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Tag: #ESG

  • PepsiCo Positive drives sustainable growth across India

    PepsiCo Positive drives sustainable growth across India

    PepsiCo said on Thursday its PepsiCo Positive (pep+) sustainability programme is driving measurable growth across its global operations, with India emerging as a key market for the initiative’s expansion.

    In its 2025 ESG Performance Update, the company said it has extended regenerative, restorative and protective farming practices to 4.7 million acres across more than 60 countries, achieved 100% water replenishment at company-owned facilities in high-water-risk areas, and cut virgin plastic use in primary packaging by 6%.

    “We’re excited by the momentum we’re building as pep+ continues to transform our business end to end,” said Jim Andrew, PepsiCo’s chief sustainability officer. He said the company is “evolving our product portfolio to offer more choices” while strengthening the business for the long term.

    In India, PepsiCo Positive is being implemented through the company’s Partnership for Progress philosophy, which engages roughly 36,000 farmers across 14 states. The company sources 100% of its chip-grade potatoes locally in the country.

    “In India, our growth is deeply connected to the strength and resilience of the ecosystem around us,” said Yashika Singh, chief corporate affairs officer and sustainability head for PepsiCo India & South Asia, adding that the approach turns interdependence into shared growth across farmers, communities and consumers.

    The company has partnered with start-ups to bring digital tools to its farmer network. Its Mitti Didi initiative offers soil-health diagnostics to thousands of farmers, while the Lay’s Smart Farms programme, developed with Cropin, spans more than 18,000 mapped acres and reaches over 7,000 farmers. Micro-irrigation has reached full adoption across key potato-sourcing regions, including more than 2,300 acres in Uttar Pradesh.

    On water, PepsiCo said its Pune manufacturing facility has cut water use by more than 90%, part of a broader effort that has replenished 23 billion litres of water globally since 2010 and reached about 97 million people with safe water access.

    The company is also advancing circularity in India, complying with local Extended Producer Responsibility rules and redesigning packaging with mono-material and polyolefin-based structures, alongside a shift to 100% rPET bottles for select beverage products. Biomass now makes up 97% of PepsiCo India’s fuel mix.

    On transport, the Kosi–Pataudi EV Green Corridor, run with Kalyani Powertrain Limited and Vayudoot Road Carriers, operates thirteen 32-foot electric trucks covering roughly 6 lakh electric kilometres annually. PepsiCo India has retrofitted more than 800 vehicles for last-mile delivery.

    The company said more than half of its beverage portfolio by volume in India is now low- or zero-sugar, alongside new offerings such as Red Rock Deli baked variants with 40% less fat and millet-based Kurkure Jowar Puffs.

  • Hitachi Vantara commits to validated net-zero by 2040

    Hitachi Vantara commits to validated net-zero by 2040

    Hitachi Vantara, the data infrastructure and hybrid cloud unit of Hitachi Ltd. (TSE: 6501), said on Thursday it has set a validated net-zero target to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions across its global value chain by fiscal year 2040.

    The company said its near- and long-term emissions targets have been independently validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a body that sets standards for corporate climate goals, giving customers and partners assurance the plan aligns with current climate science.

    The announcement comes as data centers face mounting scrutiny over energy use tied to the AI boom. A Congressional Research Service report cited by the company found cooling systems account for 38% to 40% of data center electricity consumption, underscoring the stakes for infrastructure providers.

    “Customers increasingly expect their technology suppliers to demonstrate that their climate commitments are credible and backed by action,” said Simon Ninan, senior vice president of business strategy at Hitachi Vantara. He said the validated net-zero target “holds us accountable to measurable progress.”

    Under the near-term plan, Hitachi Vantara aims to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions 98% by FY2030 from an FY2024 baseline, and reduce Scope 3 emissions 51% per usable petabyte of storage sold by FY2036. The long-term goal calls for a 97% cut in Scope 3 emissions per petabyte sold by FY2040.

    The company said it reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions 43% in FY2025, helped by sourcing half its energy from renewables. It has also expanded sustainability features across its VSP One storage platform and is aligning products with Hitachi’s Eco-Design Management Guidelines.

