As environmental, social and governance expectations continue to reshape the business landscape, corporate responsibility has moved firmly to the centre of strategic decision-making. In 2025, organisations are judged not only by financial performance, but by how meaningfully they contribute to society, protect the environment and uphold ethical, transparent governance. Across India, consumers, investors, employees and regulators alike are demanding measurable impact, long-term commitment and genuine accountability.
In this evolving environment, leadership in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability is defined less by intent and more by execution. Effective climate stewardship, inclusive growth, responsible resource management and deep community engagement have become essential markers of credibility. India’s most forward-looking companies are embedding these principles into everyday operations, demonstrating that purposeful business practices can strengthen resilience, build trust and create sustainable value for both society and the economy.
Top 10 Companies for CSR and Sustainability in 2025 in India
1. Reliance Industries Limited
Reliance Industries Limited leads the ranking in 2025 for the scale, consistency and long-term vision of its CSR initiatives. Reliance’s CSR efforts are primarily implemented through Reliance Foundation, led by Nita Ambani. Over the years, Reliance has built one of India’s largest and most structured corporate philanthropy platforms, with a strong emphasis on scale, sustainability and measurable impact. Its CSR philosophy is rooted in long term nation building, focusing on strengthening communities rather than short term or fragmented interventions. In FY 2024–25, the company spent Rs 1,309 crore on CSR activities, reinforcing the consistency of its social investment.
Education, healthcare and rural development form the backbone of Reliance’s CSR portfolio. In education, the Foundation supports school transformation, teacher capacity building, digital learning and higher education scholarships, helping students from diverse socio economic backgrounds access quality opportunities. Healthcare initiatives span primary care, maternal and child health, nutrition, hospital support and large scale preventive health programmes, with a strong focus on underserved regions. Rural transformation programmes work closely with farmers, women and youth to improve livelihoods through skill development, financial inclusion, water conservation and sustainable agriculture practices.
Reliance has also made a significant mark in sports development and disaster response. Through its youth sports programmes, it has created structured pathways for young athletes across multiple disciplines, contributing to grassroots sports ecosystems in India. Its disaster management and relief efforts visible during cyclones, floods, pandemics and other emergencies have earned recognition for speed, coordination and scale, often supporting both immediate relief and long term recovery.
Vantara stands apart within Reliance’s broader sustainability and conservation narrative and warrants distinct attention. It represents a focused, large scale commitment to wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and long term care, and has become one of the most widely discussed private conservation initiatives in the country. Its prominence reflects Reliance’s growing engagement with biodiversity and ecological responsibility alongside its social programmes.
Taken together, Reliance’s CSR is characterised by institutional depth, leadership continuity and an ability to operate at national scale. By combining social development, environmental responsibility and community resilience under a single, well governed framework, Reliance Industries Limited continues to set a benchmark for CSR and sustainability leadership in India in 2025.
2. Adani Group
The Adani Group ranks second in 2025, supported by the work of the Adani Foundation, one of India’s earliest corporate foundations. Guided by the vision of inclusive growth articulated by Gautam Adani and the Adani family, the Group’s CSR philosophy focuses on empowering communities, particularly those living in proximity to its projects, while contributing to broader national development goals. In FY 2024–25, Adani Enterprises Limited reported a consolidated CSR spend of Rs 539 crore, reflecting sustained investment in social development alongside rapid business expansion.
Education, health and livelihoods form the core pillars of the Adani Group’s CSR framework. According to disclosures in the integrated annual report, the Adani Foundation’s programmes have positively impacted more than 91 lakh lives, with initiatives spanning school education, scholarships, digital learning support, primary healthcare, nutrition, sanitation and women’s skill development. Healthcare efforts focus on strengthening last mile access through community health centres, mobile medical units and maternal and child health programmes, while livelihood initiatives aim to build self-reliance through vocational training, entrepreneurship support and income generation for women and youth.
