The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) on Thursday announced the first-ever GCCI Gujarat Sustainability Summit 2025, which will take place on March 1. Organised by the GCCI’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Task Force, the event aims to facilitate discussions on sustainability within the industry and promote the adoption of sustainable practices across sectors.
The summit will bring together industry leaders, sustainability experts, policymakers, and global thought leaders to drive actionable strategies. The summit will be held in Ahmedabad.
More than 30 speakers and panellists, including sustainability heads from conglomerates such as the Adani Group and Arvind Group, will participate. Knowledge partners from the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Netherlands will contribute to discussions on international sustainability strategies.
GCCI President Sandeep Engineer described the summit as a transformative milestone in integrating sustainability into business operations.
“Indian companies must align with sustainable practices. Rankings matter for global investors to invest in Indian companies. GCCI recognises the need to support businesses with ESG fundamentals,” he said.
Engineer highlighted that the summit would serve as a bridge between policymakers, industry leaders, and other stakeholders. He also underscored the event’s alignment with India’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, as mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We are taking forward the mission of our Prime Minister of net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. This is a first-of-its-kind seminar to further that goal,” he added.
A key focus of the event will be on empowering Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by raising awareness and enabling their transition to sustainable business models.
With over 8,000 MSME members, GCCI aims to prepare businesses for the evolving global sustainability landscape. Engineer noted the presence of nearly 615,000 MSMEs in Gujarat and the Chamber’s goal to support them. “We have MSMEs in every sector in Gujarat, along with two or three other states in the country with diverse MSMEs,” he said.
GCCI Vice President Apurva Shah called the event a significant initiative to drive sustainable growth and innovation. “MSMEs would be advantageous in combating future hurdles,” he said, stressing the importance of their adoption of sustainable practices. He also reiterated the participation of more than 30 national and international speakers and businesses.
Sameer Sinha, Chairperson of the GCCI ESG Task Force, highlighted the need for MSMEs to prepare for India’s changing regulations.
“The real estate sector is already working on this, but the MSME sector is unfortunately behind,” he said. He stated that the Chamber would support MSMEs by collaborating with 20 knowledge partners, industry leaders, and other stakeholders.
“Two key factors: 1) Prepare MSMEs for India’s changing regulations. 2) The Chamber is going to handhold MSMEs by interacting with 20 knowledge partners, industry leaders, and other interested parties,” Sinha added.
Sinha also noted that the summit would involve educational institutions in enrolling students as interns for industry experience. “We are working with educational institutions to enrol students as interns to gain industry experience,” he said.
Additionally, the carbon footprint of every delegate attending the event will be calculated as part of the net-zero mission. “We are going to calculate the carbon footprint of every delegate attending the event, to further advance the net-zero mission,” he explained.
The summit will cover key themes such as Gujarat’s vision for sustainability, global sustainability trends, transitioning the real estate sector to sustainability, low-carbon economics, and building climate resilience in MSMEs. It will be an Operational Net Zero event, with efforts made to minimise carbon impact through logistics and travel planning.
Prashant Das, Chairperson of Finance & Accounting at IIM Ahmedabad, pointed out that Gujarat contributes 8% of India’s carbon emissions and 7% of the country’s GDP.
“Gujarat accounts for 8% of India’s carbon emissions and 7% of its GDP, which is why this mission is essential,” he said.
He underscored the importance of addressing climate challenges and expressed interest in working with GCCI on sustainability initiatives. “We are very keen on working with GCCI on how to solve climate challenges,” he added.
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