India’s green housing push can improve affordability in the long term, says Square Yards Report; Proptech major launches green living index at NAREDCO Mahi event
Despite being home to more than 19,700 green building projects, India still lacks a standardized framework that enables homebuyers to compare the sustainability credentials of residential developments, says a new research report by proptech major Square Yards.
Unveiled in association with NAREDCO MAHI at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, the report titled, Green Living Index: Bringing Transparency to Green Residential Development, points out that homebuyers can easily compare prices, locations, amenities and financing options today. However, sustainability information remains fragmented across certifications, technical disclosures and developer claims, making meaningful project-to-project comparisons difficult.
The report not only highlights the importance of a standard framework to address this issue but also offers a concrete solution.
In collaboration with sustainability research partner The Habitat Emprise, the Gurugram-headquartered company with a presence in nine countries has launched the Square Yards Green Living Index (SYGLI), a standardized assessment framework designed to make residential sustainability more transparent, measurable and comparable.
Commenting on the launch, Vivek Agarwal, Co-founder & CTO, Square Yards, said, “Sustainability cannot become mainstream unless it becomes measurable, transparent, and easily understandable for consumers. The Square Yards Green Living Index represents our effort to build a technology-led information layer for Indian residential real estate. By leveraging data extraction, automation, and analytical intelligence, we are translating complex sustainability disclosures into a standardised score that can help buyers make more informed decisions. We believe the next generation of property discovery platforms will not only help consumers find homes but also help them understand how those homes will perform over time.”
SYGLI translates publicly available sustainability disclosures into a standardized score that evaluates residential developments across four key dimensions: Resource Efficiency, Health & Comfort, Safety & Resilience and Connectivity. By simplifying complex sustainability information into a consumer-friendly format, the framework aims to empower homebuyers with better decision-making tools while encouraging greater transparency across the residential real estate ecosystem.
Research underpinning the framework highlights that green residential developments can reduce water consumption by 30-50 per cent and lower energy costs by 20-30 per cent, directly impacting household affordability, resource efficiency and quality of life. Using the Green Living Index on the company’s website and app, users can check a housing project’s green quotient and make more informed decisions.
Speaking on the occasion, Smita Patil, Chairperson, NAREDCO MAHI, said, “Sustainability is rapidly becoming a defining factor in the future of housing. Homebuyers today seek greater transparency, healthier living environments and long-term resilience against climate-related challenges. NAREDCO MAHI has consistently advocated responsible and future-ready urban development, and we are pleased to support initiatives such as the Green Living Index that empower consumers with credible information while encouraging the industry to adopt measurable sustainability standards.”
The launch of Square Yard’s Green Index comes at a time when the country is expected to add nearly 400 million people to its cities by 2050, while its residential building stock is projected to double over the coming decades. Moreover, the construction sector accounts for nearly one-third of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and addressing this will be imperative for India to achieve Net-Zero by 2070.
The launch of the Index also gains significance at a time when the Central government is planning a certification mechanism that indicates the expected lifespan of every building. “While modern buildings are generally designed for 60-70 years, India should also explore technologies capable of delivering structures with significantly longer life spans wherever feasible,” Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar said while addressing the inaugural session of the Bharat Buildcon 2026.
The framework has been developed using publicly available information sourced from RERA filings, developer disclosures and geospatial intelligence. It evaluates sustainability features ranging from energy efficiency and water management to indoor environmental quality, climate resilience, mobility access and environmental impact.
As India prepares for a future of rapid urbanization and increasing climate pressures, transparent sustainability information is expected to become an increasingly important component of residential decision-making.
By creating a standardized sustainability information layer for residential real estate, SYGLI aims to support more informed homebuyers, encourage measurable sustainability investments and contribute to the development of healthier, more resilient and future-ready communities.
Dr. Priyanka Kochhar, CEO and Co-Founder, The Habitat Enterprise, said: “India has made significant progress in green building adoption, but information asymmetry continues to limit consumer participation in the sustainability journey. Sustainable housing should be understood not only as an environmental imperative but also as a financial and health imperative for households. By making sustainability performance visible, measurable and comparable, SYGLI has the potential to reshape how residential value is assessed in the market.”
