New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) While India’s cement sector became more energy- and carbon-efficient, its groundwater usage in water-stressed regions increased sharply in Financial Year (FY) 2025, compared to FY2024, rising from 27 per cent to 38 per cent, according to a new report.
It also stated that the sector witnessed a jump in work-related injuries from 263 in FY2024 to 359 in FY2025 — a rise of 36.5 per cent.
The report, ‘BRSR Disclosure: ESG Performance Assessment of the Cement Sector’, was released on Thursday by iFOREST, a Delhi-based environmental research organisation.
For the analysis, the authors examined 18 cement companies across 107 Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) indicators for FY2024-FY2025, covering 87 per cent of India’s cement production.
It found that in FY2025, the sector used less energy per tonne (2.54 gigajoules per tonne) than the global average of 2.88 gigajoules per tonne, but renewables make up only 5.1 per cent of its energy mix.
Also, the sector’s carbon emissions intensity slightly reduced from FY2024 to FY2025. However, total emissions still rose 4 per cent to 224.3 million tonnes, roughly 6-7 per cent of India’s total.
Notably, the report revealed that women in key managerial roles earn 26.8 per cent less than men, and median pay for women workers fell 11.1 per cent in FY2025, even as men’s pay rose.
The sector employs about 2.28 lakh people — of these, 63 per cent are contractual, 3.1 per cent are women, and 0.07 per cent are persons with disabilities.
In a statement, Chandra Bhushan, CEO of iFOREST, said, “Indian cement is more energy-efficient than the global average, and that deserves recognition. But the sector is putting increasing pressure on groundwater in dry regions, and workers’ health and safety need more attention.” PTI ALC NB
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