Rural development and environmental stewardship are also central to the Group’s CSR strategy. Programmes in water conservation, climate resilience, natural resource management and farmer support are designed to create long term community assets and improve ecological outcomes. Disaster response and rehabilitation have been another visible area of engagement, with the Adani Foundation providing timely relief, infrastructure support and livelihood restoration during floods, cyclones and other natural calamities. Together, the scale of investment, long standing institutional mechanisms and strong focus on community centric impact position the Adani Group as one of India’s leading contributors to CSR and sustainability in 2025.
3. Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services ranks third, reflecting a CSR approach deeply rooted in the Tata Group’s philosophy that business exists to serve society. TCS integrates social, environmental and governance priorities into its core strategy rather than treating CSR as a peripheral activity. According to its latest sustainability and integrated reporting, the company recorded a global CSR spend of Rs 1,038 crore in FY 2024–25, supporting programmes that reached 1.48 crore beneficiaries across geographies.
Education, employability and digital inclusion are central to TCS’s social impact agenda. Flagship initiatives such as Ignite My Future, goIT, BridgeIT and Literacy as a Service focus on building computational thinking, digital literacy and entrepreneurial skills among students, educators, adults and rural communities. In FY 2025 alone, these programmes enabled over 412,000 adults with functional, financial and digital literacy and supported thousands of young people in transitioning from education to employment. Healthcare is another key pillar, with long term support to institutions such as the Tata Medical Center in Kolkata and the Cancer Institute in Chennai, together accounting for over 282,000 new patient consultations during the year.
Environmental stewardship forms a defining dimension of TCS’s sustainability leadership. The company has committed to science based climate targets, achieving an 84 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions compared to its FY 2016 baseline and sourcing 79 percent of its energy from renewable sources by FY 2025. Water conservation, waste reduction and biodiversity protection are embedded across its campuses, with high levels of water recycling and multiple locations already certified as zero waste to landfill. Through this integrated and outcomes driven approach, TCS demonstrates how technology led enterprises can deliver large scale social impact while advancing environmental responsibility, reinforcing its position as a CSR and sustainability leader in India in 2025.
4. HCL Technologies
HCL Technologies ranks fourth, driven by its structured CSR programmes implemented through the HCL Foundation. Shaped by the philanthropic legacy of Shiv Nadar and the leadership of Roshni Nadar Malhotra, HCL Tech’s CSR philosophy emphasises scale, sustainability and measurable impact. As disclosed in its Annual Report 2024-25, the company has made a cumulative CSR investment of over Rs 1,680 crore, positively impacting more than 75 lakh lives across India through structured, long term interventions.
Education, healthcare, water stewardship and biodiversity form the core pillars of HCL Tech’s CSR work in India. Through flagship programmes such as HCL Samuday and HCL Uday, the Foundation supports holistic rural development, quality education, skill development and livelihood creation, particularly in underserved communities. Healthcare initiatives focus on strengthening primary care, maternal and child health, nutrition and sanitation, while water focused programmes address conservation, recharge and community led water governance. The Annual Report highlights a strategic expansion of grants and partnerships to support innovative, scalable solutions in these areas, with a strong emphasis on replicable impact models.
Environmental sustainability is closely integrated with HCL Tech’s social agenda. In FY 2025, the company reported significant progress on climate and resource stewardship, including reductions in emissions, increased renewable energy usage and leadership in water positivity across Indian operations. CSR and sustainability efforts are reinforced by employee volunteering and global grant programmes, extending impact beyond India to other regions. This combination of philanthropic depth, environmental responsibility and governance rigour positions HCL Tech as a benchmark for responsible business and CSR leadership in India in 2025.
5. Infosys
Infosys continues to stand out in 2025 for its deeply integrated approach to CSR and sustainability. Social and environmental priorities are embedded within the company’s broader ESG framework and delivered largely through the Infosys Foundation.
Education and healthcare sit at the heart of Infosys’s CSR efforts, supported by a strong emphasis on inclusion and access. Through initiatives such as Infosys Springboard, the company has expanded digital and employability skills at scale, offering free learning opportunities that have reached lakhs of learners globally. At the same time, the Foundation continues to support hospitals, cancer care institutions, maternal and child health programmes and public health infrastructure, ensuring that quality healthcare reaches underserved communities. Collectively, these interventions impacted more than one crore beneficiaries during the year, reflecting both the breadth and consistency of Infosys’s community engagement.
