Manoj Kumar Rustagi, EVP – Business Strategy & Capex Projects, Sustainability and R&D, JSW Cement Limited, talks about aligning efforts with sustainable development goals.
Manoj Kumar Rustagi, EVP – Business Strategy & Capex Projects, Sustainability and R&D, JSW Cement Limited, talks about aligning efforts with sustainable development goals.
Our business strategy has been based on the underlying concept of a circular economy across industries, making us a responsible corporate, and delivering superior quality products and building materials to our customers.
Our business model works on the principle of using industrial waste to manufacture superior quality cement or cementitious products in the most efficient and environment-friendly manner. We primarily focus on low-carbon products, utilisation of renewable energy, co-processing of waste materials in place of fossil fuels, deploying electric commercial vehicles, installation of Waste Heat Recovery System (WHRS), and other initiatives aligned with the low carbon economy and ecosystem.
During FY 2020-21, we have established our long-term targets for 2030, aligning to the sustainable development goals on various aspects related to climate change, biodiversity, water and waste-water, energy, circular economy, supply chain and air emissions.
Addressing climate change
We have undertaken definitive steps and measures to reduce our overall carbon footprint.
Deployed latest technology and energy-efficient processes with roller press grinding system for manufacturing cement and cementitious products.
Utilisation of industrial waste i.e., blast furnace slag / fly ash in manufacturing cement and cementitious products.
Co-processing of alternative fuel in the clinker plant at our Nandyal and Fujairah unit to reduce consumption of fossil fuels.
Utilisation of waste hot gases from clinker plant for slag drying, thus saving coal/diesel.
Utilising solar power at the Nandyal unit – 5.5 MW and the Salboni unit – 3.5 MW.
Installing 12.2 MW capacity waste heat recovery systems (WHRS) at our Nandyal unit (Project in Progress).
Established rainwater harvesting facilities inside the plant premises across our plant locations.
Development of greenbelt in and around our plant premises.
Salboni and Vijayanagar Plant: Improving energy efficiency with PAT targets
During FY 2020-21, the Salboni and Vijayanagar plants were considered as designated consumer (DC) in the Perform, Achieve, Trade Cycle (PAT) 2020-21 to 2022-23 as per the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The targets specified by BEE were as follows:
1. Salboni Plant
Baseline Specific Energy Consumption, SEC – 0.0227 toe/tonne of equivalent product
Target Specific Energy Consumption (2022-23), SEC – 0.0210 toe/tonne of equivalent product
2. Vijayanagar Plant
Baseline Specific Energy Consumption, SEC – 0.0438 toe/tonne of equivalent product
Target Specific Energy Consumption (2022-23), SEC – 0.0372 toe/tonne of equivalent product
Both the plants are improving energy efficiency by implementing various measures related to product mix, optimisation of process energy, shift to the latest energy efficient equipment wherever feasible and energy efficiency improvement projects among others.
Sustainability initiatives
In aligning with the triple bottom line, we have undertaken definitive steps to produce quality cement and cementitious products in an efficient and environment-friendly manner.
1. Reduction in clinker ratio
As a continuous effort of the company, our R&D team is developing processes that will help us in conserving limestone and energy, which will in turn help us reduce the manufacturing cost of cement. During FY 2020-21, our R&D team developed an in-house additive used in cement grinding, which helps in the reduction of clinker consumed per tonne of cement produced. Through this initiative, we have avoided 24140 Tonnes of CO2 emissions at our Salboni and Jajpur plants.
2. Manufacturing of Composite Cement
Our company has put in efforts in R&D, to manufacture a new range of blended cement products called composite cement, which uses both, fly ash and blast furnace slag as supplementary cementitious materials. Our Jajpur grinding unit mainly produces composite cement and that forms ~68% of the overall product mix from the plant. This product helps us in reducing our manufacturing costs while utilising multiple industrial waste as supplementary cementitious materials to produce quality low carbon cement products as per BIS.
