Lodha Declares the Launch of Its Net Zero Urban Accelerator

The top most real estate developer in India has taken another historic step in the world of construction. Lodha has announced the introduction of the Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator.With the opening of the accelerator, Lodha intends to assume a leading position by providing a model for urban growth.

Lodha has introduced the "Lodha net zero urban accelerator" with RMI's technical assistance. The accelerator, commissioned by Lodha, aims to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practises in the Indian real estate industry.

In accordance with Lodha's pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035, the 'Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator' aims to bring together collaborations of uncommon reach, scope, and expertise — creating unconventional partnerships and mobilising action to drive the massive scale of change required to combat the climate crisis. Using facilitated multi-stakeholder participation, integrative design, and research and development, the accelerator will create and implement new projects in support of Lodha's goal to achieving net zero. The interaction with industry stakeholders will focus on technology, business models, funding, and initiatives designed to expedite the deployment of net-zero energy. This methodology may provide scalable carbon-free solutions for India's rapidly expanding built environment.

With the launch of the accelerator, Lodha intends to assume a leadership position by providing a template for urban development that can demonstrate — to India and the world — that growth decoupled from emissions is possible, thereby advancing livability and remaining true to its promise of constructing a better life. Palava, Lodha's flagship development and India's first complete greenfield smart city, will serve as the initiative's model, which would be duplicated in other areas over time. On the route to net-zero, Palava will act as a city-scale living laboratory to address problems and pioneer solutions.

Abhishek Lodha, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lodha, said, "As a responsible developer, we recognise the critical role that the real estate industry can play in mitigating the threats that climate change poses to our world. All organisations are responsible for promoting the transition to a low-carbon economy, since combating global warming vigorously has become vital. The introduction of the 'Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator' is a crucial move in this direction to foster collaborative, large-scale solutions for a greener future, in line with our North Star aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035, in an effort to improve the quality of life for everyone.

The accelerator will include targeted initiatives demonstrating and scaling net-zero solutions by adopting a whole-system net-zero approach for urbanisation, with a focus on circularity and embodied carbon, passive designs, ultra-efficient equipment, clean energy, and zero-carbon mobility, aided by the development of cross-cutting finance solutions to support goals in these technical focus areas. Considering that about 70 percent of buildings that will exist in India by 2030 have not been built yet, the accelerator will grasp the opportunity to create whole-system roadmaps and tactical playbooks that will ultimately drive a proliferation of net zero commitments and initiatives across the industry and policy ecosystem.

Amory Lovins, co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), states,

"This unique Accelerator can demonstrate that through collaboration, integrative design, and efficiency as a first resource, growth and prosperity will increase substantially while the intensity of carbon and emissions declines toward zero." He continued, "Lodha's leadership may serve as a beacon for India and the globe."

Last year, Lodha joined the Science Based Targets programme (SBTi) to decrease emissions in accordance with the aims of the Paris Agreement and placed its whole portfolio within the purview of Green Ratings. Lodha received high results in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2021 for its conscientious and continuous efforts in sustainability, placing it among the top 13 percent of firms reviewed worldwide.