India and Sweden Advance Industrial Transition Cooperation

India and Sweden are strengthening their bilateral partnership through the Industry Transition Partnership (ITP), marking significant progress in decarbonising heavy industries under the LeadIT framework. The collaboration focuses on advancing low-carbon technologies in the steel and cement sectors, two of the world's most emissions-intensive industries.​

Industry Transition Platform Drives Collaborative Projects

The Industry Transition Platform, established through joint funding from India and Sweden, has advanced concrete initiatives involving 18 industries and research institutions from both countries. These projects encompass value creation from industrial by-products and gases, carbon capture and utilisation, artificial intelligence for process optimisation, electrification, and hydrogen-based industrial heating.​

LeadIT Framework Enabling Cooperation

The India-Sweden Industry Transition Partnership was launched in 2023 at COP28 by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Ulf Kristersson as part of LeadIT 2.0. The initiative aims to unlock flagship projects in the steel and cement sectors whilst fostering enabling conditions for scaling low-carbon transition efforts through innovation, research and development, finance mobilisation, and market-based mechanisms.​

The partnership operates through five working groups covering steel, cement, innovation, carbon markets, and finance, facilitating industry-academia collaboration, technology development, feasibility studies, and demonstration projects.​

Technology Cooperation and Funding Mechanisms

Both governments have launched parallel funding calls to support industrial decarbonisation. The Swedish Energy Agency provides funding for Swedish companies conducting feasibility studies for pilot and demonstration projects with Indian partners in the steel and cement sectors. The Department of Science and Technology in India offers corresponding support through collaborative research and development programmes.​

The cooperation has already facilitated partnerships such as the collaboration between Tata Motors and Volvo Group to decarbonise heavy-duty transport. Swedish companies bring advanced technologies in fossil-free steel, energy efficiency, and carbon capture, whilst India offers one of the world's largest industrial markets with ambitious climate targets.​

Path to COP30 Deliverables

The ITP is structured to deliver tangible results at COP30 in Brazil in November 2025. The partnership strengthens institutional frameworks, unlocks conditions for technology demonstration projects, fosters innovation and capacity building, and mobilises finance for industrial transition.​

This bilateral cooperation demonstrates both nations' commitment to achieving net-zero emissions from heavy industry by 2050, whilst supporting India's green transition priorities through coordinated technical and financial cooperation.