Sustainability

Usually chocolate is the first thing we think of when talking about indulgence, comfort and celebrations. But every chocolate bar has a tale that is not often told, the environmental cost of its production. From carbon emissions to deforestation and water use, chocolate production has a bigger environmental impact than most consumers realise. Furthermore, as the effects of climate change continue, the sustainability of the cocoa and chocolate industry is a matter of serious debate worldwide.

The Environmental Impact of Chocolate

There are quite a few reasons for which industrial chocolate production has a high carbon footprint, but the most substantial are agriculture and deforestation. For 1 kg of chocolate, the amount of total greenhouse gas emissions is about 47 kg CO2e. The life cycle analysis of 40g milk chocolate bar reveals that nearly 200g of CO2e is emitted for the production of the bar (mostly caused by land use change, and limited but significant processing and supply chain factors) carbon emissions mostly come from land, use change, along with processing and supply chain factors.

Take a look at nature's carbon cycle, for instance, to grasp the scale of this effect. A fully grown tree captures around 22 kilograms of CO2 per annum. Multiply this by the vast number of chocolate bars eaten worldwide, and the environmental price begins to stand out.

The Environmental Problems Associated with Growing Cocoa

The sustainability discussion regarding chocolate is not just about declarations.

Water footprint, To make a 100, gram chocolate bar, almost 1, 000 litres of water are needed. On the other hand, the same water could yield much bigger amounts of other types of crops.

Deforestation, Most of the world's cocoa production has come at the cost of forest clearance. Soil deterioration and chemical dependency, Mono, cropping and use of chemicals lead to soil pollution and herbicide resistance.

Exploitation of children, There have been cases of child labour in the cocoa plantations of various regions. Packaging pollution, Chocolate bars are often wrapped in single, use plastic which ends up in rubbish dumps.

Considering all these factors, it is no surprise that the chocolate industry has been singled out and called upon to make a switch to more eco-friendly production methods.

A Shift Toward Sustainable Chocolate

In response, some emerging chocolate brands are trying to reshape how cocoa is produced, processed and packaged. The goal is to move towards zero-waste production, reduced carbon footprints and ethical supply chains.

Sustainable chocolate initiatives focus on several key areas:

• Supporting environmentally responsible cocoa farming
• Reducing plastic packaging and encouraging recycling
• Promoting ethical labour practices
• Minimising waste throughout the production cycle
• Encouraging mindful consumption rather than over-indulgence

This shift aligns closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which call for responsible consumption, climate action and sustainable industry practices.

Rethinking Chocolate Consumption However, the sustainability advocates are not giving an ultimatum to the chocolate lovers by asking them to stop consuming it. Rather, they are inviting them to be mindful when consuming chocolate i.e., to recognize chocolate as an art product instead of a product for mass consumption.

In essence, it is no different from the culture of fine coffee or artisanal tea i.e., you consume less but with a deeper level of appreciation and are more aware of the origin.

The Future of Climate, Responsible Chocolate In the face of ongoing climate change, the chocolate industry finds itself at a crossroads. Effective implementation of sustainable agricultural practices, responsible sourcing of products and green packaging may be the determining factors not only in sustaining cocoa production but also allowing it to thrive for years to come.

With regard to chocolate consumers, the takeaway is clear: behind every chocolate bar is a journey encompassing the farmer and the environment. Opting for chocolates made from sustainable production and moderating their consumption are two ways that might pave the way for future generations to savor one of the world's most popular indulgences, without damaging our planet's health.

In a significant policy shift, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has proposed transferring the Centre’s ₹1.7 lakh crore annual fertiliser subsidy directly into farmers’ bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. The move, if implemented, could fundamentally alter how subsidies are delivered and utilised in India’s agriculture sector.

Existing Subsidy Framework

At present, fertiliser subsidies are routed to manufacturers after fertilisers are sold to farmers at subsidised rates. Since 2018, more than 2.3 lakh Point of Sale (PoS) retailers across the country have been linked to the Department of Fertilizers’ e-Urvarak portal. Under this system, farmers authenticate their purchases using Aadhaar, Kisan Credit Cards, or other government-approved identification. The real-time tracking mechanism ensures that subsidies are disbursed to companies only after verified sales.

While this system improved transparency and reduced leakages, the subsidy technically benefits manufacturers first, with farmers receiving fertilisers at controlled prices rather than direct financial support.

Putting Farmers in Control

The proposed reform seeks to reverse this flow. By depositing subsidy amounts directly into farmers’ bank accounts, the government aims to empower cultivators to choose the type and quantity of fertilisers best suited to their soil health and crop patterns. The minister presented the idea at the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela, emphasising that greater choice would encourage balanced nutrient usage and potentially curb overdependence on specific fertiliser brands.

Officials also indicated that digital monitoring mechanisms would remain in place to ensure accountability and prevent misuse.

