Ambuja Cements joins LeadIT to accelerate low-carbon cement.
New LeadIT members, Ambuja Cements Limited, strengthen the Group’s mission to accelerate the decarbonization of cement production. Ambuja Cements is world’s ninth largest provider of building materials with 24 integrated cement manufacturing plants and 22 grinding units. Part of the diversified Adani Group, it produces cement and clinker for the domestic Indian market.
Ambuja’s net zero commitments
The company was the first leading Indian cement company and globally the fourth to receive validation of its near-term (2030) and net-zero (2050) emission targets from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This milestone aligns Ambuja Cements with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal and India’s commitment to net-zero by 2070. Ambuja Cements is working to accelerate the decarbonization of its production with investments in renewable energy, both solar and wind, heat recovery systems, and zero-carbon RotoDynamic Heater technology. It has just been awarded funding under the LeadIT Industry Transition Partnership for a pre-pilot technology feasibility study for carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and EcoTech, Sweden. Ambuja Cements is the world’s first cement manufacturer to join the Alliance for Industrial Decarbonization (AFID), a global alliance facilitated by IRENA.
Ambuja Cements has been awarded funding under the LeadIT ITP for a project with EcoTech Solutions of Sweden and IIT Bombay to explore the feasibility of installing a carbon capture and utilization unit at one of its factories.
Why has Ambuja Cements become a member of LeadIT?
Ambuja Cements has become a member of LeadIT to participate in the foremost global platform focused on achieving net-zero emissions from a hard-to-abate sector such as cement, in alignment with the Paris Agreement. LeadIT’s mission of driving an inclusive, just, and equitable industry transition through public–private partnerships resonates strongly with Ambuja Cements’ decarbonization roadmap and its commitments validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. Membership also builds on Ambuja Cements’ recent Indo-Swedish grant for CO₂ capture and utilization, reinforcing the Company’s belief that collaborative innovation is essential to transform the industry.
As a member, we gain access to a network of front-runners, technical assistance with tools and expertise for transition planning, enhanced visibility and credibility in the sustainability and ESG space, opportunities for technology co-development, support and de-risking of investments in green transition, and valuable learnings from global best practices.
How does membership align with Ambuja Cements’ ambitions for the future?
LeadIT membership is fully aligned with Ambuja Cements’ ambition to be among the world’s most sustainable and technology-forward building materials companies, committed to net-zero by 2050. Ambuja Cements is advancing a comprehensive decarbonization pathway that includes 1 GW of captive renewable energy, large-scale waste heat recovery, Coolbrook’s RotoDynamic Heater technology, and next-generation CCU solutions, all of which fit squarely within LeadIT’s agenda on clean technology deployment and industry transition partnerships. Being part of LeadIT enables Ambuja to shape and benefit from global dialogues, tools, and collaborations that accelerate these transformations, particularly within emerging economy contexts.
What will Ambuja Cements bring to the Group?
Ambuja Cements brings practical experience in implementing deep decarbonization and circularity at scale in a fast-growing market, including CCU pilots, high alternative fuel and raw material (AFR) usage, and nature-positive practices such as 12x water positivity and 11x plastic negativity. Its Indo-Swedish CCU project with IIT Bombay and Eco Tech – Sweden adds a live, cross-border innovation case to LeadIT’s technology transfer and co-development pillar, showcasing how captured CO₂ can be converted into fuels and materials within a circular carbon economy. Ambuja Cements can also contribute perspectives from operating across 46+ manufacturing sites, offering insights on scaling low-carbon technologies and business models in hard-to-abate, cost-sensitive markets.
What do you hope to achieve as part of the Group?
As part of LeadIT, Ambuja Cements aims to co-create and implement solutions that materially reduce emissions from the cement industry, while ensuring a just and equitable transition for developing economies. The company seeks to leverage LeadIT’s global forum, technology co-development platform, and industry transition partnerships to accelerate deployment of innovations such as CCU, green power, digital and AI-enabled optimization, and circular resource use across its value chain. Ambuja Cements also hopes to help position India and Sweden’s joint industry transition initiatives as global reference models for collaborative climate action in hard-to-abate sectors.
What can Ambuja Cements offer to other LeadIT members?
Ambuja Cements can offer concrete learnings from designing and executing a decarbonization roadmap in a large, diversified cement business, including project pipelines across renewable energy, WHRS, alternative fuels, and CCU. Its Indo-Swedish CCU feasibility study, integration of Coolbrook’s electric kiln heating, and use of Agentic AI in operations can provide replicable models for other members seeking to de-risk and scale breakthrough technologies. Additionally, Ambuja Cements’ experience in aligning industrial decarbonization with biodiversity, water stewardship, and community outcomes can support peers in embedding just transition principles into their industrial strategies.