Diageo India exceeds its water replenishment target

Diageo India exceeded its  water replenishment target by 25 percent, three years ahead of its 2026 goal, according to the company’s third annual ESG Reporting Index, which was released earlier this month. 

The report underlines the company’s continued progress in the ‘Spirit of Progress’ ESG action plan. The Index states that progress has been achieved across three key objectives outlined in the Progress Plan — pioneering grain-to-glass sustainability, promoting positive drinking, and championing inclusion and diversity.

The Reporting Index is developed in accordance with the GRI Standards Index, and maps Diageo India’s performance against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).

Commenting on the report, Hina Nagarajan, Managing Director & CEO, of Diageo India said, “As we release our 2024 ESG Reporting Index, I feel proud of the remarkable progress we have made under our ‘Spirit of Progress’ action plan.”  Hina added, “We are committed to leading the way in grain-to-glass sustainability, fostering positive drinking, and championing inclusion and diversity throughout our operations and communities, with an unwavering allegiance to doing business with integrity.” 

The company also increased its in-house solar energy capacity by achieving 98.6 percent renewable energy use status across direct operations since 2020. The company has set a target of reaching 100 percent renewable energy status till 2030. Beyond direct operations, Diageo India works closely with suppliers, encouraging them to switch to low-carbon alternatives, while adopting newer technologies and best practices in the supply chain.

Additionally, the company is focused on eliminating waste from its value chain by increasing light-weight packaging and recycled content. During FY24, over 99 percent of materials used by Diageo India were widely recyclable and 55 percent of the packaging material purchased by it was made of recycled content. According to the ESG Reporting Index, the company has removed mono-carton from 95 percent of its portfolio, introduced recyclable PET containers, and collected 100 percent of its plastic waste.

Diageo India has also been championing responsible drinking by encouraging moderation and addressing the harmful use of alcohol through focused interventions to curb underage drinking, drunk driving and binge drinking.

In FY24, over 1.9 lakh youth participated in the Act Smart India programme of Diageo India that uses powerful storytelling to create awareness about the dangers of underage drinking. The company is also holding an awareness programme— ‘Wrong Side of the Road'— across 31 regional transport offices in various states. Nearly 4.3 lakh consumers have till now participated in  anti-drunk driving learning experience and by 2030, the company aims to educate around 1 million consumers about the risks of drunk driving.

Besides, the company actively promotes inclusion and diversity across its business. As far as gender representation is concerned, nearly 50 percent of the company’s executive committee comprises women. Expanding its inclusive culture, the company also has over 52 persons with disabilities (PwD).