Industry giants and sustainability pioneers recently gathered at the ITC Grand Maratha as Frost & Sullivan concluded its 21st India Manufacturing Excellence Awards (IMEA) and 16th Sustainability 4.0 Awards. The ceremony celebrated the convergence of “Right Manufacturing” and robust ESG frameworks, setting the benchmark for India’s industrial future.
Highlights:
His Excellency Mohammed Saeed Mohammed Abdulla Al Raqbani, Head, Sustainability Committee, Dubai Investments, and General Manager, Dubai Investment Industries, delivered the opening keynote address.
Introduction of a new category of awards, CEO Of the Year and the very first award recipient was Gurpratap S Boparai, Suzlon Energy Limited
The evening concluded with a landmark MoU between Frost & Sullivan and the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI), signaling a 2026 expansion of excellence standards into the healthcare sector.
The gold standard for right manufacturing:
In a year defined by supply chain complexity, the IMEA 2025 framework proved more vital than ever. Aroop Zutshi, Global Managing Partner, Frost & Sullivan, said, “As India advances toward becoming a global manufacturing powerhouse, success will depend on how intelligently and sustainably value is created across the ecosystem.”
IMEA 2025 Apex Winners:
•Indian Corporate of the Year Award: Hindalco Industries Limited
•Indian Manufacturer of the Year: Vedanta Limited
•Indian Manufacturer of the Year 1st Runner-up: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited
•Smart Factory of the Year: Utkal Alumina International Limited
Sustainability 4.0 Awards:
The 16th edition of the Sustainability 4.0 Awards spotlighted financially successful, socially responsible, and environmentally conscious enterprises.
Highlights:
• Recognition of systemic sustainability strategies across both service and manufacturing sectors.
• Leaders in ESG initiatives shared best practices and future roadmaps.
• The awards reinforce the critical role of sustainable innovation in driving long-term business resilience.
Sustainability 4.0 Awards 2025 Apex Winners:
• Sustainable Factory of the Year: Royal Enfield (A Unit of Eicher Motors Ltd.)
• Sustainable Factory of the Year 1st Runner-Up: Hindalco Industries Limited, Belagavi Works
Rahul Sharma, Vice President & Global Head, Digital Transformation & Sustainability, said, “The next phase of manufacturing excellence will be defined by using analytics and AI to embed sustainability and decarbonization into core operations. IMEA and Sustainability 4.0 together provide a structured pathway for intelligent, responsible growth. As Indian industry scales globally, leadership will be determined by how effectively data, digital technologies, and decarbonization priorities are translated into measurable outcomes across the manufacturing value chain.”
The awards program was supported by Dassault Systèmes as Technology Partner, Cavin InfoTech as Next-Gen Digital Transformation Partner, emotii.ai as Emotionally Intelligent Multilingual Communication Partner, and Medeon as AI Startup Partner. ESGNews.earth, among others like MOTORINDIA + EV Tech News, Industrial Automation, and Sustainability Next, were media partners.
Thought leadership:
Chinmaya Hardas, Sales Director, DELMIA India, Dassault Systèmes India, said, “… The collaboration reflects a shared vision for building future-ready factories driven by innovation and intelligence.”
Usha Guru, Managing Director & Business Head, Cavin Infotech Pvt Ltd., said, “… By combining strategic consulting with our implementation expertise, we deliver measurable, technology-led outcomes across industries.”
Sumit Sachdeva, Founder and CEO at emotii.ai, said, “… The collaboration highlights how technology can break communication barriers and enable deeper understanding across global organizations.”