    Hitachi Vantara pointed to customer results from its VSP 360 Clear Sight monitoring tool: Turkey’s DestekBank cut data center energy use 25% and total cost of ownership 20%; India’s Malayala Manorama reduced power and cooling costs 70% and rack space 66%; Turkey’s Garanti BBVA estimated its Hitachi Vantara systems use about 30% less energy than rival systems; and Brazil’s Aquiris used the platform to support wastewater treatment operations processing more than 110 million cubic meters annually.

    “Sustainability is most effective when it is embedded into decision-making across the organization,” said Courtney Hadden, sustainability director at Hitachi Vantara, adding that the SBTi validation gives the company “a clear, science-based framework” to track progress.

  • Blue Planet Environmental Solutions unveils landmark first Sustainability Report, sets FY24-FY26 ESG baseline

    Blue Planet Environmental Solutions unveils landmark first Sustainability Report, sets FY24-FY26 ESG baseline

    Singapore-headquartered waste management and circular economy company Blue Planet Environmental Solutions has released its first Annual Sustainability Report 2026, marking a significant milestone in the company’s ESG journey and setting a baseline for performance across FY24 and FY26.

    The integrated waste management firm said it processed 8.92 million tonnes of waste across the two reporting years, contributing to an estimated 1.24 million tCO₂e in avoided emissions through initiatives spanning landfill biomining, e-waste recycling and biofuel operations.

    Resource recovery scales up

    According to the report, legacy waste processed jumped to 5.10 million tonnes in FY26, up from 3.49 million tonnes in FY25. E-waste processed also saw a sharp rise, nearly doubling from 11,552 tonnes to 20,060 tonnes over the same period.

    In FY26 alone, the company processed 44,833 tonnes of paper, 24,537 tonnes of plastics, and 6,364 tonnes of iron and steel, along with other material streams, the report noted.

    Commenting on the development, Prashant Singh, Co-Founder & CEO, Blue Planet Environmental Solutions, said, “Our first Sustainability Report marks an important step in how we measure our impact. As Blue Planet scales, we believe growth must be matched by transparency, accountability and measurable outcomes. This report establishes our baseline and strengthens our commitment to creating long-term environmental, social and economic value.”

    Robust ESG governance framework

    The report has been prepared with reference to the GRI Standards 2021 and is supported by a digital ESG data management platform aimed at improving consistency, traceability and review of ESG information, the company said.

    Blue Planet also disclosed that it implemented 103 Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) items, achieving 100% ESAP compliance — verified through independent third-party audits across multiple operations.

    Additionally, select ESG indicators underwent independent limited assurance in line with ISAE 3000 (Revised), covering key areas such as energy, water, waste, Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, workforce, workplace safety and diversity.

    Workforce and road ahead

    The company reported a workforce of more than 4,000 employees and workers during the reporting period. Notably, employee participation in training programmes surged from 7,706 in FY25 to 14,318 in FY26.

    Looking ahead, Blue Planet said it will prioritise strengthening ESG data governance, climate and resource efficiency, supply-chain ESG oversight, occupational health and safety, and consistent ESG practices across its business verticals.

  • ICICI Bank CSR spending surges to Rs 994 crore in FY26

    ICICI Bank CSR spending surges to Rs 994 crore in FY26

    ICICI Bank’s CSR spending surged to Rs 994 crore in fiscal 2026, up from Rs 801 crore a year earlier, as the lender’s philanthropic arm impacted over 1.98 crore lives across India, the bank said in its ESG report for the year.

    The bank’s CSR arm, ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth, has reached the milestone through initiatives till March 31, 2026, ICICI Bank said in a statement.

    ICICI Bank’s outstanding sustainable financing portfolio stood at Rs 99,385 crore at the end of March 2026, up from Rs 90,624 crore a year earlier, of which green financing accounted for Rs 30,704 crore, the bank said. Its forest conservation initiatives now span 83 forests and tiger reserves across 21 states, alongside the planting of 86,600 trees and the creation of 49 crore litres of water storage capacity during the year, while Scope 1 emissions were cut by 32%, it added.

    “We significantly scaled up our CSR initiatives across the four thematic areas of healthcare, conservation of environment and restoration of ecology, livelihood enhancement and community development, with a focus on capacity creation and developing ecosystems,” said Sandeep Batra, Executive Director, ICICI Bank.