A Wider Agricultural Push

The proposal aligns with broader efforts to modernise agriculture, including targeted Kisan Credit Card loans at concessional rates for small farmers, promotion of integrated farming models, and increased outreach by agricultural scientists at the village level. Together, these initiatives aim to boost farm incomes, strengthen food security, and promote sustainable cultivation practices.

If rolled out, direct fertiliser subsidy transfers could mark one of the most consequential reforms in India’s farm support architecture, shifting the focus decisively toward a farmer-first framework.

Scientists at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Delhi, are working on a new type of high, efficient air conditioner that has already demonstrated a capacity to cut electricity consumption by about one third.

It is known that rapidly increasing heat stress leads to various health risks and lowers productivity, and these effects have already reached alarming levels. According to the India Cooling Action Plan, Report by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, 2019, with the increase in temperature and the consequent rise in air conditioning usage in homes and offices, electricity consumption for cooling will be three times more by 2037, 38.

The researchers are also in the process of developing a different type of energy, saving air conditioners to solve the problem.

The group of researchers led by Prof Anurag Goyal and including Ananthakrishnan K, a doctoral research student of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is currently developing a laboratory- scale prototype of this new system, which has already demonstrated a capacity to reduce electricity consumption by approximately one third.

The vapor-compression system-based ACs in use today remove humidity by overcooling the air until moisture condenses, which is a highly energy-intensive process. Prof Anurag Goyal's research group has developed a new concept that utilizes a compact add-on module to directly tackle moisture.

The module uses a salt solution (liquid desiccant) that absorbs water vapor from incoming outdoor air. A thin and selective polymer membrane sits between the air and the salt solution and prevents the salt from carrying over into the building's air, which is a common concern with existing liquid-desiccant systems.

After the solution is diluted by absorbed moisture, it must be dried to allow continuous reuse. The team uses an innovative system integration concept to continuously revive and recirculate the same salt solution. Instead of adding a burner or an electric heater, the design uses heat that the AC already throws away through its condenser (the outdoor unit) and redirects it to a regenerator module to dry the salt solution again.

The system is designed to precisely match the energy transfer rate in the two parts, vapor compression and desiccant modules, across various outdoor cor the hybrid, resulting in around 33 per cent lower energy consumption, while meeting the same indoor comfort targets. Across representative Indian climates, the predicted savings range from 28 per cent (in very humid areas) to 41.5 per cent (in dry and arid areas)," Prof Anurag Goyal said.

The research team anticipates wider adoption of such a sustainable cooling technology, particularly in Indian buildings.

A study titled 'Model-based analysis of a novel hybrid membrane-liquid desiccant air conditioner for high-efficiency space cooling' on their work has been published in the Journal of Building Engineering.

The National Institute of Technology- Rourkela has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) for structured capacity building, technical upskilling and managerial development of professionals.

The collaboration will support joint research, innovation, digitisation and operational optimisation initiatives. The MoU was signed on Thursday by NIT-R director K Umamaheshwar Rao and OMC Director (HR) Alok Kumar Pal. It coincided with the inauguration of a three-day continuous professional development (CPD) programme for OMC professional on mineral resource management:

Technical, regulatory and strategic insights. Organised jointly by the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the NIT, R's Mining Engineering department, the CPD programme was a kind of legitimate and technical training that combined mine research management's technical, regulatory and strategic aspects.

Dean (Alumni, Industry and International Relations) HB Sahu, who was coordinating the collaboration, said that the aim of the partnership is to strengthen the technical expertise and managerial capabilities of OMC professionals so that they can be able to meet the evolving demands of the mining sector.

He said that it will help promote cooperative research and innovation, knowledge, sharing on cutting edge mining technologies, sustainable and safe practices, environmental management, regulatory compliance, and the use of new digital tools to enhance overall business performance.

Pal said, “OMC plays a vital role in extracting key minerals such as iron ore, bauxite, chrome and ferrochrome, which support India’s core mineral-based industries. We are steadily transitioning from traditional mining practices to more mechanised and technology-driven operations to achieve our sustainable mining goals.

Through this knowledge partnership with NIT-R, we aim to build a high-performing and future-ready workforce, while jointly contributing to the industrial and economic development of Odisha.” Rao highlighted the state’s rich mineral base and said,

“Our region is blessed with iron ore, bauxite, coal, manganese, chromite, graphite, dolomite, rare earths and several other valuable minerals. Despite being resource-rich and contributing significantly to metal production, western Odisha region has not developed at the same pace. It is our responsibility to channelise these resources wisely for regional growth and ensure sustainable and value-added utilisation, including effective use of waste ore,” he added.

Assam Bio Ethanol Pvt Ltd (ABEPL) is planning to collaborate with over 30, 000 farmers within the next 3 years for sourcing bamboo for the world's only second generation bioethanol plant, a top company official told reporters.

