Citation:

Rupali S. Ambadkar, Monika Rambriksh Yadav. "CSR for Green Future: Evaluating India's Leading Companies Efforts Toward Environmental SDGs" International Research Journal of Economics and Management Studies, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 99-105, 2025.

Abstract:

The study explores the CSR expenditures and their contributions to environmental sustainability among India's 20 highest CSR-contributing companies in 2021-2022. The main objective of the research is to understand how these companies allocate their CSR funds to support environmental causes and how these initiatives align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to the environment. The study employed content analysis to assess the initiatives in various environmental sub-sectors, including animal welfare, conservation of natural resources, and environmental sustainability. The research aligns these CSR initiatives with SDGs to gauge the extent of the Indian corporate sector's commitment to specific environmental SDGs. The result indicated a notable disparity in overall CSR spending and allocations towards environmental sustainability. Giant Companies such as Infosys, ITC, Wipro, Gail India, and Indian Oil Corporation have been identified as major contributors, committing a significant portion of their CSR budgets towards environmental sustainability. In contrast, despite having large CSR budgets, companies such as TCS, NMDC, Power Grid Corporation of India, and Mahanadi Coalfields did not contribute to environmental sustainability. The study emphasizes the importance of environmental sustainability for companies in their CSR strategies. The findings indicate that there's a growing trend among Indian companies to align their CSR initiatives with key SDGs, particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). This alignment is positive as more companies recognise the importance of addressing environmental issues in their CSR practices.

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Keywords:

Environmental Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, Conservation, Sustainable Development, India.