3. Use of alternate fuel / reduced solid fuels like coal / pet coke
During FY 2020-21, ~23,200 tonnes of waste was co-processed at our Nandyal plant, in our cement kiln in an environmentally friendly manner. We have successfully reduced 18,121 tonnes of CO2 emissions by utilising different types of wastes in place of traditional fuels.
4. Use of solar energy
5. During FY 2020-21, we have consumed ~ 1,15,04,567 units of solar power at our Nandyal and Salboni plant, thus avoiding ~ 10,469 tonnes of CO2 emissions
6. Circular economy
A major part of our product portfolio consists of blended cement products and cementitious materials, which are manufactured using industrial wastes or by-products. During FY 2020-21, around 88% of production was blended cements, a 1% increase as compared to the previous year. We have consumed 4.97 million tonnes of slag and 0.16 million tonnes of fly ash for our cement manufacturing process during FY 2020-21, thus reducing the consumption of natural resources such as limestone, water and energy.
7. Energy efficiency
Some of the energy efficiency initiatives implemented during FY 2020-21:
Medium VoltageVariable Frequency Drive (MV VFD) installation in grinding mill at Jajpur
Optimisation of compressed air utilisation at Jajpur
Discharge chute modification for wagon loading and truck loading at Vijaynagar
VFD installation in HAG coal conveying at Vijaynagar
Reduction in pressure drop across cement mill dust collection circuit at Nandyal
Replacing of conventional lighting to LED lighting in VRM -1 and Packing Plant at Dolvi
Apart from these initiatives, we have made significant efforts by committing to various initiatives related to climate change action.
We are a signatory to the ‘Global Framework Principles on Heavy Industry Initiative,’ which has a vision to ‘Accelerate and scale-up the decarbonisation of heavy industry to align with a 1.5C global warming trajectory with urgency’.
We have also committed to all three of the Climate Group’s campaigns – RE100, EV100 and EP100 in a single go and we are globally the first company in heavy industries to do so.
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. The CDP headquarter is based out of London, UK, and is working towards securing a thriving economy that works for the people and the planet by creating a global database on carbon emissions across industries. We have been participating in the CDP response for the last three years to ensure open and transparent communication to our stakeholders and the society at large. Our last year CDP response was a ‘B-’ rating, which is in the Management Band.
We are part of Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA), globally as well as of the Indian chapter. GCCA is working on various initiatives on sustainability and innovation along-with its member companies, affiliates and partners. As part of this, there are working groups on various aspects of sustainability. We lead the working group related to communications and policy advocacy. We have also become a member of GCCA Innovandi network, which is a standalone entity that works on R&D programmes in minimising the carbon footprint of cement and is a global research network of technology suppliers, academic institutions and manufacturers of cement and concrete industry.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Manoj Kumar Rustagi, EVP – Business Strategy & Capex Projects, Sustainability and R&D, JSW Cement Limited, is a senior business leader, who has significantly contributed to business strategy and project management, and other strategic initiatives, in the cement, steel and energy sectors in his 29 years of professional career. In his present role as Executive Vice President, he is leading sustainability, R&D, business strategy and capex projects for JSW Cement Limited, India. He is a Director on the boards of various subsidiary companies of JSW Cement Limited. He is also on the board of GCCA Private Limited, India, in his personal capacity. He is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from BITS Pilani, India and an MBA from Indian School of Business (ISB), India.
Sustainability Performance 2020-21
We have a distinctive performance on the carbon intensity and are one of the lowest specific carbon emitters globally within the cement industry.
As per GCCA GNR data the global average of scope 1 net CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious product is ~ 600 kg and India average is ~ 560 kg.
Compared to this for FY 20-21 our specific carbon emission is ~ 200 kg, which translates into a saving of 2.9 million MT of CO2 saving compared to India average and 3.2 million MT of CO2 saving compared to global average. We understand our responsibility for the nation and have taken definitive measures to lead our industry towards a zero net carbon economy much before the 2070 target.
