Grasim Industries emerges India’s most sustainable company

Table: 2021 Capri Global Capital Hurun India Impact 50 - Top 10

Source: Hurun Research Institute, 2021 Capri Global Capital Hurun India Impact 50

Grasim Industries has been ranked number one in the debut 2021 Capri Global Capital Hurun India Impact 50, a list of top 50 companies headquartered in India based on their alignment with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With a cumulative sustainability score of 47, Grasim Industries emerged as India’s most sustainable company. Tech Mahindra came second with a score of 46, followed by Tata Power Company and Wipro with 45 each.

Benefiting stakeholders too

Jinisha Sharma, Social Impact and Strategy Executive, Capri Global Capital, said beyond just corporate social responsibility, there is a strong business case for companies to benefit stakeholders and not just shareholders. “This list is only a starting point and we hope that more companies participate over the years.”

Anas Rahman Junaid, MD and Chief Researcher, Hurun India, said that stories of these corporations tell the story of sustainable development in modern India. The list indicates that India Inc. is actively pursuing structural updates to systematically measure and report sustainability goals.

Only 14 companies reported their sustainability goals against all 17 SDG pillars. The SDGs most prioritised by them are climate action (SDG 13) and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12). Life below water (SDG 14) is the least prioritised. Only Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone has a documented measurable goal against the same.

Climate action pillar

The highest measured pillar in the list is climate action with 37 companies listing themselves in. This was followed by the responsible consumption and production pillar, measured by 31 companies. With eight goals, Hindustan Unilever has the highest number of measurable SDGs with time-bound targets, followed by ITC, and Tech Mahindra with seven each. Interestingly, three companies in the list have no documented measurable goals against any pillars.

Only 29 companies have time-bound targets to achieve carbon-neutrality. ITC and Infosys achieved carbon-neutrality in 2006 and 2020 respectively. Cipla and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone target to achieve it by 2025. Mahindra & Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, Hindustan Zinc and Tech Mahindra have implemented an internal carbon-pricing policy to reduce emissions.

Mumbai accounted for the maximum number of companies featured (27) followed by New Delhi with four. Financial services led the industry segment represented with eight companies, followed by software and services with six. With an average score of 36, manufacturing companies scored higher than service companies which registered an average score of 34.

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