ITC is well on their way to achieve their sustainability goal as in FY 2023-24, the company has already met over 50% of its total energy requirements from renewable sources such as solar, wind and biomass. In October 2024, it commissioned a new solar project in Karnataka, which took the company’s share of renewable energy in its total electricity consumption in the state to nearly 90%.

Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) is another company that has committed to achieving 100% energy needs from renewable energy sources. And HMIL is aiming to reach the target by 2025! One of the strategies adopted by Hyundai India is purchasing green power since October 2022 from the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) to increase its renewable energy portfolio to 64%.

Awareness also plays a critical role for people to take action to stem the climate crisis. Coca-Cola India’s Maidaan Saaf campaign is one such initiative that leveraged a mass and popular event like the Mahakumbh and tapped into its cultural significance to drive environmental consciousness and awareness. As part of the campaign, Coca-Cola India produced and distributed 21,500 recycled PET jackets for sanitation workers, boatmen, and waste management volunteers. These jackets, while promoting both safety and visibility, also highlighted the potential of recycled plastic and encouraged people to rethink waste as a valuable resource. By embedding sustainability into a culturally resonant experience, such initiatives go beyond operational action to influence public perception and inspire long-term behavioural change.

Apart from action and awareness, innovation is a key driver to scale results. AvanStrate, has recently launched its latest innovation—a display glass that enables a 95% reduction in carbon emissions. It is also the industry’s first display glass to incorporate at least 50% recycled content. This innovation exemplifies how sustainable transformation in high-volume industries can create outsized impact.

A growing number of companies are taking green actions and are reframing their business models to operate on the cutting edge of sustainability and climate action. Global initiatives like RE100, which bring together hundreds of large and forward-looking businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity, have made some real impact. But imagine the scale of the impact if every company in the world commits to meet all of their electrical energy needs by a defined timeline. So, to save our planet, it makes perfect sense for all companies to start talking about and taking action to weave in sustainability across their respective operations.

This article is authored by Ranganath Tannir, secretary general, Think Change Forum, New Delhi.