By Arosh John | Founder – John Real Estate (MahaRERA No. A51700001835) | Editor-in-Chief – Thane Real Estate News (TREN)
Mumbai | October 2025
In a groundbreaking move towards sustainable urbanization, Lodha Group has proudly unveiled the use of LC3 (Limestone Calcined Clay Cement) concrete at Palava City. This makes Lodha the first real-estate developer in India to embrace this next-generation, low-carbon material, setting a new standard for the industry.
The announcement, made on Lodha’s official LinkedIn page, stated that “with LC3 concrete at Palava, Lodha marks a new milestone in sustainable urbanization.”
This initiative is part of Lodha’s Net Zero Urban Accelerator, a comprehensive program developed in collaboration with RMI India, IIT Delhi, and JK Cement. The program aims to accelerate research and large-scale adoption of low-carbon construction materials, demonstrating Lodha’s commitment to sustainable urbanization.
What Is LC3 and Why It Matters
LC3 is an innovative cement blend that replaces a significant portion of traditional clinker — the most carbon-intensive component in cement — with calcined clay and limestone. The process can reduce CO₂ emissions by 30–40 percent while maintaining the same strength and durability as ordinary Portland cement.
The LC3 technology, a result of international research led by École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and IIT Delhi, has been successfully adapted for India through the collaborative efforts of JK Cement and RMI India. Its formal recognition under the Bureau of Indian Standards (IS 18189:2023) is a testament to the power of partnership in driving sustainable change.
Palava Sets a Precedent for Green Real Estate
By introducing LC3 at Palava City, Lodha demonstrates that climate-friendly innovation can be effectively integrated into large-scale, mainstream real-estate development.
While the Noida International Airport has been reported as India’s first large-scale infrastructure project to employ LC3 cement, Lodha’s initiative represents the first commercial application in the private real-estate sector — bridging the gap between academic research and real-world construction.
A Turning Point for Urban India
Cement manufacturing accounts for nearly 8 percent of global CO₂ emissions, making material innovation crucial to India’s net-zero ambitions.
If widely adopted, LC3 could significantly reduce the embodied-carbon footprint of upcoming housing, township, and commercial projects across Thane and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), paving the way for a more sustainable future in the real-estate sector.
This milestone marks a shift from symbolic sustainability to science-based decarbonization, influencing future ESG reporting, green finance, and procurement standards across India’s real-estate ecosystem.
About the Author
Arosh John is the Founder of John Real Estate (MahaRERA No. A51700001835) and Editor-in-Chief of Thane Real Estate News (TREN). With over a decade of experience in Thane’s property market, he has a deep understanding of policy, development, sustainability, and investment trends that shape the Mumbai Metropolitan Region — making him a trusted voice in the industry.
Editorial Disclaimer
This article is intended purely for informational and journalistic purposes, based on publicly available information from Lodha Group, RMI India, IIT Delhi, and JK Cement.
All names, brand logos, and trademarks — including Lodha, Palava, LC3, RMI, IIT Delhi, and JK Cement — belong to their respective owners and are used solely for identification and reporting purposes.
