A consortium of food-processing SMEs in Belgaum collaborated with IISc to pilot industrial waste-heat recovery systems. These systems capture exhaust thermal energy and reuse it for boiler feedwater heating and steam generation. The retrofit has reduced energy use by 28 %, saving ₹3 lakh annually per plant. Payback period estimated at 2 years. Smallholders and clusters will receive state subsidies under Karnataka’s Clean Industry Initiative to adopt such systems statewide.