Module Scope
- Does the organisation identify and meet the environmental responsibilities that apply throughout the lifecycle of its activities in India?
- Does the organisation manage its environmental impacts, use of natural resources and regulated materials in accordance with applicable requirements?
- Does the organisation meet the environmental responsibilities associated with its sites, products, projects and regulated activities?
- Does the organisation meet any environmental, sustainable-finance and ESG responsibilities arising from activities in GIFT City?
Module Application
The Environment module addresses the environmental obligations that may apply to organisations operating, developing projects, manufacturing, supplying products, using natural resources, managing regulated materials or waste, or undertaking relevant regulated activities in India. It brings together requirements that may apply before an activity begins and throughout its operation, expansion, modification, closure or transfer.
The module reflects India’s broad environmental framework, including requirements concerning environmental approvals, pollution prevention, natural-resource use, waste and product stewardship, climate and energy, ecological protection, hazardous substances, environmental information and enforcement. It also addresses additional requirements that may arise from particular locations, including GIFT City, and from regulated financial activities undertaken there.
The Environment module provides information to organisations about how to comply with legal responsibilities when dealing with the following:
- Environmental assessment, project approvals and conditions applying to development activities;
- Air emissions, water discharges, groundwater extraction and pollution incidents;
- Coastal, wetland, forest, biodiversity and wildlife protections;
- Operational waste, hazardous and other regulated waste streams;
- Extended producer responsibility and environmental obligations relating to products and materials;
- Climate, energy-efficiency, carbon-market and renewable-consumption responsibilities;
- Product-related environmental requirements, including regulated equipment, paints and water-purification systems;
- Hazardous chemical safety, accident preparedness, ozone-depleting substances, persistent pollutants and biosafety;
- Environmental reporting, audits, inspections, directions and enforcement proceedings;
- GIFT City development, sustainable-lending and ESG-scheme responsibilities, where applicable
The Environment module also comprehensively covers requirements arising under key Indian instruments and frameworks, including:
- Environmental protection, environmental-clearance, air-pollution and water-pollution frameworks;
- Waste-management and extended producer responsibility frameworks;
- Coastal-regulation, wetland, biodiversity, wildlife and forest-conservation frameworks;
- Climate, carbon-market and energy-conservation frameworks;
- Hazardous-chemical, public-liability, ozone-depleting-substance, persistent-pollutant and biosafety frameworks;
- GIFT City development and environmental requirements, and relevant IFSCA sustainable-finance and ESG disclosure frameworks
Applicability depends on the organisation’s activities, location, environmental effects, products, waste streams, use of natural resources and regulatory status. Requirements may differ between sites and may apply to an organisation in more than one capacity.
The Environment module should be subscribed to by any organisation that:
- Develops, expands, modifies, operates, closes or transfers projects or facilities in India;
- Operates activities that may affect air, water, groundwater, land, coastal areas, wetlands or other protected environments;
- Generates, handles, stores, transports, treats, recycles or disposes of regulated waste or hazardous substances;
- Manufactures, imports, supplies, uses, refurbishes or manages products and materials subject to environmental requirements;
- Uses biological resources, interacts with wildlife or forest land, or undertakes activities involving genetically modified organisms;
- Is subject to climate, carbon, energy-efficiency or renewable-consumption requirements;
- Operates in GIFT City as a developer, construction or building operator, lender, finance company, fund management entity or other relevant regulated entity.
The specific questions and answers covered by the module include:
- How an organisation can determine whether a project requires environmental clearance or another approval;
- How an organisation can identify environmental requirements associated with a site, protected area or development location;
- How an organisation can comply with air, water and groundwater responsibilities relevant to its activities;
- How an organisation can manage operational waste and identify its responsibilities for regulated waste streams;
- How an organisation can determine whether it has extended producer responsibility or product-related environmental responsibilities;
- How an organisation can comply with applicable climate, carbon and energy requirements;
- How an organisation can address hazardous-substance, chemical-accident, pollutant and biosafety responsibilities;
- How an organisation can meet environmental reporting, audit, inspection and enforcement obligations
- How an organisation can comply with applicable GIFT City environmental, sustainable-lending and ESG requirements.
The module supports compliance across the environmental lifecycle, from project planning and approvals through operation, reporting, regulatory engagement and response to enforcement action. The inputs also identify that non-compliance may lead to penalties, directions, corrective requirements and other enforcement consequences, depending on the applicable framework.
The Environment module focuses on the role and responsibilities of organisations in meeting applicable environmental obligations in India. It supports organisations in understanding how environmental requirements relevant to their activities, locations and regulated roles form part of an integrated compliance framework.