Environmental responsibility forms a natural extension of this social commitment. Infosys has remained carbon neutral for six consecutive years and is now moving towards climate positivity by investing in renewable energy, nature based solutions and regenerative practices. Long standing initiatives in water stewardship, including lake rejuvenation and rural water conservation, further strengthen ecological resilience while delivering tangible benefits to local communities. Backed by CSR spending of over Rs 400 crore in the last financial year and a clear focus on measurable outcomes, Infosys continues to demonstrate how a technology led enterprise can integrate social impact, environmental stewardship and governance into a cohesive and highly effective CSR strategy in India in 2025.
6. Apollo Tyres
Apollo Tyres earns its place among the top performers for its focused and locally rooted CSR strategy. In FY 2024–25, the company spent Rs 19.99 crore on CSR initiatives aligned with its purpose of “Driving Progress, Together”.
Community development, education, healthcare and environmental sustainability form the core pillars of Apollo Tyres’ CSR efforts. The company supports education initiatives aimed at improving learning outcomes and infrastructure, alongside skill development programmes that enhance employability among youth and marginalised groups. Healthcare interventions focus on access to primary care, health awareness and wellbeing in neighbouring communities, while sanitation and hygiene continue to be integral to its social outreach. These initiatives are designed to be locally rooted, ensuring that CSR interventions respond directly to the needs of communities around its manufacturing locations.
Environmental responsibility is an equally important dimension of Apollo Tyres’ sustainability agenda. The company has earned recognition for its efforts in water stewardship, industrial water use efficiency, health and safety, and responsible manufacturing practices. Sustained investments in water conservation, waste reduction and resource efficiency strengthen the link between operational sustainability and community wellbeing. Together, Apollo Tyres’ integrated approach to CSR and sustainability demonstrates how a manufacturing led organisation can balance growth with social responsibility, reinforcing its position among India’s leading CSR focused companies in 2025.
7. Asian paints
Asian Paints is recognised for integrating CSR closely with its ESG priorities. In FY 2024-25, Asian Paints reported CSR expenditure of Rs 108.8 crore, reflecting a sustained and outcome driven investment in social development and environmental initiatives.
At the heart of Asian Paints’ CSR strategy are three focus areas: enhancing vocational skills, health and hygiene, and water stewardship. The Beautiful Homes Academy, formerly known as the Colour Academy, remains one of its most recognised initiatives, providing vocational training in painting, carpentry, plumbing, waterproofing and allied skills. During the year, the programme trained over 9.5 lakh participants across more than 1,400 towns, helping strengthen employability and income stability, particularly within the informal workforce. Healthcare initiatives, delivered through mobile medical units, clinics and preventive health programmes, impacted over 2.8 lakh beneficiaries, with a strong emphasis on preventive and primary care.
Water stewardship continues to be a defining pillar of the company’s CSR and sustainability agenda. Asian Paints’ programmes focus on water conservation, replenishment and access, delivering water positive outcomes in multiple regions. These efforts are reinforced by strong employee volunteering through initiatives such as SPARSH, which embeds community engagement into the organisational culture. Alongside sustained progress in energy efficiency, waste reduction and emissions intensity reduction across its operations, Asian Paints demonstrates a cohesive and credible approach to CSR and sustainability, reinforcing its position as a benchmark for responsible manufacturing and community centric development in India in 2025.
8. ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank remains one of the largest CSR contributors in the banking sector, allocating Rs 801 crore to CSR initiatives in FY 2024–25.
Healthcare remains the cornerstone of ICICI Bank’s CSR strategy, accounting for a significant share of its social investment. A key milestone highlighted in the Annual Report is the Bank’s long term commitment of Rs 1,800 crore towards establishing greenfield cancer care facilities across India, with the foundation stone laid during the year for a major cancer care centre in Visakhapatnam. Alongside this, the Foundation supports hospitals, preventive healthcare programmes, sanitation initiatives and access to primary healthcare in underserved regions, ensuring that interventions extend beyond infrastructure to sustained community health outcomes.
