Egis - Sandeep Gulati
Egis is developing a third business pillar dedicated to energy transition for which it has stepped up its R&D investments to appx. €14 million in 2023 from 11 million in 2020.
Egis - Sandeep Gulati, MD, India and South Asia
The construction industry faces several issues when transitioning to low-carbon construction methods. The contractors may lack awareness and understanding of low-carbon construction methods, technologies, and best practices, which can hinder their ability to effectively plan and implement decarbonization strategies.
The upfront costs of adopting low-carbon construction methods and incorporating sustainable technologies can be perceived as a challenge. The availability and accessibility of low-carbon materials, technologies, and skilled labor can be a deterrent. Contractors may face challenges related to compliance with evolving regulations and standards related to carbon emissions and sustainability. Integrating low-carbon construction methods may require additional planning, coordination, and time, during the construction process.
Expertise for ecological and energy transition
Egis India has been involved in several sustainability-focused projects, such as sustainable transportation, green building design, and waste management. Our approach typically involves a combination of technical expertise, innovative solutions, and collaboration with stakeholders to achieve decarbonization and sustainability goals.
As a global green engineering company which is focused on the future, Egis is evolving in step with the current times. A provider of technical solutions, the company has the expertise required for the ecological and energy transition. We plan to contribute to India’s net-zero emissions goal by 2070 in the following ways:
We will reduce emissions of our clients’ projects and limit their impact on biodiversity. This is a major action lever for Egis, which pledges to systematically implement a global eco-design approach both in engineering and operations, to reduce the carbon emissions of projects in 2025; 70% of the turnover will relate to eco-designed and eco-operated projects and in 2030, 100% of projects led by Egis will be eco-designed and eco-operated. We will achieve this by designing and building more energy-efficient buildings, using renewable energy sources and using recycled materials wherever possible, and will implement waste reduction and recycling programs in our operations.
We will provide training to our employees on how to reduce their carbon footprint. To achieve our reduced emission goal, 90% of our employees will have been trained in the guidelines ‘Eco-design by Egis’ till 2025.
Carbon credits policy tailored for construction
A carbon credit policy specifically designed for the industry could provide a few benefits: companies that reduce their emissions could sell their carbon credits to other companies that need them, which would provide a financial incentive for them to continue to reduce their emissions. A carbon credit policy would require companies to track and report their emissions, which would increase transparency in the industry and make it easier to identify and address sources of emissions.
Carbon emission calculators an important step
The development of carbon emission calculators is an important step in the fight against climate change. By accurately measuring emissions and providing incentives for reduction efforts, the calculators can help the construction industry to reduce its carbon footprint and make a significant contribution to the global effort to combat climate change.
Relevant stakeholders can collaborate to develop carbon emission calculators in the following ways:
- The industry can share data on emissions from different construction projects and best practices for reducing emissions. This data can be used to develop more accurate and efficient carbon emission calculators.
- The industry can fund research and development of new technologies for measuring and reducing emissions. This research can help to improve the accuracy and efficiency of carbon emission calculators.
The construction industry is a major source of waste, generating tons of C&D waste each year, which has a significant environmental impact, contributing to climate change, air and water pollution. The industry can undertake the following measures to reduce waste generation: convert waste materials into new materials/objects for example, concrete, wood, metal, and plastics can be recycled and reused; upcycling waste materials into new products of higher quality/value; segregating different types of waste so that they can be recycled more easily; waste auditing to track the amount and type of waste generated by a construction site or building and using this information to identify opportunities to reduce waste; and using waste management software programs available that can help construction companies to manage their waste more effectively.
A centralized body for collaboration and coordination
The construction industry is fragmented, with different players involved in the process of building a structure. This can make it difficult to coordinate innovation, as there is no single entity that has the authority to set standards or promote new technologies.
A centralized body could help to address these challenges by providing a forum for collaboration and coordination. This body could set standards for new technologies, promote research and development, and provide training and education to industry professionals.
A centralized body could help change perceptions and raise awareness about the importance of decarbonization and sustainability in the construction industry by providing information and resources for it. It could work with governments and regulators to develop policies that support decarbonization and sustainability and advocate for the construction industry to adopt more sustainable practices.
Business vertical dedicated to energy transition
Egis is developing a third business pillar dedicated to the energy transition with the growth of its activity in low carbon energy and the ambition to become a leader in the renewable energy sector (offshore wind power, hydroelectricity, biomass etc). The company has therefore stepped-up its R&D efforts (appx. €14 million R&D investment in 2023 from 11 million in 2020 with respect to climate, energy, and biodiversity. The following key projects showcase our sustainable practices and decarbonization strategies:
NHRCL – Mumbai – Hyderabad and NHRCL–Delhi–Ahmedabad: This project comes under our road design segment. It contributes to several aspects of sustainability by saving travel time, vehicle operation cost, reduction in pollution, and imported fuel substitution.
PMU-Swachh Bharat Mission: This contributes in decarbonization by improving the management of solid and liquid waste in the entire state of Rajasthan.
MoRTH – Green National Highways Corridor: This demonstrates safe and green national highway corridors in selected states and enhances the institutional capacity of MoRTH in mainstreaming safety and green technologies.
NBM&CW JULY 2023
