‘If We Capture These Markets, India Will Lead’: Panelists at TBI Showcase 2025 on Building a Global Green Economy

In a room alive with changemakers, entrepreneurs, and grassroots innovators, hope and optimism felt tangible, a fitting atmosphere to reimagine India’s growth story. The country today stands at a unique crossroads, poised to emerge as a global leader in the green economy.

At the heart of this opportunity lies a powerful promise: “A Green Economic Future for India” — delivering jobs, growth, and sustainability.

It was against this backdrop that Optum Presents The Better India Showcase 2025, supported by the M3M Foundation, unfolded as India’s largest celebration of changemakers. Among its highlights was a panel discussion on ‘Building ecosystems for Green Economy entrepreneurs’ — where three leaders shared why transforming our economy from extractive to regenerative, linear to circular, and centralised to decentralised would unlock more jobs and prosperity in India.

The event was held on 18 September, 2025, at The Ashok Hotel in New Delhi.

The discussion, supported by the Rainmatter Foundation, featured Abhishek Jain, Fellow and Director of the Green Economy & Impact Innovations, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW); Narayanan Radhakrishnan, CEO, The Better India; and Gigi Mathew, Regional Director, Enviu (Asia, Australia & Middle East Partnerships).

Why the Green Economy matters now

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that over 13.7 million people were employed in the renewable energy sector worldwide in 2023. India, with its young workforce and ambitious 500 GW renewable energy target by 2030 (IRENA 2024 Report), is uniquely positioned to capture a major share of this growth.

“In a country like India, you cannot have climate action framed only as an environmental agenda,” explained Abhishek Jain of CEEW. “People are looking for jobs and economic opportunities. That’s where the idea of a green economy comes in — it’s a framing of hope, not a distant hope, but one that can be realised today. It’s about the jobs we can create and the economic opportunities we can unlock now, while also preparing for a future that will by default be green.”

India’s demand for green jobs has grown nearly tenfold in the last five years, with Gen Z making up more than 60 percent of applicants — evidence that sustainability careers are moving into the mainstream. The renewable energy sector alone already provides around 1.02 million jobs.

Abhishek Jain urged a broader imagination of the green economy — one that goes beyond solar panels and renewable energy. He highlighted sectors like the bioeconomy, which can leverage alternative materials for industries, such as construction, plastics, and packaging, and the circular economy, which can unlock value from demolition waste, crop residue, e-waste, wastewater, and more.

“These sectors are hugely untapped and hold enormous opportunities for job creation and economic returns. If we look at a small state like Odisha, for example, CEEW research found that in the next five years, merely 27 of such green opportunities can generate 10 lakh jobs and can contribute to a remarkable 23 percent increase in the state’s GDP,” he shared.

‘We’ve saved 45,000 kg of waste from going into landfills’

For Gigi Mathew, the promise of green lies in everyday practices that directly touch lives. At Enviu, she shared, ventures are already creating new materials, businesses, and jobs from hotel waste that would otherwise end up in landfills.

“We’ve saved 45,000 kilos of waste from going into landfills. That’s only possible because an ecosystem of actors was brought together — hotels, brands, municipalities, all want to recycle and turn waste into valuable outputs,” she said.

The vision, she explained, is circular: “We believe there is no end to anything. So-called waste has value. If we do not capitalise on a circular economy, we will be left behind. At Enviu, we build supply chains where waste becomes valuable, brands become reliable partners, and waste workers become micro-entrepreneurs.”

India could create 30 to 35 million green jobs by 2047

Narayanan Radhakrishnan steered the discussion to India’s broader development story: Can the green economy really become India’s growth engine?

Abhishek Jain was optimistic: “The green economy is a huge opportunity to diversify incomes and create jobs where people are, not just in distant cities. India needs to reduce its dependence on agriculture for livelihoods, and sectors such as agri-residue to biomaterials, seaweed to nutraceuticals and bioplastics, sustainable packaging, and sustainable textiles can unlock resilient income streams and inclusive growth across FPOs, SHGs, SMEs, and corporates. This is why the green economy gives me hope.”

Analysts project that by 2047, India could create 30 to 35 million green jobs, offering a transformative path for rural and urban communities alike.

What it takes to build a support ecosystem: Policies, capital, and collaboration

But growth stories don’t flourish in silos. Gigi Mathew stressed that the right policies, capital, and various actors must come together.

“The success in textile waste or plastics doesn’t come from capital alone. Policies must give direction, municipalities must create collection systems, brands must create market demand, and investors must believe in the long-term value. If we orchestrate this ecosystem well, the green economy will thrive.”

Abhishek Jain added that India needs sector-level incubation: “Twenty years ago, incubators for individual enterprises were a new idea. Today, we need incubation at the ecosystem level — to build green sectors by navigating policies, market demand, and finance — so that individual enterprises can grow into collective sectoral success.”

The road ahead: A chance for India to lead

From the panellists, the message was clear — India has the innovations and the talent, but orchestration is key.

“In India, there is no shortage of ideas,” Gigi Mathew explained. “The challenge is in bringing them together. If we manage this, India will not just participate but lead the global green economy.”

The opportunity is immense: India produced 4.1 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022 — about 7 percent of the world’s total (ANDE Global). And in textiles alone, over 700 stakeholders — manufacturers, brands, recyclers, and sorters are already mapped in the country’s waste ecosystem (Saahas Zero Waste). These numbers underline why circular supply chains like Enviu’s can scale nationally.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Abhishek Jain concluded. “If we capture these markets, we will not only fuel India’s growth engine but also set an example for the world. Our competitive advantage lies in the very sectors where the world is looking for solutions.”

And as Narayanan Radhakrishnan summed it up: “If the green economy takes over, everything about our lives will change — and it will be fair, equitable, and just.”

The panellists agreed: India’s green economy is not merely about GDP figures, it’s about dignity in work, resilient communities, and a fairer future for millions. They stressed that capturing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will take urgency and cooperation, from citizens who choose sustainable options to policymakers and businesses willing to invest long-term.

The path forward is clear: act now and realise the promise of a greener, more equitable India.

This vision is already taking shape through changemakers across the country, entrepreneurs turning waste into wealth, farmers diversifying incomes, and innovators building circular supply chains. Their stories, showcased at Optum Presents The Better India Showcase 2025 and supported by M3M Foundation, show that India’s sustainable future isn’t a distant dream but a movement already in motion.

Exploring their journeys offers a glimpse of the fairer, more equitable and future-ready nation we can build together.

Click here to know more.

Sources:

'Green Jobs: India’s pursuit of sustainable economic growth': by Sumit Kumar, Published on 13 August 2024.

'India's Renewable Energy Boom: Job Creation and Sustainable Growth': by Santosh Kumar/ Ritu Kataria/ Saurabh Kalia, Published on 4 October 2024

'Green jobs in India rise over 10 times in 5 years, GenZ accounts for 63% of applicants: Report': by Saurav Anand, Published on 25 July 2025

'Sorting for Circularity: Wealth in Waste', by Aarti Mohan, Nidhi Bali, Palagati Lekhya Reddy, Mansha Balecha, Manasvita Dubey, Anushka Sureka, Book released in 2023

'Investing in waste and circularity sector in India': by Shravan Shankar, Simmi Sareen, Aravind Kannan, Saket Rachakonda, Dia Shetty, Published on September 2024