2025 Environmental Sustainability Report
Accelerating Progress to 2030 – A Comparative SDG Analysis
Report by: Gummalla Sasirekha
Submitted to: Dr. Raisun Mathew
Date: 11/07/2025
1. Introduction
The 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report, themed “Accelerating Progress to 2030”,
reflects the urgent global call to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) within the next five years. This report highlights significant environmental
actions taken in 2025, focusing on climate change mitigation, renewable energy
adoption, waste reduction, and resource conservation. It evaluates how organizations
are aligning their strategies with global sustainability frameworks, bridging gaps, and
fostering innovation. By assessing progress made and identifying remaining challenges,
this report underscores the importance of collective action, corporate responsibility,
and long-term vision to ensure a sustainable, equitable, and resilient planet by 2030.
2. Company 1 Overview (Infosys)
Founded in 1981, Infosys is a global leader in digital services and consulting, operating
in over 56 countries. With more than 300,000 employees, the company serves diverse
industries and integrates sustainability into its core operations.Infosys aligns its ESG
Vision 2030 with the UN SDGs, focusing on climate action, water stewardship, circular
economy, and social impact. It has committed to being carbon neutral since 2020 and
aims to become climate positive by 2030, addressing all scopes of emissions. In FY 2025,
Infosys achieved a 98% waste diversion from landfills, secured TRUE Zero Waste
certification for three campuses, and increased water storage by 4.3 billion liters
through 11 lake rejuvenation projects. The company maintained carbon neutrality for
the sixth consecutive year and advanced digital skilling programs, impacting over 125
million people globally.
3. Company 2 Overview (Microsoft)
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is a global technology leader providing software, cloud
services, and AI solutions. With a workforce of over 260,000 and operations spanning
the globe, Microsoft has embedded environmental sustainability into its core operations
and strategic vision. In 2020, Microsoft set ambitious “moonshot” targets: becoming
carbon negative, water positive, and achieving zero waste by 2030, while also
protecting more land than it uses. These goals are aligned with UN SDGs and
underpinned by investments in clean energy, circular infrastructure, and ecosystem
preservation MicrosoftThe Official Microsoft Blog. By FY24, Microsoft reduced Scope 1
and 2 emissions by ~30% from its 2020 baseline, though total emissions rose 23.4%
due to AI and cloud expansion The Official Microsoft BlogSustainability
MagazineWindows Central. It contracted 34 GW of carbon-free electricity across 24
countries, entered major carbon-removal agreements (nearly 30 Mt by this year),
diverted 85% of construction waste, reached a 90.9% recycling rate for servers, and
exceeded land protection targets by over 30% The Official Microsoft
Blog+1Microsoftwsj.com.
4. Comparative Analysis
Both Infosys and Microsoft have embedded sustainability into their corporate
strategies, aligning their environmental commitments with the UN Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). Each company has set ambitious 2030 targets: Infosys aims
to remain carbon neutral and become climate positive, while Microsoft targets carbon
negativity. Both organizations prioritize renewable energy adoption, waste reduction,
water stewardship, and transparent ESG reporting. Additionally, both invest in
technology-driven solutions, such as AI and data analytics, to optimize energy use and
measure sustainability outcomes. Infosys has already maintained carbon neutrality for
six consecutive years, focusing heavily on Scope 1 and 2 emissions, water conservation,
and zero waste certifications across campuses in India. Microsoft, in contrast, operates
on a much larger global scale, with higher absolute emissions driven by AI and cloud
expansion, making its path to carbon negativity more complex. While Infosys
emphasizes community-based environmental initiatives in India, Microsoft’s efforts
include global carbon removal projects, large-scale renewable energy procurement, and
ecosystem restoration. Infosys faces challenges in expanding its climate-positive
initiatives across its global client footprint, while maintaining its strong performance in
waste diversion and water management. Microsoft’s primary gap lies in addressing the
surge in Scope 3 emissions, particularly from supply chain and product use, which
threaten its 2030 goals. Both companies must strengthen renewable energy integration
in regions with fossil-heavy grids and enhance climate resilience measures. Greater
cross-industry collaboration and transparent tracking of interim progress will be key to
accelerating momentum toward their sustainability ambitions.
5. Critical Evaluation
Infosys has demonstrated high effectiveness in meeting its environmental goals,
maintaining carbon neutrality since 2020 and steadily advancing toward climate
positivity by 2030. Its initiatives in water conservation, zero waste certification, and
renewable energy adoption are measurable and consistently achieved. Microsoft’s
strategies are ambitious, especially its commitment to carbon negativity, water
positivity, and zero waste by 2030. However, rapid AI and cloud growth has caused a
rise in overall emissions, reducing short-term effectiveness despite progress in
renewable energy procurement and carbon removal contracts.Infosys positively
impacts local communities through water rejuvenation projects, skill development
programs, and sustainable campus operations, fostering trust among employees, clients,
and the public. Microsoft’s global efforts, including renewable energy investments and
ecosystem restoration, benefit diverse stakeholders—from governments and partners
to customers—by setting industry-wide benchmarks. Infosys should scale its climate-
positive model beyond India and deepen its Scope 3 emissions engagement with
suppliers and clients. Microsoft must prioritize emission reductions alongside capacity
expansion, integrate more carbon-free electricity into AI data centers, and accelerate
Scope 3 mitigation. Both could enhance collaboration with peers, increase public
transparency on progress, and explore breakthrough clean technologies to achieve and
exceed 2030 goals.
6. Conclusion
The comparative analysis of Infosys and Microsoft reveals that both companies have
ambitious and structured environmental sustainability strategies aligned with 2030
targets. Infosys demonstrates steady, measurable progress through carbon neutrality,
water conservation, and waste management, while Microsoft sets pioneering global
benchmarks in carbon negativity, water positivity, and biodiversity restoration.
However, Microsoft faces challenges in managing rising emissions from rapid
technological expansion, and Infosys must expand its impact globally. Overall, both are
strong sustainability leaders, but their long-term success depends on accelerating Scope
3 reductions, integrating innovation, and maintaining transparency to achieve
meaningful, scalable climate action beyond 2030.
7. References
https://www.infosys.com/sustainability/documents/infosys-esg-report-2024-25.pdf
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainability/report/
