From its first solar PV plant of 250 kW about 15 years ago to having an installed solar capacity of 60 MW today, Infosys has come a long way- and this path also includes some fascinating turns on decarbonisation, low-carbon infra and cutting down on plastics. Plus, some hands-on lessons on green accounting accuracy, Scope 3’s slipperiness and AI’s energy impact.
Infosys has been carbon neutral for six years and is now targeting climate positivity by 2030, a shift from mitigation to restoration. The goal has an interesting and multi-pronged breakdown- spanning every facet from renewable energy to low-carbon infrastructure and Scope 3 impact. As shared by the company, it sources 77.7 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy in India, and has been able to accomplish a 50 per cent reduction in energy intensity (vs 2008 baseline). It is also scaling up 29.7 million sq. ft. of LEED-certified green campuses, with a low-carbon infrastructure and efficiency-led approach. It, in addition, boasts of 98 per cent waste diversion and 100 per cent wastewater recycling, along with water conservation efforts including 40 lakes and 409 recharge wells. How easy is it to be a green flag with the sheer size, scale, impact and complexity of being a flagbearer of the Indian IT industry itself. We ask Guruprakash Sastry, Associate Vice President, Head – Climate Action, Infosys and he shows us the wood amongst the trees.
What is your assessment of Infosys’s sustainability report card so far?
I see our sustainability journey as one of continuous learning, responsibility, and steady progress. Over the years, we have worked to embed environmental stewardship into the core of how we operate, ensured transparency in our disclosures and progressively advanced our environmental agenda from incremental improvements to bold, systemic action.
We have sustained carbon neutrality since 2020, supported by a strong shift towards renewable energy and deep investments in efficiency. Our campuses today reflect this commitment, with high-performing green buildings, extensive water recycling, and near-zero waste to landfill practices. These outcomes are the result of long-term thinking and the collective effort of our employees, partners, and stakeholders.
Your 2030 goal is both ambitious and relevant today.
Our aspiration to become climate positive by 2030 pushes us to go beyond reducing our own footprint and to contribute meaningfully to restoring the environment. We approach this journey with humility. While we are proud of the progress we have made, we recognise that sustainability is a shared responsibility and an evolving discipline. Our focus remains on learning, collaborating, and scaling solutions that create lasting environmental impact – not just within Infosys, but across the broader ecosystems we are part of.
What is that one initiative or change brought in at Infosys that is closest to your heart?
The super-efficient buildings, lakes across our campuses for water conservation, and our large-scale agroforestry program are all close to my heart. But the one initiative that stands out is the pledge on plastics that we made at Infosys in 2018. It is deeply personal to me because it represents the power of small, everyday choices scaling into meaningful impact. Plastic pollution is one of the most visible and immediate environmental challenges around us, that we encounter in our daily lives. This initiative demonstrated how individual behavior can transform into collective action at scale. Outcomes have been significant – over 91 per cent reduction in single use plastics in daily operations, single use plastics eliminated from almost all daily use operations.
The pledge delivered large-scale impact in reducing single-use plastics across campuses, demonstrating how corporate action can drive behavioral and systemic change.
For me, it stands as a reminder that while our climate goals are ambitious and long term, some of the most meaningful progress starts with simple, visible actions that everyone can be part of.
What are the pragmatic and scalability aspects of renewable energy sources, in your experience?
2025 marked the highest ever renewable energy expansion in India’s energy transition journey. Not surprisingly, it was also the record year for installed global capacity of renewables, signaling a clear shift towards clean energy. This shows renewable energy has moved from being an aspirational goal to a practical, scalable and commercially viable solution.
Our experience at Infosys also reflects this shift. From installing our first solar PV plant of 250 kW about 15 years ago to having an installed solar capacity of 60 MW today, we have scaled renewables significantly. In FY25, 77.7 per cent of electricity in our India operations was from renewables, with a mix of captive solar power, open access power purchase and green tariff through DISCOMs.
Pragmatic constraints of renewable energy include intermittent availability, grid readiness, land usage, and requirement of storage or grid balancing for reliability. However, shifting to renewables is also the fastest and most scalable pathway to near-term decarbonisation. Therefore, thoughtful integration of renewables supported by right technology, favorable policies and ecosystem collaboration can realise the full potential of renewable energy.
Pragmatic constraints of renewable energy include intermittent availability, grid readiness, land usage, and requirement of storage or grid balancing for reliability
What have the challenges and upsides been of maintaining carbon neutrality for the last 6 years?
Maintaining carbon neutrality at Infosys has been both a strategic advantage and an ongoing operational challenge – especially as expectations evolve from neutrality to deeper decarbonisation.