    Healthcare remained the bank’s largest area of focus during the year, with the Foundation’s interventions benefitting 5 lakh individuals in fiscal 2026 and 30 lakh individuals through 600 hospitals since 2020, the bank said.

    It has committed Rs 1,800 crore to Tata Memorial Centre for three new cancer care blocks in Visakhapatnam, Navi Mumbai and Punjab, and partnered with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, for a cancer research centre.

    On skilling, the Foundation’s livelihood and training programmes benefitted 3.54 lakh individuals in fiscal 2026, taking the cumulative number to 94.5 lakh since inception, the bank said, adding that it has set up a manufacturing facility at IIT Delhi and is upgrading nine National Skill Training Institutes with advanced Industry 4.0 laboratories.

    The bank has empowered over 1.2 crore women through Self-Help Group loans exceeding Rs 35,500 crore since 2011, with 8.9 lakh women benefitting in fiscal 2026 alone, it said.

  • HCLTech named to TIME’s most sustainable companies 2026 list for 2nd straight year

    HCLTech named to TIME’s most sustainable companies 2026 list for 2nd straight year

    HCLTech, a global technology company, has been named to TIME’s World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2026 list, marking its second consecutive year on the ranking, the company said.

    HCLTech ranks among the top five global professional services companies on the list and is the highest-ranked India-headquartered company in the category, the company said.

    The ranking, compiled by TIME in collaboration with Statista, assesses more than 5,800 global companies across more than 20 sustainability indicators, including commitments and ratings, reporting and transparency, and environmental and social stewardship.

    HCLTech said the recognition reflects its alignment with the UN Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals. In fiscal year 2026, the company said it replenished 51 times more water than it consumed and retained zero waste-to-landfill platinum certification across all owned facilities.

    The company said it has accelerated its net-zero journey by achieving its 2030 Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)-validated emissions target four years ahead of schedule.

    “Being recognized by TIME for a second consecutive year reflects the progress we are making in embedding sustainability deeper into the core of our business and advancing our net-zero ambition for 2040,” said Vipul Arora, Global Head of Sustainability at HCLTech.

    “Our focus remains on scaling impact through innovation, partnerships and responsible practices that enable long-term value for our clients, communities and the broader ecosystem,” Arora said.

    HCLTech is a global technology company with more than 223,000 employees across 60 countries, offering services in AI, digital, engineering, cloud and software. The company serves clients across sectors including financial services, manufacturing, life sciences and healthcare, technology and services, semiconductors, telecom and media, retail and consumer packaged goods, mobility and public services.

    Consolidated revenue for the 12 months ending June 2026 totaled USD 14.8 billion, the company said.

  • CSR Social Stock Exchange: India opens 10% investment window for firms

    CSR Social Stock Exchange: India opens 10% investment window for firms

    The corporate affairs ministry has opened a new funding channel for nonprofits, allowing companies to direct up to 10 per cent of their mandatory corporate social responsibility spending into zero coupon zero principal instruments listed on the Social Stock Exchange, in a move aimed at deepening transparency in social sector financing.

    The amendment, effective immediately, inserts the subscription to such instruments into Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 — the schedule that governs permissible CSR activities for profit-making companies required to spend at least 2 per cent of their three-year average net profit annually on social causes.

    Under the revised CSR Policy Rules, 2014, definitions for both not-for-profit organisations and zero coupon zero principal instruments have been formally introduced for the first time, providing regulatory clarity to companies seeking to deploy funds through the Social Stock Exchange.

    Not-for-profit organisations will be able to issue these instruments through the Social Stock Exchange in accordance with regulations set by the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

    Unlike conventional bonds, zero coupon zero principal instruments carry no interest payments and no repayment of principal, functioning instead as a regulated grant or social investment vehicle designed to fund public welfare projects.

    “It helps in furtherance of a transparent and credible mode of funding CSR projects by companies and enables social enterprises to access a wider pool of capital,” said Anshul Jain, Partner Regulatory at PwC India.

    The 10 per cent cap on CSR Social Stock Exchange investments per financial year is intended to balance innovation with fiscal discipline, ensuring core CSR commitments remain intact while creating fresh pathways for social capital mobilisation.

