Sustainability is the need of the hour due to serious challenges such as climate change, depleting natural resources and loss of biodiversity. Sustainability is facing challenges due to rapid urbanisation across the world and the world’s growing population which puts pressure on resources, requiring sustainable solutions to meet increasing demands. Sustainability ensures that future generations inherit a healthy and thriving planet.
Corporates can contribute to ensuring sustainability by reducing carbon footprint and conservation of resources. By adopting sustainable practices, companies can minimise their environmental impact, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to a cleaner planet. Sustainable practices help conserve natural resources, reducing waste and promoting efficient use of materials.
Sustainable practices also offer them business and social benefits like saving cost, enhanced brand reputation and improved stakeholder engagement. Companies can also ensure compliance with environmental regulations. By committing to sustainability, corporates can create long-term value for both their business and the environment, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future.
Let’s have a look into how leading corporates operating in India are fulfilling their commitment to sustainability.
Maruti Suzuki dispatches over 5 lakh vehicles through Indian Railways in FY 2024-25
Strengthening its commitment to green logistics, Maruti Suzuki India Limited dispatched 5.18 lakh vehicles through Indian Railways in FY 2024-25, its highest-ever.
The major advantage of railways is that it offers a low-emission and energy-efficient mode of transportation. Besides, it also helps to ease road congestion. Maruti Suzuki currently dispatches vehicles to more than 20 hubs using railways, from where over 600 cities across India are served. Port locations of Mundra and Pipavav, used by the Company for exports, are also served using railways.
Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “Reducing carbon emissions is a top priority for us, both in our products and in our operations. Maruti Suzuki was the first company in India to obtain an Automobile-Freight-Train-Operator license, in 2013. Since then, we have dispatched nearly 24 lakh vehicles through rail mode. By FY 2030-31, we plan to increase the share of vehicle dispatches through railways to 35%.”
Mumbai Airport charts a Greener Flight Path for 2024–25
Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), operator of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) announced a significant milestone achieved in FY 2024-25, demonstrating its commitment to responsible aviation growth in India.
Carbon Reduction: CSMIA has entirely switched to green sources for its electricity consumption needs, thus reducing Scope 2 carbon emissions by 100%.
Energy Efficiency: Smart infrastructure upgrades like replacing 40 Air Handling Unit (AHU) fans with efficient Electronically Commutated (EC) technology and deploying IoT-enabled building management systems across Terminals and parking facilities, have delivered significant energy savings.
Biodiversity Enhancement: Around 2,000 native trees were planted using the Miyawaki method supporting the Adani Group’s commitment to plant 100 million trees by 2030, contributing to local ecosystem restoration and carbon sequestration.
Waste & Water Management: Advanced recycling infrastructure includes Reverse Vending Machines at Terminal 2. Similarly, organic waste composters that convert biodegradable waste into landscaping compost have been installed. In addition, Reverse osmosis (RO) plants treat wastewater for reuse in cooling systems.
Air Quality & Noise Monitoring: Real-time monitoring systems track PM10, PM2.5, and other pollutants near Runway 09, while a network of noise monitoring stations informs operational adjustments to reduce community impact.
Godrej Enterprises Group aims to recycle 25,000 MT plastic by 2032
As one of the plastic negative companies in India, Godrej Enterprises Group has been recycling plastic equivalent to the packaging quantity used in its sale of products since 2018.
Godrej’s Extended Producer Responsibility programme has expanded significantly, growing its impact from 4 states to 31 states in just 6 years of implementation. This initiative directly supports the Indian government’s ban on single-use plastics, implemented in 2022. In fact, all designated single-use plastic items at GEG have been eliminated from use since as early as 2018.
Aligning with the theme of World Environment Day 2025 ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’, GEG’s comprehensive efforts showcase how businesses can lead charge in environment-positive approaches.
“Plastic pollution has emerged as a global crisis that is affecting our planet and combating it demands urgent, collective action. Our achievement of the plastic negative status reflects our commitment towards creating a sustainable future. We are also actively accelerating our efforts to create more scalable solutions that can be adopted industry-wide and take bold decisions that can showcase measurable impact.” said Tejashree Joshi, Head, Environment Sustainability, Godrej Enterprises Group.
Godrej follows a 5R process which is Redesign – Reduce – Reuse – Recycle – Recovery. This process allows the promotion of a circular economy for plastics, where it is valued as a commodity, and does not contribute to pollution. The company plans to systematically phase out the use of thermocol and introduce recycled content up to 30% in its plastic product packaging.
