Corporate sustainability and ESG strategy gain momentum across Indian industry as ESG BROADCAST shares key takeaways.
Indian conglomerates are seen accelerating their ESG commitments as extreme weather events become more frequent. According to a report published on September 8, 2025, companies such as Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Vedanta, RPG Group, and its affiliates have launched and expanded sustainability programmes covering energy, emissions, water, biodiversity, waste, and social inclusivity.
L&T has rolled out a “Green Campus” initiative this year. Under this initiative, all its permanent campuses will adopt integrated sustainability measures: optimising energy-use, emissions reduction, water conservation, biodiversity protection, waste management, and efforts to build climate resilience. Vedanta has gone further by embedding ESG metrics into its core business performance tracking carbon emissions, water reuse, biodiversity restoration across its business verticals. The company has also launched a training programme VEDAS (Academy of Sustainability) in partnership with AXA Climate to train more than 1,00,000 employees on climate mitigation, resource efficiency, biodiversity conservation, and community engagement modules.
Within RPG Group, several companies are also aligning operations with sustainability goals. The tyre manufacturer CEAT is producing “Sustainmax” tyres made from ~90% sustainable material — drawing on bio-sources like natural rubber, bio-circular polybutadiene, rice-husk silica, bio-based resin, and recycled components. Meanwhile, its infrastructure arm KEC International built India’s first and largest digital substation (for PowerGrid) in Gujarat, using fiber-optic cables and digital tech instead of conventional copper wiring to reduce carbon emissions. The company reports an 8–10% reduction in transport emissions for logistics and plant operations after switching to fuel-efficient or electric vehicles. Further, Raychem RPG has offset 222 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through a mix of verified carbon-offset initiatives, including a solar project and afforestation.
Some of the measures already implemented earlier by other major Indian firms show that this is a broad-based shift. For example, companies like Titan Company, NetApp and Genpact have in recent years increased renewable-energy use, cut waste, minimised single-use plastics, improved water management, and encouraged EV adoption or car-pooling for employees.
Strategic significance lies in the fact that these commitments mark a paradigm shift giving a statement that ESG is no longer a compliance checkbox but a core business imperative and responsibility. By embedding sustainability across operations, from manufacturing to infrastructure to human capital, companies are future-proofing against regulatory, physical climate, and stakeholder risks. As firms such as L&T and Vedanta integrate ESG metrics into performance and reporting, investors and regulators will likely demand greater transparency and accountability.
For Indian industry at large, this could accelerate capital flows into renewable energy, circular economy, green infrastructure, and sustainable materials, hopefully reshaping competitive advantage in a warming world.
