with BHP and Carbon Clean to explore the large-scale use of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technology. These specific projects represent the building blocks for the next phase of deep decarbonisation required to meet our 2050 goal, even with increased production.

In a future where regenerative business will be the benchmark for resilience and competitiveness, what systemic shifts is industry making today to lead that transformation by 2047?
The most profound systemic shift towards a regenerative model is the re-imagining of industrial waste, treating it not as a liability to be disposed of, but as a primary raw material for new, high-value production cycles. This moves a business from a linear model to a truly circular one. At JSW Steel, our commitment to this is demonstrated by our robust focus on reusing virtually all process waste, a principle that perfectly aligns with the national ‘Waste to Wealth’ mission. A prime example is our handling of iron and steelmaking slag. All the slags from iron making, which earlier used to be disposed, are now getting converted to low carbon Cement by JSW Cement pioneering in delivering green cement to the customers.

Traditionally landfilled, we’ve developed and patented an innovative technology to transform it into high-quality sand for construction and fines for cement production, also finding use in paver blocks. This specific initiative not only eliminates a massive waste stream but also significantly reduces the societal need for natural resources like river sand. Beyond slag, our pioneering efforts include the injection of plastic waste directly into our steelmaking furnaces and leveraging advanced heavy-duty shredder technologies to optimize the processing of ferrous scrap, which reduces our consumption of virgin iron ore and the associated carbon emissions.

With Scope 4 emissions gaining traction as a way to quantify positive climate impact, how is your company innovating products or services that enable downstream emissions reductions, and do you think that industry as a whole is prepared to track and report these benefits in the next decade?
True innovation in enabling downstream emission reductions must go beyond a single product to shaping the entire ecosystem of standards and trust. Our commitment to this is demonstrated on two fronts. Firstly, through product innovation like our GreenPro-certified steel. This ecolabel from the CII acknowledges the highest standards of environmental sustainability and product performance. We were the first manufacturer to receive the esteemed GreenPro ecolabel for our ‘Automotive Steel’ products and, crucially, we also played a leading role in the development of the GreenPro Automotive Steel standards.

By proactively helping set the benchmark, we empower automotive manufacturers to make informed, sustainable choices. Secondly, and more broadly, we have committed to certifying over 80 per cent of our production under the global ResponsibleSteel standard. This rigorous, third-party certification provides our stakeholders with the highest level of assurance about our production processes. While the industry is not yet fully prepared for standardised Scope 4 reporting, our dual focus on specific eco-labels and broad-based, internationally recognized standards is building the foundational data integrity and market trust that will be essential for any credible future reporting.

With ESG 2.0 redefining credibility through measurable impact and regulatory compliance, what strategic shifts might organisations make to move beyond disclosure towards demonstrable outcomes in environment, social, and governance metrics?
To move beyond disclosure towards demonstrable outcomes, the most vital strategic shift is to fully embed ESG accountability into the core governance and operational fabric of the organisation. This ensures that climate action is a central pillar of corporate strategy, not an isolated effort.

At JSW Steel, we have made this shift by establishing the JSW Steel Climate Action Group (CAG). This body is not a peripheral committee; it is a central think tank, responsible for driving JSW Steel’s overarching climate change mitigation strategy. The CAG holds a monthly review in the presence of representatives from all our steel manufacturing facilities to monitor individual performance and explore emerging clean technologies. Crucially, the Cag serves as a channel between the sites and the senior management on integrating sustainability-specific elements into strategic decisions across all functions. This governance structure, which influences everything from capital expenditure to daily operations, is what drives demonstrable outcomes.

With growing pressure to tackle Scope 3 and imported carbon, how is your company planning to trace and cut embedded emissions across its global value chain by 2047?
A credible plan to trace and cut embedded emissions requires an honest acknowledgement of the unique value chain realities within a specific geography. For JSW Steel, operating in India means navigating the challenges of “lower in quality” domestic iron ore and the limited availability of steel scrap, both of which can lead to higher energy consumption compared to global peers.

Our strategy is therefore built to address these specific realities through a two-pronged approach. Firstly, by leveraging digital infrastructure to trace emissions from our suppliers to our finished products, we create the robust data trail required to comply with emergent regulations like CBAM. Secondly, through proactive decarbonisation efforts across our value chain. This includes expanding our use of scrap wherever possible, engaging suppliers to support their climate journeys, and making forward-looking capital investments like our new green steel plant at Salav, which is being established specifically to meet and exceed global standards for low-carbon exports.

As India rolls out its formal carbon market in 2026, how do you envision it driving meaningful emissions reductions within your sector, and what safeguards are needed to ensure it doesn’t simply become a regulatory burden without climate gains?
For a carbon market to drive meaningful emissions reductions, it must function as a sharp and reliable price signal that makes green investments economically viable, rather than a mere compliance exercise. We envision the Indian carbon market as a critical accelerator for decarbonisation. However, for it to fulfil this potential, certain safeguards are essential.

The system’s integrity must be built on a foundation of robust measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV). This references a core principle of high-integrity carbon markets: every credit must represent a genuine and permanent ton of CO₂ abated. Furthermore, credit generation must be based on ambitious baselines that reward going significantly beyond business-as-usual performance. Finally, clear rules are needed to prevent the double-counting of reductions across different government schemes.

With these safeguards, the market can create a powerful incentive for capital to flow towards the portfolio of breakthrough technologies we are pursuing, such as green hydrogen and carbon capture, making them mainstream solutions.