    The Social Stock Exchange, established under SEBI oversight, is designed to bring market discipline and disclosure standards to social sector funding — a segment historically dominated by opaque grant-making and bilateral philanthropy.

  • Hitachi Vantara cuts client energy use with sustainable data infrastructure

    Hitachi Vantara cuts client energy use with sustainable data infrastructure

    Hitachi Vantara, the data storage and hybrid cloud subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd, published its FY2025 Sustainability Report on Thursday, outlining measurable energy and cost reductions achieved by clients using its latest sustainable data infrastructure platforms, as surging AI workloads reshape the economics of enterprise computing.

    The report arrives as the International Energy Agency warns that global data center electricity consumption could surpass 1,000 terawatt-hours by 2026 — roughly equivalent to a major industrialized nation’s annual usage — driven in large part by artificial intelligence workloads that demand constant, high-performance storage and processing.

    “Sustainability is increasingly tied to operational performance and business outcomes. In FY2025, we focused on helping customers manage the growth of AI and data while improving efficiency and reducing environmental impact,” said Akinobu Shimada, CEO, Hitachi Vantara in a statement.

    Among the report’s most striking findings: Turkish retail bank DestekBank achieved a 25% reduction in data center energy consumption after deploying Hitachi Vantara’s VSP One Block platform, alongside a 35% jump in application performance and a 20% drop in total cost of ownership. Belgian water utility Aquiris, which processes more than 110 million cubic meters of wastewater annually, credited the same platform with lowering its carbon footprint while collecting over one million data points per day for process monitoring.

    Indian media company Malayala Manorama reported the sharpest operational gains, cutting data center rack space by 66% and achieving 70% savings in power and cooling costs after modernising its infrastructure to support round-the-clock print, broadcast and digital operations.

    On the product side, the company introduced the VSP One Block High End, engineered to reduce power and cooling requirements for enterprise and AI-driven workloads. Hitachi Vantara also expanded lifecycle assessments across its VSP One Block, File and Object portfolios and launched its Clear Sight dashboard, giving customers direct visibility into energy consumption and carbon usage. The firm reported that up to 50% recycled content now appears in key components, and that less than 0.3% of materials were sent to landfill.

    Governance improvements included strengthened emissions tracking across Scope 1, Scope 2 and key Scope 3 categories, aligned with science-based reduction targets and evolving ESG reporting standards.

  • Malabar Gold pledges bold Rs 200 cr CSR push in 2026-27

    Malabar Gold pledges bold Rs 200 cr CSR push in 2026-27

    Malabar Gold & Diamonds has kicked off its most ambitious Corporate Social Responsibility cycle to date, with a bold Rs 200 crore programme for 2026-27 now under way across 19 states.

    The retail jewellery group unveiled the plan earlier this week at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, where Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated the distribution of educational scholarships for 33,000 girl students.

    The Malabar Gold CSR 2026-27 initiative spans 15 major programmes at more than 3,000 locations and is designed to benefit over two lakh people by the end of the financial year.

    “Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ decision to allocate INR 200 crore towards CSR will further strengthen the nation’s progress,” Goyal said at the launch event Wednesday. He emphasised that India’s growth is rooted in the empowerment of women and girls.

    Education receives the largest share at Rs 114 crore. Scholarships are now being distributed to students across 284 districts in 18 states — a rollout timed to mark the group’s 33rd anniversary. Micro-learning centres for street children, run in partnership with the Pratham Education Foundation, are also being expanded this year from 1,543 to 2,500 locations across 17 states, with enrolment targets rising from 64,000 to one lakh students.

    Group Chairman M.P. Ahammad said “human resource development is the backbone of national growth,” and added that the scholarship programme gives students the means to contribute to national development. Pratham CEO Rukmini Banerji, who attended the New Delhi launch, called the micro-learning model a proven route to reaching the hardest-to-reach children.

    Food security is the second-largest priority. The Hunger Free World project, allocated Rs 30 crore, already provides daily nutritious meals to 1,15,000 people in India, Zambia, and Ethiopia — a figure the group aims to grow through this cycle. The Grandma Home initiative for destitute mothers anchors the Rs 25 crore housing allocation, while Rs 14.2 crore funds healthcare access, including subsidised medicines through Malabar-Thanal pharmacies.

