Report of the working group on “effectively integrating industrial growth and environment sustainability”
By October 2011, India is expected to have a National Manufacturing Policy which will aspire to create 100 million additional jobs in the next 10 years. This aim will be achieved by increasing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) share of the manufacturing sector from the current level of 16% to 25% by 2025. The country will need to ensure that the environmental impact and effects arising from this increase in manufacturing activities is addressed and controlled without affecting increased industrial growth. The Working Group advocates the need for India to achieve “Rapid Ecologically Sustainable Industrial Growth”, which would require a transformation towards green manufacturing and adoption of environmental sustainability practices by manufacturing companies, and has accordingly identified 3 cross-cutting strategic paths where immediate focus is required to align environmental sustainability within the manufacturing industry: Mainstreaming and promoting green business, Protecting natural resources, and Addressing funding issues.