Its recycling programme is also being scaled to cover both pre and post-consumer plastic waste generated within and beyond the fence, aiming to recycle an estimated 25000 MT of plastic over the next eight years.
Cairn Oil & Gas achieves 4,000 acres of green cover across its operational areas
Cairn Oil & Gas, part of Vedanta Group, reaffirms its Net Zero commitment for a safe and sustainable future. The single-use plastic-free company for the last three years, with all major operating assets across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Midstream operations being ‘Single Use Plastic free’ facilities.
Moving towards its Net Zero goals, the company is adopting various initiatives towards environmental stewardship and responsible operational practices. Through its biodiversity conservation and nature restoration initiatives across its operational areas in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Northeast, Cairn has added 40% more green coverage over the last one year, increasing the developed greenbelt area to 4,000 acres.
The company has planted 760,000 trees including mangroves as part of its 2 million by 2030 goal.
ITC’s ‘No Plastic, Better Plastic and Less Plastic’ Strategy
ITC has reaffirmed its commitment to contribute meaningfully to the country’s initiatives to manage, recycle and replace plastic packaging waste. ITC has achieved plastic neutrality status for 4 years in a row having collected and sustainably managed 76,000 tones of plastic waste in FY 2024-25.
The Company’s integrated waste management initiatives have also earned it the distinction of being a solid waste recycling positive enterprise for 18 years. Going forward, ITC aspires to make 100% of its packaging recyclable, reusable, compostable, or biodegradable by 2028, as a part of its bold Sustainability 2.0 Vision.
S. Sivakumar, Group Head – Agri and IT Businesses and Sustainability, ITC Ltd. said, “As a part of its credo of ‘Responsible Competitiveness’, ITC has adopted a 360-degree approach towards enabling a circular economy. The integrated strategy includes spearheading a number of scalable, replicable and sustainable community-led waste management programmes, while also driving a robust sustainable packaging plan anchored on the principle of ‘No plastic, Better Plastic and Less Plastic.’ This framework inspires us to innovate and optimise packaging across our businesses and operations, besides offering a range of eco-friendly packaging solutions for various industries.”
ITC’s plastic sustainability model comprises of the following three strategic pillars – No Plastic, which focuses on enabling industry-wide transitioning to sustainable, non-plastic packaging alternatives; Better Plastic, which promotes the use of recyclable plastics and improved circularity in packaging and Less Plastic, which aims to reduce plastic usage through innovative design and material optimisation.
Nissan Motor India’s Commitment to Sustainability
Reiterating its commitment to sustainability, Nissan Motor India announced a series of green initiatives to mark World Environment Day 2025. The dealers have installed grid-based solar electricity generation systems at seven of its dealerships across the country — Acuity Nissan (Baroda), Aarav Nissan (Mehsana), EVM Nissan (3 dealerships in Kerala), Dada Nissan (Jalandhar), and Roshan Nissan (Jaipur).
These installations power 100% of the workshop and showroom operations with excess energy redirected to the power grid for later use. This initiative reduces dependency on conventional energy sources.
Saurabh Vatsa, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India, said, “We are committed to sustainability and our global environmental philosophy goes beyond short-term goals. It’s a long-term dedication to a cleaner, safer, and more inclusive future. We are focused on reducing environmental impact and minimizing resource consumption. Every step we take is guided by our vision to drive sustainable mobility and protect the world for future generations.”
Recently, Nissan Motor India introduced a government-approved CNG retrofitment kit for the New Nissan Magnite. Designed for sustainability-aware and environment-conscious customers, the CNG kit offers a cleaner alternative to conventional fuels, delivering enhanced fuel efficiency without compromising on performance. In the first phase of the rollout, the retrofitment kit is available across seven states, including Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, and Karnataka.
Shree Cement sources 60% energy from renewables
Shree Cement continues sustainable manufacturing with over 60% of its total electricity consumption now met through green power. The company’s renewable energy capacity has grown to 582 MW, cementing its position as a front-runner in low-carbon cement production. The recent commissioning of a 60.3 MW solar plant in Jodhpur adds significant momentum to its green transition.
MM Rathi, Joint President – Power Management, Shree Cement said, “We are building a future-ready enterprise rooted in sustainability, innovation and performance. Our transition to green power is not just a business imperative it is a long-term commitment to a cleaner, more responsible future. Through this journey, we aim to set new benchmarks for the entire cement industry.”
The company has integrated green energy solutions into every aspect of its value chain from sourcing and production to packaging and logistics. The aim is not only to reduce carbon footprint but also to ensure long-term energy security and operational resilience.
