Diageo India Highlights Strong ESG Progress in 2025

Diageo India has released its fourth annual ESG Reporting Index, presenting updates on its ‘Spirit of Progress’ action plan across sustainability, inclusion, and responsible drinking. The report outlines the company’s performance under three focus areas: grain-to-glass sustainability, inclusion and diversity, and positive drinking, while mapping disclosures to GRI Standards, UN Sustainable Development Goals, and SASB guidelines.

The Index shows continued expansion of Diageo India’s sustainability initiatives, with emphasis on water stewardship, carbon reduction, renewable energy and circular packaging. Since 2020, the company reports indicates that it has become more efficient in using water and reduced the amount by 54% and 35% in packaging operations. In FY25, the company helped replenish 182,000 cubic metres of water, taking the total water stored to 1.1 million cubic metres. These are carried out in areas such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha and Rajasthan.

Diageo India report says that since 2022, all its distilleries have completely stopped using coal and now run on biomass fuel. Because of this shift, the company has reduced 93% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2020. The company also says that 99% of its total energy now comes from renewable sources. Diageo India has its own solar installations which has a capacity to produce 2.7 MW of electricity. Diageo India no longer sends any waste to landfills and that 99% of its packaging can be recycled, with 59% made from recycled inputs, including 33% r-PET in PET bottles. Additional community initiatives include mangrove regeneration in Odisha and afforestation activities in Rajasthan.

The report also says that Diageo India is working with suppliers to reduce Scope 3 emissions and has trained 430 farmers—mostly smallholders—in regenerative agriculture over more than 2,000 acres.

The inclusion and diversity section reports 28% female representation in the executive workforce and 30% on the leadership team, with 50% representation on the Executive Committee. Hiring and skilling programmes for Persons with Disabilities are ongoing, and the company says its training initiatives reached nearly 2,000 individuals in FY25, with 67% female participation. Recognition listed in the Index includes Gold Employer status for LGBT+ inclusion and ranking in Equileap’s Gender Equality Report for emerging markets.

On responsible consumption, the report states that under-age drinking awareness initiatives have reached 200,000 young people in the current year, and anti-drink driving campaigns through digital learning and RTO partnerships have engaged 500,000 consumers, taking total outreach to 1.2 million since 2021. The company’s moderation awareness platform DRINKiQ continues to operate as a public resource.

The Index also details governance structures covering CSR, ESG strategy and board oversight, noting independent leadership across major committees, including Nomination, Audit, Risk Management, and CSR & ESG.