200kg ~23345 tonnes 81 litres
SCOPE-1 Net CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious material of alternative fuels consumed 66% of raw material consumption is from waste derived resources Water Consumption per tonne of cementitious material
LTIFR Share of renewable energy in total power consumption
0.44 3.15%
Natural capital Natural capital
Total fuel used: ~241959 tonnes
Total gas consumed: ~ 3.48 Crore nm3
Total water used: 618370 m3
Total electrical energy consumed: ~36.55 crore kWh
Thermal substitution rate: 4.23 % • 37 % of the total water consumption met from harvested water, thus reducing the dependency on groundwater and surface water resources
Emissions
Absolute net CO2 emissions (Scope 1): 1521828 Tonnes
Absolute net CO2 emissions (Scope 2): 322123 Tonnes
Indian Cement Review (ICR) and Fuller Technologies brought industry, policy and technology leaders together to discuss how cement innovation can drive green construction at scale, writes Rakesh Rao.
India is building at a pace few countries can match. Highways, airports, housing, logistics parks, industrial corridors and urban infrastructure are reshaping the country’s economic geography. But beneath this growth story lies a difficult question: can India continue to build at scale without locking itself into a high-carbon future?
That question formed the core of an online panel discussion titled “Driving Green Construction Through Cement Innovation”, organised by Indian Cement Review (ICR) in association with Fuller Technologies as the Presenting Partner on June 25, 2026. The webinar brought together experts from cement technology, R&D, global industry platforms, building performance policy and international development cooperation to examine how low-carbon cement and material innovation can accelerate India’s green construction transition.
The discussion came at a crucial time. India has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 and reducing the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030. At the same time, the country’s construction sector is expanding rapidly, driven by urbanisation, infrastructure development, housing demand and industrial growth. Cement, as one of the most widely used construction materials, sits at the heart of this transition. It is indispensable to development, but also central to the challenge of reducing embodied carbon in buildings and infrastructure.
Moderated by Nitika Krishan, Senior Urban Infrastructure and Sustainable Policy Consultant, the panel featured:
Dr Hemantkumar Aiyer, VP and Head R&D, Nuvoco Vistas Corp Ltd;
Devika Wattal, Innovation Lead, Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA);
Dr Sunita Purushottam, MD, GBPN India (Global Buildings Performance Network); and
Vaibhav Rathi, Senior Technical Advisor, GIZ (the German Agency for International Cooperation)
Setting the tone for the discussion, Nitika Krishan underlined the scale of the challenge before the sector. “The question before us is no longer whether we build, but how we build sustainably,” she said. She pointed out that construction accounts for nearly 40 per cent of global energy-related carbon emissions when both operational and embodied carbon are considered. Cement production, she added, remains one of the hardest industrial processes to decarbonise.
For India, this is not merely an environmental issue. It is a development issue, a competitiveness issue and increasingly, a market issue. As one of the world’s largest cement producers and among the fastest-growing construction markets, India’s material choices will influence the carbon trajectory of its built environment for decades. As Krishan observed, sustainability solutions in economies such as India must not remain limited to laboratory success. They must be scalable, commercially viable and practical at national level.
The innovation gap: From technology to market
Experts believe that there is a need to bridge the innovation gaps for making decarbonisation in cement and concrete scalable. Devika Wattal of GCCA, explained, “The starting point must be the core cement manufacturing process itself. The first and foremost is the heart of our process, the heart of cement manufacturing. How do we reduce clinker? That is always a topic where industry is working very intrinsically.”
Clinker reduction remains one of the most important pathways for lowering emissions in cement. Since clinker production is energy-intensive and chemically emits carbon dioxide, reducing the clinker factor through supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), blended cements and new chemistries can have a significant impact. Wattal also noted that carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) will have a role, though it may not be the first lever for all markets.
However, she stressed that innovation cannot stop at technology development. A solution that works in the lab must also be adaptable to industry, scalable in production and acceptable in construction practice. “It is important for that innovation to be adaptable, to be scalable, and so that it can be executed in real time,” she said.
Wattal also called for stronger enabling systems around innovation. These include performance-based standards, product-level embodied carbon databases and clearer frameworks for evaluating green materials. Without these, low-carbon cement products may struggle to compete with conventional materials in procurement and design.