Sustaining carbon neutrality has strengthened Infosys’ position as a credible sustainability leader, enhancing trust with clients, investors and employees. It has driven continuous operational efficiency improvements, resulting in cost savings over time. It also provides a strong platform to influence clients and partners, enabling Infosys to embed sustainability into its services and solutions.
At the same time, maintaining carbon neutrality needs continuous focus and improvements across various aspects. The gains from efficiency improvements taper off, requiring deeper interventions such as value chain decarbonisation. Managing scope 3 emissions such as business travel and suppliers is challenging and less within direct control. Ensuring consistent high quality renewable energy across geographies can be challenging, when the grid infra and policies are continuously evolving.
Evolving methodologies on carbon offset calculations need better forecasting and implementing projects to ensure adequate offsets availability y-o-y.
Overall carbon neutrality is more of a dynamic commitment that requires continuous innovation, ecosystem collaboration and stronger integration with business strategy. The real opportunity for us lies in moving beyond neutrality and creating a net positive climate impact, while navigating these complexities.
What’s possible and what’s tough about reducing Scope 3 emissions by 40 per cent by 2030? Specially in terms of real downstream/upstream influence and data traceability?
Scope-3 emissions sit outside direct operational control, which makes them inherently complex – business travel, supplier emissions, employee commute, work-from-home, etc. A 40 per cent reduction is feasible, but it requires moving from control to influence, and the ability to orchestrate change across the value chain at scale.
Our experience with supplier engagement shows that data quality and consistency across suppliers remain uneven, making measurement and tracking difficult. Many small suppliers face awareness, cost and capability constraints in transitioning to low-carbon operations. Deeper, long-term engagement with suppliers, handholding, training sessions become necessary as a first step to improve accuracy of supplier disclosures, followed by credible low carbon alternatives and reduction goals.
Business travel emission reduction requires a mix of demand reduction, smarter choices and systemic nudges. Virtual collaboration and tech enablement in workplaces has played a major role in optimising business travel.
Do new geo-political factors about supply chains work in alignment or pose a new challenge?
The emerging geopolitical dynamics have no doubt created complexity and fragmentation in supply chain. While they are creating challenges such as rising tariffs, regulatory shifts and dependence risks, they are also creating alignment in areas such as resilience, localisation and sustainability. Regulatory mandates like the EU’s CBAM are accelerating sustainability in supply chain decisions. The net effect is a forced convergence of resilience and sustainability.
The technology industry, specially after AI and Cloud, has been under constant criticism for energy burdens raised by data centres. Are things improving?
The technology industry is becoming significantly more energy efficient at the unit level, with leading hyperscale data centers driving near-optimal performance (with PUE<1.1), advanced cooling, and increasing use of renewable energy. However, this progress is being outpaced by the exponential growth of AI and cloud demand, leading to continued rise in absolute energy demand. According to the IEA, data center electricity consumption is expected to more than double by 2030, primarily driven by AI.
As a result, while efficiency gains are real and material, the overall sustainability impact remains mixed. The strategic imperative is shifting from just infrastructure efficiency to full-stack optimisation.
Can you zoom in on Scope 3? Is carbon accounting here accurate, transparent and actionable? Any thoughts on accounting frameworks like GHG-P, E-Ledgers and Carbon Measures?
Scope 3 emissions are largely outside direct control, and therefore are heavily modeled rather than measured. Accuracy remains the biggest challenge. Unlike Scope 1 and 2, which rely on actual metered data, Scope 3 depends on estimates across complex value chains – supplier data, industry averages and emission factors. This introduces variability and risk of double counting / under counting. Leading companies are shifting from spend-based to activity-based and increasingly to supplier-specific data for emissions reporting, but full accuracy remains a moving target.
Transparency is as critical as accuracy and a clear differentiator – companies that openly disclose assumptions, calculation methodologies, gaps and progress will command greater credibility and will be a benchmark for the industry.
The real test of Scope 3 maturity is in actionable outcomes. Rather than a reporting exercise, there is an opportunity to influence a wider ecosystem. For ex. Value chain transformation can be influenced by embedding emissions into procurement decisions, partner with suppliers for decarbonisation, etc. Leading companies are driving deep supplier engagement to address Scope 3 emissions and to align suppliers with their climate goals.
Companies that openly disclose assumptions, calculation methodologies, gaps and progress will command greater credibility and will be a benchmark for the industry
Frameworks like the GHG protocol are widely used global frameworks, providing a common language for measuring and managing GHG emissions, enabling consistency and comparability. However, applicability and interpretations may differ across geographies and sectors, requiring continuous evolution of the standard. Other frameworks like e-ledgers and carbon measures will become increasingly important as the market shifts from compliance to real action. Organisations that invest only in reporting and compliance will lag, whereas those that build on carbon systems, using accurate data, decision-grade metrics will translate accounting into actual emissions reduction, and lead the industry.
Pratima H