The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) India–NCB Carbon Uptake Report was formally released during the 63rd Foundation Day celebrations of the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB), marking a significant step in advancing India’s sustainability discourse within the cement and construction sector.
NBCC (India) Limited (official communication / social media post)
The report launch coincided with the inauguration of two advanced facilities at NCB—the Gypsum Board Testing Laboratory and the Micro-Characterisation Laboratory—by Ms Urmila, IES, Economic Advisor, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), and Shri Mohd. Kamal Ahmad, Special Director General of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The event was held in the presence of Dr L. P. Singh, Director General, NCB.
The newly established Gypsum Board Testing Laboratory is intended to strengthen quality assurance and standardisation in the gypsum board industry, aligning with the Gypsum-Based Building Materials (Quality Control) Order, 2024, notified by DPIIT. Meanwhile, the Micro-Characterisation Laboratory is equipped with advanced analytical tools to support detailed investigations of cementitious and construction materials, enhancing research precision and material performance assessment.
Addressing the gathering, Ms Urmila highlighted NCB’s long-standing contributions in research, technology development, quality assurance, and capacity building, noting their critical role in supporting the evolving needs of India’s cement sector. Shri Mohd. Kamal Ahmad also commended NCB for its sustained efforts in promoting sustainable construction through focused research and development initiatives.
A key highlight of the event was the release of the report titled “Carbon Uptake by Concrete”, which presents an assessment of carbon dioxide (CO₂) uptake through carbonation in concrete under Indian conditions. The study is a collaborative effort between NCB and the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) India, and is based on the Tier-I methodology developed by IVL Swedish Environment Research Institute.
The report notes that the cement industry contributes approximately 7 per cent of total anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, largely due to process-related emissions from limestone calcination, categorising it as a hard-to-abate sector. In this context, recognising and quantifying carbon uptake by concrete is seen as an important step towards more accurate climate accounting and mitigation strategies.
Looking ahead, the report outlines future actions aimed at improving data robustness, refining estimation methodologies, and facilitating the integration of carbon uptake considerations into national sustainability and climate reporting frameworks. It will be submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for consideration of recognising carbon uptake by concrete as a carbon sink in India’s National Communications (NATCOM) to the UNFCCC.
NCB, functioning under the administrative control of DPIIT, continues to play a pivotal role as India’s apex research and development organisation for cement, allied building materials, and the construction sector, supporting innovation, sustainability, and capacity building across the industry.
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