R&D must balance carbon, cost and performance
Bringing in the R&D perspective into the discussion, Dr Hemantkumar Aiyer of Nuvoco Vistas emphasised that low-carbon cement development cannot be treated as a single-variable exercise. Cement must perform in real construction conditions. It must deliver strength, durability, consistency and cost competitiveness, while also reducing carbon.
“The root of understanding and balancing all these aspects lies in materials, and knowing the materials,” he said.
According to Dr Aiyer, R&D teams must understand the variability of raw materials such as fly ash, slag and clinker. Different sources produce different material behaviours. This makes mix optimisation, material characterisation and processing-property relationships critical. When performance is affected, cement manufacturers must understand how strength enhancers, admixtures and other performance chemicals interact with the material system.
He also linked material science with process efficiency. Clinkerisation takes place at extremely high temperatures, around 1,400 to 1,450 degrees Celsius. Any improvement in raw mix design, process control or energy optimisation can, therefore, help reduce emissions and cost. Dr Aiyer pointed to artificial intelligence-based optimisation, Cement 4.0 tools and advanced software as important enablers for real-time process and material control.
“The more you understand the materials, the more you can control it,” he said.
LC3: The promise is proven, the sequencing is not
Limestone calcined clay cement, commonly referred to as LC3, has attracted global attention because it can reduce clinker content significantly by using calcined clay and limestone while maintaining performance in many applications. Kiranmai Sanagavarapu of Fuller Technologies said the technology itself has already moved beyond proof of concept. Fuller Technologies has worked with calcined clay technology for nearly two decades and has seen plants running in France and Ghana. These plants, she said, are meeting local and national specifications, while the economics are beginning to make sense.
“The calciner is performing, the economics is stacking up, it is making business sense to produce,” she said.
But if the technology is viable, why has adoption not scaled faster? For Sanagavarapu, the answer lies in project sequencing. Too often, clay characterisation happens after equipment is specified. This, she warned, is a backward approach because calciner design depends on clay mineralogy, kaolinite content, iron levels, reactivity, moisture and other variables.
“If you don’t know what your deposit looks like before you commit for the equipment, you are, in a way, going blind into designing,” she said.
She also identified permitting and plant integration as major bottlenecks. Environmental clearances, mining permissions and local regulatory approvals must begin early. Similarly, calcined clay must be integrated into existing grinding, blending and logistics systems from the design stage, not treated as an afterthought during commissioning.
India already has IS 18189:2023 standard for LC3, but Sanagavarapu pointed out that the standard is not yet visible enough in procurement documents. “The gap between what is technically being permitted and what the procurement is asking is the single biggest bottleneck,” she said.
In her view, successful scale-up depends on getting the sequence right: clay characterisation first, permitting in parallel, standards aligned with construction, and integration built into plant design.
India’s LC3 journey: Progress, but demand remains thin
Providing details of India’s LC3 commercialisation experience, Vaibhav Rathi of GIZ noted that JK Cement carried out the first commercial production of LC3 at its Rajasthan plant, followed by JK Lakshmi Cement three months later. These initiatives were supported by the International Climate Initiative of the Government of Germany, with IIT Delhi contributing deep institutional knowledge on LC3 research and BIS certification.
Rathi said India’s early experience has produced clear lessons. One of the biggest was the need to build capacity among regulators. While BIS certification existed, State Pollution Control Boards were unfamiliar with the technology and unsure about the approval pathway.
“The capacity building is not just needed amongst the producer and the users of the cement, but also the regulators who are working with this technology for the first time,” he said.
He also highlighted the need for better information on China clay deposits. Since China clay is currently classified as a minor mineral, centralised data on availability, quality and location is limited. If cement manufacturers are to adopt LC3 at scale, stronger mineral intelligence will be important.
The third issue is demand. LC3 has already been used in projects such as Palava City in Mumbai and Noida International Airport, but these remain limited examples. “It is in a chicken and egg situation,” Rathi said. “Cement companies are saying we need more demand, and users are saying there is not enough cement available.”
Public procurement, he suggested, could help break this cycle. If agencies such as CPWD and other public bodies begin testing, accepting and specifying LC3, it could create the market confidence needed for cement companies to invest in production and storage.