    Environmental protection receives Rs 10 crore, with the remaining Rs 6.8 crore directed at other humanitarian activities.

    The programmes are administered by the Malabar Charitable Trust, which channels five per cent of the company’s net trading profit into CSR activities annually. The group operates under ESG principles centred on women’s empowerment, healthcare, and education.

    The launch on Wednesday was attended by Malabar Group Managing Director of India Operations Asher Ottamoochikkal, Executive Directors Nishad A.K. and Abdulla Ibrahim, Kerala House Resident Commissioner Puneet Kumar, and Thanal Chairman Idris.

  • HCLTech dominates Hurun India Sustainability Rankings 2026

    HCLTech dominates Hurun India Sustainability Rankings 2026

    HCLTech has secured the No. 2 overall position in the Perpetual Capital–Hurun India Impact 50 2026 report, reinforcing the technology major’s standing as a leader in corporate sustainability across global markets.

    The Hurun India Impact 50 report evaluates companies based on visible and measurable contributions toward the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    HCLTech’s dominant HCLTech sustainability rankings reflect top-tier placements across multiple categories, with the company claiming No. 1 in Gender Equality and Affordable & Clean Energy, and No. 2 in Sustainable Cities and Communities and Responsible Consumption and Production.

    “These recognitions from globally renowned forums validate our efforts to embed sustainability-led positive impact across our operations,” said Vipul Arora, Global Head of Sustainability at HCLTech. “HCLTech will continue to enable clients and communities to reap the benefits of new technologies responsibly and sustainably.”

    The recognition builds on a broader series of ESG milestones. For the fourth consecutive year, HCLTech has been included in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook, a benchmark index tracking companies with strong environmental, social, and governance performance.

    HCLTech also holds a Gold rating from EcoVadis, placing it among the top 4% of rated IT companies globally. TIME magazine further recognised the company among the top 15 firms in the Professional Services category in its World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2025 list.

    The results signal growing investor and institutional confidence in HCLTech’s long-term ESG strategy, as the company continues to align technology deployment with sustainable development imperatives across its global operations.

  • DS Group achieves landmark water positive certification, joins elite corporate circle

    DS Group achieves landmark water positive certification, joins elite corporate circle

    Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group), one of India’s leading FMCG conglomerates, has earned Water Positive Certification from GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment), recording a Water Positivity Index of 1.80 — placing the company among a select few Indian corporations to achieve such a high score.

    The certification, awarded under GRIHA’s Decarbonizing Habitat Programme, follows a two-and-a-half-year assessment across 30 business locations in India, covering divisions spanning food and beverage, mouth freshener, hospitality, and agriculture.

    Scale of Impact

    Conservation interventions by DS Group have created a cumulative water storage potential of 66 lakh kilolitres. The programme integrates rainwater harvesting structures, wastewater reuse systems, recharge wells, water-efficient fixtures, and ecological restoration measures. Projects in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh contributed significantly to groundwater recharge outcomes.

    “The whole world is moving rapidly towards sustainability, with global water demand projected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030,” said Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman of DS Group.

    “By embedding water-positive practices into our business and community initiatives, DS Group contributes meaningfully to the larger sustainability agenda that India is aiming for.”

    Kumar added that the Group views sustainability “not as a project but as a permanent responsibility,” guided by its philosophy of ‘Create What is Worth Creating.’

    Sanjay Seth, VP and CEO of GRIHA Council and Senior Director at TERI, called the certification “a statement of intent of responsibility and vision,” adding that DS Group had demonstrated that “sustainability, productivity and profitability can go hand in hand.”

    Broader Sustainability Context

    The Water Positive Certification adds to a wider sustainability programme at DS Group that spans water conservation, livelihood development, agricultural initiatives, and energy efficiency. The company’s headquarters holds both LEED Platinum and LEED Zero Carbon certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council.

    The achievement comes ahead of COP30, where water security and climate resilience are expected to be central agenda items.

    Founded in 1929, DS Group markets brands including Rajnigandha, Catch, Pulse, Pass Pass, LuvIt, and L’Opera across domestic and international markets.

    Established in 2007 as a joint initiative between Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and TERI, GRIHA operates as India’s nationally recognised green building rating system and is referenced in India’s Nationally Determined Contributions to the UNFCCC.