Purpose: The current research aimed to investigate the relationship between estimated green-investment requirements and projected carbon-emission reductions across five micro, small, and medium enterprise subsectors in India. Design/Methodology/Approach : This research employed secondary data analysis to investigate estimated green-investment requirements and projected carbon-emission reductions in five micro, small, and medium enterprise subsectors: textile, paper and pulp, foundry, forging, and steel rerolling. Microsoft Excel was used to perform Pearson correlation and significance testing. Sectoral comparison was carried out based on three key variables: estimated green-investment requirements, projected carbon-emission reductions, and energy efficiency potential.

Findings: The study found a strong positive association between estimated green-investment requirements and projected carbon-emission reductions (r = 0.864). However, the relationship was not statistically significant at the 5% level (p = 0.059). Sectoral comparison also showed differences among the subsectors in projected carbon-emission reductions, estimated green-investment requirements, and energy-efficiency potential. Given the limited five-subsector dataset, the findings were interpreted as exploratory. Further longitudinal and empirical research was considered necessary to determine whether sectors with higher investment requirements also exhibited greater projected emission-reduction potential. Practical

Implications: The results indicated that green-transition planning needed to consider the differences in sectoral investment requirements, emission-reduction potential, and energy-efficiency opportunities rather than relying solely upon the level of investment. Originality/

Value: The study provided an exploratory sector-level comparison of estimated green-investment requirements, projected carbon-emission reductions, and energy-efficiency potential and offered a differentiated basis for green-finance prioritization across energy-intensive micro, small, and medium enterprise subsectors.

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