Godrej Properties and Xynteo Launch Habitat Matters Initiative to Promote Low-Carbon Materials

Godrej Properties Limited (GPL) has announced the launch of Habitat Matters under the Good & Green Labs innovation arm of the Godrej Industries Group, in strategic partnership with Xynteo. Structured as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, the program aims to identify, test, and validate innovative low-carbon construction materials to accelerate their adoption across India’s booming real estate and built environment.

Context and Industry Challenge:

India is currently navigating one of the largest construction booms in the world, with projections estimating that new building stock will reach approximately 34 billion square meters by 2050, potentially doubling current construction levels. Because buildings permanently lock in their environmental footprint at the time of construction, material choices made today carry lasting consequences. Core structural components such as cement, concrete, steel, blocks, and glass account for a massive portion of the construction sector’s carbon impact yet remain among its least addressed challenges. Habitat Matters is specifically designed to bridge the gap between promising low-carbon material innovations and real-world implementation on live construction sites by identifying credible solutions, running pilots, and evaluating performance under actual operating conditions. Over the next five years, Godrej Properties plans to execute these pilots to establish a robust body of on-ground evidence that can guide future industry standards.

Leadership Perspectives:

Rohit Mohan, Chief Design and Sustainability Officer, Godrej Properties: Emphasized that the initiative pushes the boundaries of sustainability by offering innovators engineering rigor, live test sites with dynamic conditions, and evaluations designed to establish new industry standards.

Pakzan Dastoor, Head of Good & Green, Godrej Industries Group: Noted that Good & Green Labs targets complex industry hurdles by collaborating with scientific and field-level experts to build scalable solutions that advance the entire real estate ecosystem.

Suman Jagdev, Partner, Xynteo: Highlighted that India faces an adoption and deployment challenge rather than a shortage of low-carbon innovation, positioning Habitat Matters as the critical bridge connecting market solutions with live projects and supportive policies to establish commercial credibility.

Application Process and Scope:

Habitat Matters has officially opened a Request for Applications (RFA) to invite start-ups, research institutions, material manufacturers, and technology providers to participate.

Focus Categories: The program targets five primary material categories cement, concrete, steel, blocks, and glass alongside bio-based alternatives and deployable embodied carbon solutions.

Eligibility: Innovations must operate at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 or higher to apply.

Support Structure: Selected applicants will pilot their solutions within active construction sites while receiving comprehensive technical and commercialization support to expedite adoption.