Diageo India recently released its fourth annual ESG Reporting Index, spotlighting advancements on its ‘Spirit of Progress’ ESG action plan. The Reporting Index outlines the company’s impact across three pillars of its Spirit of Progress framework: pioneering grain to glass sustainability, championing inclusion and diversity, and promoting positive drinking, all anchored in doing business the right way.
Developed in line with the globally recognised GRI Standards, the Index also maps Diageo India’s performance against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and provides additional sector-specific disclosures under the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) framework.
Jitendra Mahajan, Chief Supply and Sustainability Officer, Diageo India, said, “Our Spirit of Progress ESG agenda reflects the business we are deliberately building—one that grows responsibly, leads with integrity, and creates long-term value. From strengthening water security and accelerating our transition to renewable energy, to advancing inclusion and promoting responsible consumption, our actions demonstrate that a focus on ESG powers performance. As we deepen this momentum, we remain committed to working with partners to build resilient communities, protect natural resources, and shape a more sustainable future for India.”
Under its grain-to-glass sustainability pillar, Diageo India reported major gains in water efficiency, replenishment and collective action, improving water-use efficiency by 54% in distillation and 35% in packaging since 2020 while replenishing 182,000 cubic metres of water in FY25 (cumulative 1.1 million cubic metres) across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Meghalaya, continuing to expand WASH interventions and maintaining AWS certification for its Alwar unit, while also co-founding The Godavari Initiative to restore aquifers and build watershed resilience in the Godavari basin.
On carbon and energy, the company has cut GHG emissions by 93% since 2020 by moving all distilleries to biomass-powered boilers and now sources 99% of its energy from renewables including 2.7 MW of in-house solar, achieving zero waste to landfill, reaching 99% recyclable packaging, and integrating 33% r-PET into its PET bottle portfolio, alongside community-led carbon projects including 31,500 mangrove seedlings in Odisha, 1 lakh trees for residual offsetting, and 2 lakh trees planted under Rajasthan’s TOFR programme, while regenerative agriculture efforts have trained 430 farmers—80% smallholders—across 2,000+ acres.
Advancing inclusion and diversity, Diageo India reported women’s representation at 28% of the executive workforce, 30% of the leadership team and 50% of the Executive Committee, supported by active ERGs such as the Spirited Women’s Network and Rainbow Network, while Project Saksham enabled the hiring and upskilling of 43 Persons with Disabilities and Learning for Life trained 1,922 individuals—including 1,282 women and 303 PwDs—bringing women’s participation across Diageo skilling programmes to 67%, and the Diageo Bar Academy trained over 9,400 bartenders and bar owners, as the company continued to strengthen inclusive workplaces recognised by a Gold Employer ranking at IWEI 2024 and a 16th position in Equileap’s Emerging Markets Gender Equality Report 2024.
Diageo India’s responsible drinking initiatives continued to scale nationwide, with Act Smart India reaching 200,000 youth in FY25 (cumulative 500,000), the Wrong Side of the Road anti-drink driving platform implemented across 79 RTOs in 10 states engaging 500,000 consumers in FY25 (total reach 1.2 million since 2021), and the DRINKiQ platform reinforcing moderation and awareness around alcohol-related harm.
Strengthening governance remained foundational to Diageo India’s ESG agenda with a diverse Board led by an Independent Chairperson, all key committees chaired by Independent Directors, and ESG oversight embedded through cross-functional teams reporting quarterly to the Executive Committee, reinforcing the company’s commitment to doing business the right way and driving sustained ESG leadership in India’s alcobev sector.
