Sustainability is not a CSR checkbox. It's now shaping boardroom decisions, executive pay and business strategy

Published 5 August 2026 · india

Sustainability is no longer viewed as a compliance exercise by India Inc. Instead, companies are increasingly embedding it into core business strategy, with top executives

Sustainability is no longer viewed as a compliance exercise by India Inc. Instead, companies are increasingly embedding it into core business strategy, with top executives saying it is becoming critical for growth, risk management and long-term competitiveness. Speaking at the fifth edition of the Mint Sustainability Summit 2026, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) from some of India's largest business groups—including Aditya Birla Group, Tata Sons, Mahindra Group, JK Organisation, Piramal Pharma and Eternal—said sustainability today is as much about business opportunity and resilience as it is about environmental responsibility. It is not just about meeting compliance requirements. It's about business risk, business opportunity and, in some cases, business survival, the executives said. Leading by example Piramal Pharma, whose businesses span contract development and manufacturing (CDMO), complex hospital generics (critical care) and consumer healthcare, chose to operate some of its plants on biomass despite coal being the cheaper alternative. Ganesh Tripathy, global head of sustainability and EHS at Piramal Pharma Ltd, said sustainability initiatives should extend beyond business benefits and create value for society. "We realised that if we want to do good and be in the top tier of sustainable companies we have to take the bullets ourselves….

Sustainability which you have to do should not just be something which is good for the business, no, it should be good for the mankind." Tripathy added that the company's share of green energy operations has risen from 7% to 26% in just three years. Driving accountability At Tata Sons, the sustainability journey gathered momentum in 2021 with Project Aalingana, the group's roadmap to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045 while investing in technologies for the future. Chacko Thomas, group chief sustainability officer at Tata Sons, noted that the auto business of the conglomerate has a balance scorecard which carries a meaningful weight tied to sustainability performance, which directly affects bonuses. “In Tata Motors, the balance scorecard has a certain very significant number attached to the sustainability, … the performance are impacted if you don’t meet that standards,” said Chacko Thomas. Not every sustainability initiative, however, receives immediate board approval. Energy efficiency and renewable energy projects often find support because they deliver financial returns within two to three years. Investments in areas such as water conservation and heat mitigation require greater persuasion.