Godrej Properties (GPL) today announced the launch of Habitat Matters under Godrej Good & Green Labs, innovation arm of Good & Green, Godrej Industries Group in partnership with Xynteo. This is a CSR initiative aimed at accelerating the adoption of low-carbon construction materials in India's built environment.
India is in the midst of one of the largest construction booms of any economy in the world. By 2050, the country is expected to have approximately 34 billion square metres of new building stocks, with many studies estimating new construction almost doubling its current levels. Every building constructed in that window locks in its environmental footprint the moment it is built, making today's material choices a decision with consequences that cannot be undone.
Cement, concrete, steel, glass, and blocks that form every wall account for a significant share of construction's carbon impact, and remain among the least addressed challenges in the industry. Habitat Matters is designed to close the gap between promising low-carbon material innovations and their real-world deployment on a live construction project, by identifying credible innovations, piloting them, and evaluating their performance under real conditions.
Over the next five years, Godrej Properties aims to deploy such pilots, building a body of validated, on-ground evidence that can inform how the wider industry builds going forward.
"Godrej Properties has always been at the forefront of sustainability in Indian real estate, and Habitat Matters is our effort to take that a step further. We aim to bridge the gap between promising ideas and what can actually be deployed on a live site. Through this, innovators get engineering rigour, a real site to test innovations in agile and real-world dynamic conditions and evaluations that will help create new industry standards," said Rohit Mohan, Chief Design and Sustainability Officer, Godrej Properties.
"India's growth story over the next decade will be written in the choices we make about how we build. At Good & Green Labs, we exist to take on the big hairy problems the industry hasn't cracked yet, and low-carbon construction materials is one of the biggest. We don't believe in solving these in isolation; every solution we back is built in partnership with people who understand the science and the ground reality. We aim to build solutions that the wider real estate ecosystem can adopt, scale and take the entire industry forward," said Pakzan Dastoor, Head, Good & Green, Godrej Industries Group.
Suman Jagdev, Partner, Xynteo, said, "India does not necessarily have an innovation problem in low-carbon materials. It has a deployment and adoption challenge. Habitat Matters creates the bridge that the market has been missing, connecting promising solutions with live construction projects, real site conditions and supported by enabling policy. It provides a platform that helps to establish commercial credibility based on proven performance and lays the foundation that can eventually deliver scale."
Habitat Matters has opened a Request for Applications (RFA), inviting start-ups, research institutions, material manufacturers, and technology providers to apply. Through this open call, the programme will identify low-carbon material solutions and support their journey from lab-tested innovation to site-validated solution.
The programme focuses on five priority material categories — cement, concrete, steel, blocks, and glass — as well as bio-based alternatives and other deployable embodied carbon solutions. Innovations at TRL 5 and above are eligible to apply. Selected applicants will have the opportunity to pilot their innovations within active construction projects and will receive structured technical and commercialisation support to accelerate adoption.
Applications should be submitted to Habitat.Matters@xynteo.com in a maximum five-slide format (PPT or Word file) by 15th October 2026.
About G&G
Good & Green is the CSR and sustainability vertical for Godrej Industries Group (GIG), driving the Group's commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth across its businesses. Guided by the vision of crafting a better world for every generation, Good & Green works across entities, shaping sustainability strategy, CSR programming, and social impact initiatives around three pillars: Thriving Communities, which empowers frontline and under-represented communities across India to live healthier, more prosperous lives; Industry Innovation, which spearheads innovations and platforms in partnership with industry and academia to address industry level challenges; and Sustainability Excellence, which drives future-ready practices for sustainable business excellence across the GIG ecosystem.
About Godrej Properties Limited
At Godrej Properties, part of the Godrej Industries Group, we are driven by a singular purpose: crafting joy. Over 100,000 families have found a home with us, making us India’s largest residential developer by both value and volume of homes sold. As part of the Godrej Industries Group, we combine a 129-year legacy of trust and excellence with a forward-looking vision to shape the future of urban India.
Our approach is anchored in thoughtful design, sustainability, thriving communities, and uncompromising quality. As of December 2025, we were ranked the number one real estate company worldwide on both the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Sustainability Indices and the Global Real Estate.
For more information visit www.godrejproperties.com
About Xynteo
Xynteo is a specialist business advisory firm, based in Europe and India, on a mission to help global organisations and investors accelerate sustainable impact and value creation.
In a market dominated by traditional consultancies, Xynteo is disrupting the status quo. Our work goes beyond ‘just strategy’ to transform complex decarbonisation, energy transition and circularity challenges into practical, actionable pathways for commercial success. By forging long-term partnerships with our clients, leveraging our expertise and extensive alliance ecosystem, we empower companies to identify, realise, and scale opportunities at all stages of their value creation journey.
Our tailored solutions help organisations achieve meaningful, measurable results. We unlock systemic challenges through collaboration, devise sustainable value strategies, bring to life economically viable transformation, and generate impact across the investor portfolio lifecycle.
Learn more about us at www.xynteo.com