Building codes must catch up with innovation
Dr Sunita Purushottam of GBPN India argued that material choices will determine built environment emissions over the long term, but India’s current policy signals remain fragmented. Although LC3 has received BIS recognition, she pointed out that building codes, municipal bylaws, schedules of rates and sustainability codes do not yet provide uniform guidance on low-carbon cement.
“The current cement regulations are largely prescriptive and favouring traditional materials,” she said. This limits the ability of alternative materials to compete on performance, durability and emissions.
Dr Purushottam also raised the issue of taxation. Cement, including LC3, currently falls under the same GST bracket as conventional cement. A differentiated tax structure, she argued, could help accelerate market adoption. “In order for the market to demand LC3, that differentiation in the GST could go a long way,” she said.
She noted that green building certifications such as IGBC and GRIHA are already creating demand for low-carbon materials by assigning points for embodied carbon and sustainable material use. However, she said large-scale adoption will require regulatory mandates, particularly through building codes and state-level notifications.
She also cautioned that low-carbon cement alone does not solve the entire building performance problem. A material may reduce embodied carbon, but the operational carbon of a building depends on thermal performance, design, insulation and energy use. “The energy part has two elements,” she said. “One is the embodied carbon of the material itself, and the other is the operational carbon.”
Collaboration is the bridge between invention and impact
Wattal said GCCA sees innovation as a strategic priority and works through platforms that connect industry with academia and start-ups. “There is no way we will decarbonise our sector without innovation,” she said.
However, she stressed that research must be connected to actual industry challenges. Innovations developed in isolation may fail when they encounter real-world barriers such as raw material variability, plant integration, cost, standards and finance. Start-ups, too, need industry mentorship and scale-up pathways.
Wattal also flagged the importance of finance. Even strong technologies may struggle to attract investment if there is no common understanding of bankability. “We have always put projects into, is this a bankable project? But the definition of a bankable project has never been defined,” she said.
For India, she saw strong potential in its academic and start-up ecosystem, but said the challenge lies in alignment and prioritisation. The country has the research base, industrial capacity and market size. What it now needs is a coordinated route from innovation to deployment.
There is a practical concern for cement manufacturers: how can existing plants be adapted for lower emissions without compromising reliability or commercial viability?
Kiranmai Sanagavarapu addressed, “The reliability risk in calcined clay retrofit is definitely real, but it is almost always self-inflicted. The risk arises when a new process is added to an existing circuit without properly redesigning grinding and blending configurations.”
Existing cement plants, she explained, can take two broad routes. The first is external sourcing of calcined clay combined with mill optimisation. This requires lower capital investment and can potentially move in 12 to 18 months if other conditions are in place. It may reduce emissions by around 20 to 30 per cent. The second route is integrated calcination on site, which requires higher capital expenditure and longer lead times, but provides greater control over quality, supply and emissions reduction potential.
For Sanagavarapu, the principle is simple: low-carbon retrofits must be designed with intent. “Design it with an intent properly from the start. Start in the market conditions where the economics are already working,” she said.
Circularity: The overlooked advantage
According to Vaibhav Rathi, fly ash and slag are already well established in cement and construction (C&D), but construction and demolition waste remains underutilised. “C&D waste is a growing business opportunity which not many have taken up,” he said. India’s continuous construction and demolition activity creates huge volumes of waste, much of which contributes to air pollution, land degradation and material inefficiency. With the right processing and standards, this waste can be converted into useful construction products.
Rathi also pointed out that LC3 has a circular economy dimension that is often overlooked. It can use low-grade kaolin-rich clay left behind after high-grade clay is extracted for other applications. “LC3 is not only a low-carbon solution, but also a circular economy solution,” he said.
At the same time, he cautioned that LC3 in India is not yet cheap because it has not reached scale. Site-specific techno-commercial feasibility studies, supported jointly by development agencies and industry, could help companies assess whether LC3 production makes technical and financial sense at a given location.
