The e-commerce giant achieved a major sustainability milestone in 2024, delivering 1.5 billion packages via electric vehicles worldwide – more than doubling its EV fleet to 31,400 units and exceeding its India electrification target a year early. This achievement, detailed in Amazon’s latest Sustainability Report, comes alongside its fifth consecutive year as the world’s top corporate buyer of renewable energy, matching 100% of global operations with clean power.

Balancing Growth with Emissions Reduction
While Amazon’s absolute carbon emissions rose 6% to 68.25 million metric tons due to business expansion, the company highlighted a 40% reduction in carbon intensity since 2019. Key decarbonization efforts included:

• Procuring 3.7M gallons of sustainable aviation fuel
• Scaling renewable diesel use 16x year-over-year to 4.7M gallons
• Adding 124 new renewable energy projects (totaling 34 GW capacity)
• Entering nuclear energy through $500M investment in modular reactors

AI Efficiency Breakthroughs
Amazon Web Services countered AI’s energy demands with:

• Industry-leading 1.15 Power Usage Effectiveness (vs. 1.25 average)
• New data center components delivering 12% more compute power with 46% lower cooling energy
• 71,000 metric tons of CO₂ savings from Graviton chip adoption

Sustainable Operations Expansion
The company made strides across its value chain:

• Eliminated all plastic air pillows from packaging
• Achieved 85% landfill diversion rate
• Built 49 facilities with low-carbon materials, avoiding 77,000 metric tons of CO₂
• Piloted hydrogen-reduced steel in data center construction

Fresh off announcing India’s largest green hydrogen facility, engineering giant Larsen & Toubro has secured a strategic ultra-mega offshore contract in the Middle East, showcasing its unique dual capability in traditional hydrocarbons and clean energy transition.

The company’s hydrocarbon division landed a major EPCI (engineering, procurement, construction, installation) contract involving new offshore structures and facility upgrades, continuing its three-decade legacy of executing complex oil and gas projects across water depths. “This award reinforces our global reputation for delivering technically challenging offshore projects with precision,” L&T stated, highlighting its in-house engineering expertise and specialized marine fleet.

Simultaneously, L&T Energy GreenTech is pioneering India’s energy future through its 10,000-tonne annual capacity green hydrogen plant at IOCL’s Panipat refinery. The fully renewable-powered facility will employ indigenously manufactured alkaline electrolyzers from L&T’s Hazira unit, supporting India’s green hydrogen mission while decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors.

“This parallel execution of hydrocarbon and clean energy projects demonstrates our balanced energy transition approach,” said Subramanian Sarma, L&T’s deputy MD. The twin developments position L&T as both a global hydrocarbon infrastructure leader and domestic clean energy champion – a rare combination in today’s polarized energy landscape. The green hydrogen facility, operating on a 25-year BOO model, represents one of India’s first industrial-scale implementations of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, while the Middle East contract extends L&T’s dominance in conventional energy infrastructure amid growing global energy demand.

A promising innovation in green construction is emerging from Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science. Novacret, a startup incubated at the Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID), is set to launch its revolutionary green cement product by September 2025. The product boasts up to 80% lower carbon emissions and eliminates the need for water during curing, making it both eco-friendly and water-efficient. Rooted in circular economy principles, Novacret uses industrial waste—including fly ash from power plants and slag from steel industries—as raw materials, drastically cutting environmental impact while offering a cost advantage.

The performance metrics of Novacret are compelling. Unlike conventional concrete, which typically takes 28 days to reach full strength, Novacret products achieve the same in just three days. Additionally, they are currently 10–15% cheaper than traditional concrete offerings, and the cost is expected to drop further with scale. Its product line includes a wide variety of precast items such as pavers, kerbstones, AAC blocks, CLC panels, facades, and porous pavers—all packaged in innovative compostable bags to minimize plastic waste.

The startup has already attracted interest from major players in the real estate and infrastructure sector, including pilot projects with large construction firms and potential collaborations with the Karnataka government. Novacret also plans to incorporate agricultural waste into its production in the coming years, which could have a significant impact on reducing stubble burning and air pollution in northern India. This could further boost India’s climate targets under global frameworks like the Paris Agreement.

Internationally, Novacret is eyeing partnerships in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. It recently showcased its technology at the World Future Energy Summit 2025 in Abu Dhabi and was among 12 startups featured at India’s Construction Tech Demo Day. Backed by grants from the Department of Science and Technology and Zerodha CSR, the startup is now preparing for its first seed funding round to support its next stage of growth.

Novacret’s broader vision aligns closely with the concept of “Drawdown,” a framework proposed by Paul Hawken for reversing global warming within a generation. With construction accounting for over 25% of global carbon emissions, Novacret offers a viable, scalable path for decarbonising the sector. The startup estimates that the market potential for its products in India exceeds $1 billion, with engineering blocks alone worth $1.3 billion. Globally, the precast concrete market is pegged at $166 billion, and Novacret aims to capture at least 10% of that within the next five years. By converting industrial and agricultural waste into high-performance construction material, Novacret is more than just a green cement startup—it represents a blueprint for sustainable urban development. If adopted at scale, it could slash the construction industry’s carbon footprint by half within a decade, delivering tangible climate action from the ground up.

The Sustainability Mafia (SusMafia), a 100+ strong network of climate-tech pioneers, has unveiled its ‘Climate-Tech Opportunity Map’ – a curated guide spotlighting 25 high-potential ideas to slash India’s carbon footprint. This actionable blueprint targets critical gaps in energy, agriculture, industry and water sectors, combining emissions data with expert insights to highlight scalable solutions.

Developed under SusMafia’s SusVentures program, the initiative connects aspiring entrepreneurs with mentors, investors and pilot partners. “We’re helping climate builders validate ideas faster and access the right networks,” explains Aneesa Patel, SusVentures Co-Founder. The map’s co-creators emphasize its mission: “India needs startups solving the right problems urgently – this bridges the gap between pressing challenges and entrepreneurial action.” By focusing on underserved markets with clear white spaces, the map aims to accelerate viable climate solutions from ideation to market impact.