Beyond healthcare, ICICI Bank’s CSR efforts span livelihoods, community development, environment and ecology. Livelihood programmes focus on skilling, self-employment and income generation, particularly for women and marginalised communities, while environmental initiatives include afforestation, water stewardship and climate resilience projects. In FY 2025 alone, the Bank planted over 12 lakh saplings as part of its CSR initiatives, taking the cumulative total to nearly 50 lakh since FY 2022. Through this balanced focus on social equity, environmental responsibility and long term institution building, ICICI Bank demonstrates how financial institutions can play a transformative role in inclusive and sustainable development, reinforcing its position among India’s leading CSR and sustainability leaders in 2025.
9. HDFC Bank
HDFC Bank’s CSR strategy is anchored in its flagship Parivartan initiative, which focuses on grassroots transformation. In FY 2024–25, the Bank spent Rs 1,068 crore on CSR initiatives, making it one of the largest CSR contributors in the country. These investments are spread across six clearly defined focus areas: rural development, promotion of education, skill development and livelihood enhancement, healthcare and hygiene, financial literacy and inclusion, and natural resource management. Collectively, Parivartan programmes have impacted over 10 crore lives across 28 states and 8 Union Territories, reflecting both the scale and geographic reach of the Bank’s social interventions.
A key highlight is the Holistic Rural Development Programme, which has reached more than 6,000 villages, including border villages, supporting agriculture, livelihoods, healthcare, education and financial inclusion in an integrated manner.
Healthcare, skilling and financial inclusion form the backbone of HDFC Bank’s CSR efforts. The Bank supports access to primary healthcare, sanitation and hygiene while simultaneously enabling income generation through skill development and livelihood programmes. Education initiatives focus on improving learning outcomes and infrastructure, particularly in underserved regions, while financial literacy programmes aim to empower individuals to make informed money choices. Environmental responsibility has gained added prominence with the introduction of natural resource management as a focus area, covering renewable energy solutions, afforestation, waste management, and soil and water conservation.
Through the combination of scale, structured implementation and measurable outcomes, HDFC Bank’s CSR initiatives demonstrate how financial institutions can play a transformative role in social equity and sustainable development. By aligning community impact with its core purpose of empowering every Indian to make better financial choices, HDFC Bank continues to set a high benchmark for CSR and sustainability leadership in India in 2025.
10. Vedanta
Vedanta rounds out the list with a CSR strategy built around long-term community impact and sustainability. In FY 2024-25, the Group reported a total CSR spend of Rs 429.1 crore, underscoring the scale and consistency of its investment in community development and sustainability programmes.
Social development remains a central pillar of Vedanta’s CSR strategy, with a strong focus on women and child welfare, education, healthcare and livelihood creation. The Nand Ghar initiative continues to be the cornerstone of its community engagement efforts and is now one of the most widely recognised corporate CSR programmes in India. By FY 2025, Vedanta had established 8,045 Nand Ghars across multiple states, benefiting over 5.6 lakh women and children through access to nutrition, early childhood education, healthcare services and community support. Alongside this, Vedanta’s skilling and training programmes have impacted 14.6 lakh individuals, enabling employability, entrepreneurship and income generation at scale, particularly for youth and women from underserved communities.
Environmental stewardship forms the second core pillar of Vedanta’s sustainability agenda. The Group’s strategy is structured around transforming communities, transforming the planet and transforming the workplace. In FY 2025, Vedanta continued to advance towards its net zero by 2050 commitment, increased renewable energy usage, strengthened biodiversity management practices and improved water efficiency, including achieving internal water recycling levels of close to 29 per cent. These efforts are supported by governance frameworks aligned with global standards such as GRI, UN Sustainable Development Goals and TNFD, reinforcing accountability and transparency across operations.
Together, Vedanta’s scale of CSR investment, the expansion of institutional programmes like Nand Ghar and its evolving environmental commitments illustrate a model of responsible industrial development. By embedding sustainability into governance and operations while maintaining a strong focus on community wellbeing, Vedanta continues to reinforce its position as a leading CSR and sustainability performer in India in 2025.