The Rs 4, 930, crore plant having a production capacity of 49, 000 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year and the plant is currently stabilizing with limited raw materials.

"At the moment, we are going through the start, up phase. Within around next week, we should be able to stabilise the plant. Thereafter, we will go for full-scale production," ABEPL Chief Executive Officer Rupjyoti Hazarika told PTI in an interview.

Located at Numaligarh in Assam's Golaghat district, the unit is the only commercial second-generation bioethanol plant in the world using bamboo as the raw material. All other first-generation ethanol plants use food crops such as sugarcane or maize as biomass.

Besides ethanol, the plant will also annually produce 19,000 tonnes of furfural, 11,000 tonnes of acetic acid, 32,000 tonnes of liquid CO2 and 25 MW of green power.

"During the trial run, we produced fuel-grade ethanol with 99.7 per cent purity. The normal range is to have a 99.5 per cent purity level," he said.

To fully achieve the installed ethanol output, the 43-acre plant will require five lakh MTPA of green bamboo as raw material.

The CEO said that to achieve its targeted raw material sourcing, 12,500 hectares of bamboo plantation will be required, using 60 lakh saplings over the next three years.

"We have so far registered over 4,200 farmers for sourcing bamboo. We are targeting more than 30,000 farmers across a 300-km radius sourcing zone over the next three years," he added.

He said that the company has so far transferred Rs 2.4 crore to farmers' accounts for sourcing bamboo without involving any middleman.

"We have set a target to source bamboo from a 300-km radius of the plant. We will take green bamboo from 16 districts in Assam, four in Arunachal Pradesh, five in Nagaland and one in Meghalaya," Hazarika said.

Presently, bamboo cultivation is taking place on 300 hectares of land with the already registered farmers, he added.

"We have freely distributed one lakh saplings, the majority of which are for institutional players like tea gardens," Hazarika said.

With the government allowing five per cent of tea garden land for non-tea purposes, many owners have expressed willingness to use their land for bamboo cultivation, he added.

"We are identifying non-crop land and not encouraging farmers to convert agricultural land for bamboo cultivation. We are looking for barren and unused land for bamboo cultivation," he said.

Hazarika also said that when the company sources bamboo from 12,500 hectares of land, ABEPL will become a carbon neutral entity.

For producing ethanol, bamboo is chopped into small chips of 25 mm each. Although there are many varieties of bamboo available in the Northeast, no specific type is required for the fuel's production.

"We have identified 24 chipping units across four districts in the first phase. Of those, we have signed agreements with eight and four have already started supplying bamboo chips," the CEO said.

He said that at the full-scale operation, ABEPL will be the largest consumer of bamboo in the Northeast.

The world's first second-generation bio-ethanol plant is a 'zero-waste' facility, which will utilise all parts of the bamboo and is estimated to give a Rs 200-crore boost to the rural economy in the state.

The ABEPL is a joint venture company promoted by state-run Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL), and Finland-based Fortum 3 BV and Chempolis Oy.

Strengthening Indo-Japan cooperation in sustainable logistics, Japan-based Innovation Thru Energy (ITE) and IceBattery India on Tuesday launched the 'IceBattery Rail and Land Cold Chain Technology' at Bharat Mandapam.

The event, which took place on the occasion of Japan Foundation Day, is a movement to transform India's cold chain infrastructure with energy, efficient and climate resilient solutions.

The technology makes it possible to keep a stable temperature for perishables in transit without having to depend on continuous power or diesel- based refrigeration. One of the significant features of the event was the signing of a MoU between ITE and Kalyani Cast Tech for 'Make in India' container manufacturing, which will help the growth of domestic production and localisation.

Addressing the gathering, Deepak Kalia, CEO of IceBattery India, and Tatsuo Hosoi, Director of ITE Japan, outlined a shared vision for advanced logistics. Pankaj Garg, Founder and CEO of ITE, and Senior Advisor Tadamasa Ishida stressed that it is crucial to have scalable, low, carbon solutions that are not only effective but also in line with India's sustainability goals.

Sanjay Swarup, a representative from CONCOR, said technology is a key factor not only in increasing the capacity of rail- based freight but also in significantly reducing the energy consumption.

Katsuhiko Murayama (Former Director, METI Japan), Takashi Suzuki (JETRO), Shailendra Singh (Former Director, Ministry of Railways), Dr Prabhat (Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture), and Sanjay Sharma (Director, SECI) were present at the event.

The programme started with Saraswati Vandana and Buddhist chanting and ended with a technology presentation and a ribbon cutting ceremony.

In his speech of thanks, Deepak Kalia pointed out that this project goes a long way in minimizing food loss after harvest and thus, is a major contribution towards food security.

The collaboration underlines the Indo- Japan pact to develop a modern and low emission supply chain for the plant- based and pharmaceutical sectors of the country.