Sunkonnect has announced a plan to reduce the carbon footprint of India’s rapidly expanding event and exhibition industry by 5% over the next five years, backed by a newly launched suite of net-zero solutions.

India’s event and exhibition industry was valued at around USD 14.3 billion (₹1.2 lakh crore) in 2024 and is growing at a CAGR of 7.6%. However, the sector’s environmental impact remains significant, with a single participant at a major event generating up to 2 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, largely driven by travel, which can account for as much as 90% of total emissions.

Sunkonnect said its initiative aims to manage and mitigate up to 960,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, in an industry estimated to generate 12–18 million tCO₂e from large events each year. The company’s aspirational scenario envisions providing carbon management services for 1,200 major events annually by 2028, with each event averaging 800 tCO₂e in emissions.

Service fees for Sunkonnect’s comprehensive net-zero package are estimated at ₹15–30 lakh per event, translating into a potential annual revenue opportunity of ₹180–360 crore.

The company’s model was recently implemented at the 9th Responsible Business Membership Organisations (BMO) Awards 2026, organised by the Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC), where Sunkonnect served as the official Carbon Neutral Partner. It conducted carbon accounting, enabled carbon credit retirement, and worked with MSMEs on practical decarbonisation strategies.

Dr. Avishek Kumar, Founder and Director of Sunkonnect, said, “Our vision is to catalyse a sustainability movement within India’s event sector. Setting a 5% reduction target is both ambitious and necessary; it demonstrates what’s possible with the right expertise and collaborative action.”

Rohit Sikkewal, Sustainability and Climate Change Solution Expert at Sunkonnect, added, “For the event industry, sustainability can no longer be an afterthought. Our solutions empower organisers and institutions to measure, reduce, and offset their emissions, driving real, lasting change in the sector.”

Sunkonnect’s process includes carbon footprint assessment across electricity, logistics, materials and food waste, followed by customised reduction strategies and carbon credit retirement for unavoidable emissions. With sector emissions projected to reach up to 26 million tCO₂e by 2030, the company believes its solutions can help set a benchmark for sustainable growth in the industry.