At the TOI Ecopreneur Honours 2025 held in Delhi on Monday, a thought-provoking panel titled “From Boardroom to the Road: Integrating Sustainability into India’s Growth Strategy” brought together top industry leaders who outlined how sustainability is no longer a corporate accessory but a foundational growth driver for India’s future.The session featured Anjali Ravi Kumar, chief sustainability officer at Zomato; Ram Kuppuswamy, COO of Hero MotoCorp; Pankaj Verma, chief sustainability officer at Adani Green Energy Limited; and Abhijeet Sinha, program director at National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV). Each panelist detailed how their organisation is embedding sustainability into core operations—beyond CSR—and why doing so is key to long-term success.“We have always embedded sustainability at the heart of our products, services, and customer outreach,” said Kuppuswamy, stressing that Hero MotoCorp has intensified its green efforts over the past decade. “It’s not just a responsibility but a strategic necessity for all stakeholders.”Pankaj Verma echoed this sentiment, highlighting how Adani Green Energy has built its business model around sustainability. “From strategy to execution, we’ve aligned everything with long-term environmental goals. Even our suppliers are improving on these aspects,” he said, adding that their roadmap is reviewed and approved by the Board.Zomato’s Anjali Ravi Kumar noted that Gen Z and younger consumers are driving awareness. “Sustainability matters, but the primary functionality like delivery speed or pricing cannot be compromised. Green practices are now a value addition,” she said. She cited Zomato’s success in offsetting plastic waste: “Each of our food deliveries is 100% plastic neutral. We’ve recycled about 45,000 metric tonnes of plastic.”Abhijeet Sinha brought a philosophical lens, urging India to develop a model based on indigenous thinking rather than replicating Western frameworks. “India’s green future must emerge from its own wisdom. If we fail to do this, we risk losing our identity,” he warned.The discussion also touched upon urban challenges like the worsening condition of Gurugram. Kuppuswamy pointed out that personal responsibility must go hand-in-hand with systemic reform, while Verma stressed the need to embed sustainability from the planning phase itself. Sinha added that the issue has become a matter of civic and electoral concern.Together, the panellists highlighted that India’s green transformation will require both top-down strategies and grassroots participation. As one panellist put it, “Sustainability is not a choice anymore—it is the roadmap.”