Dr Purushottam added that India must address both low-carbon cement and construction waste together. “Both low-carbon cement and C&D waste go hand in hand. India does not have an option but to work on both,” she said.
Dr Aiyer called for policy shifts from both government and industry, including preferential purchasing of sustainable materials, minimum supplementary cementitious material requirements in public and public-private projects, and faster regulatory implementation. “If we can fast-track the regulatory standards and their implementation on the ground, that is the way to go,” he said.
From green ambition to green construction
Cement innovation is no longer only about chemistry. It is about systems. Low-carbon cement will scale only when technology, standards, procurement, finance, regulation, education and construction practice move together.
LC3 and other low-carbon technologies have shown promise. India has early commercial examples, strong research capability and growing market interest. But mainstream adoption will depend on whether demand can be created, regulators can be capacitated, standards can be embedded in procurement, and manufacturers can see a clear business case.
For a country building at India’s scale, the opportunity is enormous. Cement will continue to be central to infrastructure and urban development. The challenge now is to ensure that the cement used in India’s growth story carries a lower carbon burden.
Rakesh Rao
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JK Cement gained after being declared preferred bidder for the Gilund Limestone Block in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, a lease area of 370.96 hectares. The firm saw its shares trade at Rs. 5550.05, up by 28.45 points or 0.52 per cent from the previous close of Rs. 5521.60 on the BSE. The scrip opened at Rs. 5569.15 and touched a high of Rs. 5625.00 and a low of Rs. 5531.00.
The stock recorded turnover of 1742 shares on the counter and the BSE group A stock with face value Rs. 10 has a 52 week high of Rs. 7565.00 on 20-Aug-2025 and a 52 week low of Rs. 4670.05 on 12-Jun-2026. Last one week high and low stood at Rs. 5625.00 and Rs. 5329.00 respectively. The promoters holding in the company stood at 45.66 per cent, while institutions and non-institutions held 40.61 per cent and 13.73 per cent respectively.
The e-auction conducted by the Government of Rajasthan resulted in the company being declared preferred bidder for the mining lease, and the allocation will enable the company to plan phased development of the deposit, subject to regulatory approvals. The Gilund block spans 370.96 hectares and its allocation is intended to support raw material security for the company’s cement operations in the region. The designation follows the government auction process and will allow the company to plan development and integration of the deposit into its supply chain.
The current market capitalisation stands at Rs. 430.38 billion (bn), reflecting market response to the mining news and prevailing valuation levels for the sector. Investors and analysts will watch for formal allotment and related disclosures that can clarify timelines, capital expenditure and expected production profiles. The report is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice, and market participants are advised to consult advisers before making decisions.
Star Cement has been declared the preferred bidder for the mining lease for Boro Lakhindong West Block following e-auctions conducted by the Government of Assam. The block is located in Boro Lakhindong Village, Umrangso Tehsil, Dima Hasao District, Assam, and extends over an area of 123 hectares. The estimated limestone resource is 207.822 million (mn) tonnes (t), a quantity that will supply raw material for cement production and support the company’s manufacturing operations in the region.
The company is engaged in the manufacturing and selling of cement clinker and cement and distributes products across the north-eastern and eastern states of India. Star Cement operates plants and logistics networks that procure and process limestone to produce clinker for cement, and the addition of Boro Lakhindong is presented as a strategic enhancement of feedstock availability. The preferred bidder status secures rights to the specified lease area under the terms of the auction process.
Financial results for the company in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 showed a consolidated net profit rise of 20.24 per cent to Rs 1,481.0 mn on an 11.54 per cent increase in revenue to Rs 11,735.5 mn compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Those results reflected higher sales volumes and revenue growth in the company’s primary markets and are cited in company disclosures accompanying the lease announcement. The reported performance provides context to the company’s ability to pursue and finance new mining lease opportunities.
Market reaction to the declaration was modest, with the scrip rising zero point thirty six per cent to trade at Rs 212 on the BSE. The award of the Boro Lakhindong lease concludes the e-auction process for the west block and assigns operational rights to Star Cement as the preferred bidder, subject to completion of statutory and contractual formalities.
