Archive · 30 Aug 2026
Indian Companies’ Carbon Emissions Rise Amid Persistent Environmental Reporting Gaps
A study from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore looked at the environmental performance of 1,000 large Indian companies.
The article’s headline says emissions rose by 53%, but its detailed figures say direct and electricity-related emissions rose by 4.29%.
The power sector made up much of the reported increase.
Companies reported more supply-chain emissions than before, but more than half still did not provide those figures.
Most companies used less than 20% renewable energy.
Energy use increased for many companies, although energy efficiency improved for many firms.
Water use also increased for about one-third of the companies.
Most companies used nearly all the water they withdrew.
Many companies either did not treat their wastewater or did not report whether they treated it.
The study examined environmental data from the top 1,000 listed Indian companies for FY25.
The headline reports a 53% emissions jump, while the article body says absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions rose 4.29% year-on-year.
The power sector contributed about 32.9 million of the 53.7 million tCO₂e net increase in Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
Scope 3 disclosures increased 44%, but 57.1% of companies still did not report value-chain emissions.
Renewable use remains low, while rising water demand and inadequate wastewater treatment continue to pose environmental concerns.
- Who
- The top 1,000 listed Indian companies, as assessed in an Indian Institute of Management Bangalore study.
- What
- The study reported changes in corporate carbon emissions, renewable-energy use, water demand, and wastewater treatment during FY25.
- When
- FY25, with year-on-year comparisons reported in the article.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- To assess the environmental performance and reporting practices of major listed companies.
- Companies assessed
- Top 1,000 listed Indian companies
- Scope 1 and 2 emissions
- The article body reports a 4.29% year-on-year increase; the headline describes a 53% jump.
- Net Scope 1 and 2 increase
- 53.7 million tCO₂e
- Power-sector contribution
- Approximately 32.9 million tCO₂e
- Scope 3 emissions
- 1.48 billion tCO₂e disclosed, compared with 1.31 billion tCO₂e for combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions
- Renewable-energy use
- 68.43% of evaluated companies obtained less than 20% of their energy from renewables
- Wastewater treatment
- 77% of companies either did not treat their discharge or lacked reporting metrics