The session titled “Responsibility to Impact: Driving sustainable CSR through ESG, Data and Digital Innovation” featured Rohit Kumar Agrawala, Director (Finance) of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL), who said the environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework has become integral to the ecosystem that drives industrial growth and can no longer be treated as a simple compliance requirement.
Agrawala argued that refinery operations can no longer be viewed in isolation, noting that production costs, competitiveness and CSR are tightly interlinked. He said CPCL’s sustainability targets are now more focused on implementation than intent, and that peer collaboration is essential to scale solutions. “We need to move beyond incremental changes and shift from linear to exponential growth in our sustainability efforts,” he said, adding that CSR metrics should measure outcomes rather than merely track money spent.
Geetha Ramamoorthi, founder and principal advisor of Herizon Advisory, observed that health and education dominate current CSR spending under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She called for a broader focus that brings sustainable industries and resilient communities to the centre of CSR, proposing a green‑innovation fund to help startups develop eco‑solutions and cross‑skilling programmes to equip micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for the green transition. Ramamoorthi also urged the introduction of project‑based learning in schools to raise sustainability awareness among the future workforce.
Akshay Kurian, head of consulting and supply‑chain sustainability at Treeni Sustainability Solutions, warned that ESG data remains largely in the reporting phase but plays a crucial role in setting baselines, tracking progress and informing decision‑making. He cited examples such as using attrition data to gauge workforce trends and stressed that MSMEs often adapt faster than larger firms when a mindset shift toward sustainability is embraced.
Together, the speakers called for sustained commitment, collective action and a fundamental mindset change across corporations and supply chains to ensure CSR delivers measurable social and environmental benefits, signalling a broader push in India to align corporate practice with the SDGs.