Nearly seven out of ten Indian organisations continue to treat sustainability as a top strategic priority, according to the India edition of the 2025 Global Sustainability
The study found that 69 per cent of Indian businesses rate sustainability as a key focus area, while 76 per cent are using digital solutions to improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental impact. However, the report highlights a gap between intent and execution. Although 47 per cent of organizations are running proactive or consistent environmental initiatives, only 15 per cent have fully embedded sustainability into innovation, cost optimization, and long-term resilience strategies.
Experts noted that sustainability efforts remain fragmented in many organisations due to challenges in integrating technology, data, and governance. Girija Mukund, Director of Global Citizenship and Sustainability at Kyndryl India and ASEAN, said companies are increasingly realising the complexity of sustainability requirements and the need for stronger collaboration across teams. She emphasized the role of AI, trusted data, and governance in delivering measurable outcomes.
The study also revealed limited adoption of artificial intelligence in sustainability initiatives. While 58 per cent of organisations report strong alignment between technology and sustainability teams, only 31 per cent use AI centrally to support environmental goals. Adoption of advanced agentic AI remains low, with just 9 per cent piloting such technologies and only 1 per cent having fully deployed them.
Ricardo Davila, General Manager, Enterprise Partner Solutions at Microsoft, said global leaders are increasingly using predictive AI to anticipate sustainability challenges, moving beyond tracking and reporting to forward-looking decision-making.
Key findings from India include clearer return on investment (ROI) driving sustainability action, with 58 per cent of organisations accelerating initiatives after seeing stronger business value. At the same time, 49 per cent cited lack of measurable ROI as the biggest barrier. While 74 per cent of organizations collect environmental data centrally, only 34 per cent actively use it for decision-making. Employees emerged as the strongest influence on sustainability action in India, cited by 62 per cent of respondents.
The study, conducted by Ecosystm, surveyed 1,286 enterprise leaders across 20 countries and nine industries. It highlights that Indian organizations are at a critical point where AI-driven insights could help bridge the gap between sustainability strategy and execution.