GREEN INC.
TIME IS MONEY” is a common business refrain. Well then, humans have about 7 years and 9 months until the effects of global warming become irreversible, according to the global Climate Clock.
But Infosys did not need such a warning. Nor did it wait for India to pledge to the COP26 climate summit in 2021. It voluntarily committed to carbon neutrality in 2011. In 2020, when the Climate Clock’s countdown began, the IT services firm turned net carbon neutral. Its footprint dropped from 179,410 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in 2008 to 139,407 tCO2e in 2020 (pre-Covid-19) and to 77,350 tCO2e in 2021. It did this by reducing emissions under its control by over 70 per cent, reducing per capita electricity demand by more than 55 per cent and increasing its share of renewable energy by 47 per cent between 2008 and 2020.
It’s not just Infosys, which is ranked 4th in the 2021 BT500 list. As many as 62 Indian companies have committed to reducing emissions so far, according to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a global alliance that helps firms set climate goals. Last year, 24 companies voluntarily pledged net-zero goals. Some of the top companies that have pledged include BT500 top 10
