Diageo India Advances its Spirit of Progress Agenda with Tangible ESG Progress in FY25

Full report available here.

India, 19 November 2025: Diageo India (United Spirits Ltd.), one of the country’s leading alcobev companies has released its fourth annual ESG Reporting Index, spotlighting advancements on its ‘Spirit of Progress’ ESG action plan. The Reporting Index outlines the company’s impact across three pillars of its Spirit of Progress framework: pioneering grain to glass sustainability, championing inclusion and diversity, and promoting positive drinking, all anchored in doing business the right way.

Developed in line with the globally recognised GRI Standards, the Index also maps Diageo India’s performance against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and provides additional sector-specific disclosures under the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) framework.

Jitendra Mahajan, Chief Supply and Sustainability Officer, Diageo India, said, “Our Spirit of Progress ESG agenda reflects the business we are deliberately building- one that grows responsibly, leads with integrity, and creates long-term value. From strengthening water security and accelerating our transition to renewable energy, to advancing inclusion and promoting responsible consumption, our actions demonstrate that a focus on ESG powers performance. As we deepen this momentum, we remain committed to working with partners to build resilient communities, protect natural resources, and shape a more sustainable future for India.”

Highlights from Diageo India’s ESG Reporting Index 2025

Pioneer Grain to Glass Sustainability: Diageo India continues to strengthen its grain-to-glass sustainability roadmap, building a business that is resilient and circular. Its efforts centre on water conservation, circularity, renewable energy use, carbon reduction and building climate resilient communities. This ensures value creation goes hand in hand with value preservation.
Preserve Water for Life: Water stewardship remains a cornerstone of Diageo India’s sustainability strategy, especially in water-stressed regions. The company drives this through operational efficiency, water replenishment, community interventions and collective action.
Water in Operations: Since 2020, the company has improved water-use efficiency by 54% in distillation and 35% in packaging.
Water in Communities: In FY25, Diageo India replenished 182,000 cubic metres of water (cumulative 1.1 million cubic metres since 2020) across various regions including Nanded, Nashik (Maharashtra), Hardoi (Uttar Pradesh), and Alwar (Rajasthan).Through its WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programs, the company continues to provide access to drinking water and sanitation facilities across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, and Rajasthan. The company’s Alwar distillery has also maintained its core certification from the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS).
Collective Action: Diageo India also collaborates with various stakeholders to develop water security solutions and integrate water related issues into public policies. In Maharashtra, the company has co-founded The Godavari Initiative, a multi-stakeholder collaboration that works across the Godavari basin to restore aquifers, strengthen watershed management, and improve water availability for communities.

Accelerating to a Low-Carbon World: Aligned with its UN SDG commitments, Diageo India is rapidly advancing its transition to a low-carbon future.
Carbon from Operations: In line with its 2030 net zero ambitions, Diageo India has eliminated coal use since 2022 by converting all distilleries to biomass-fuelled boilers, driving a 93% reduction in GHG emissions since 2020. Today, 99% of its energy comes from renewable sources, supported by 2.7 MW of in-house solar capacity, placing the company significantly ahead of its 2030 renewable energy targets. The company has also achieved zero waste to landfill in its direct operations, with 99% of packaging material now recyclable, 59% coming from recycled inputs, and 33% food-grade recycled PET (r-PET) used across its PET bottle portfolio.
Carbon from Communities: Through its brand ‘Signature Packaged Drinking Water’, the company is supporting mangrove regeneration in Puri, Odisha where 31,500 seedlings have been planted. Additionally, over 1 lakh trees have been planted and maintained to offset residual GHG emissions. The company has also planted more than 2 lakh trees as part of its afforestation drive in Alwar, under the ‛Trees Outside Forest in Rajasthan’ (TOFR) programme.
Carbon from Supply Chain: Diageo India continues to collaborate with suppliers to reduce Scope 3 emissions through sustainable sourcing and the use of low-carbon technologies. Partnering with external agencies, the company has trained 430 farmers (80% of them being smallholders) in regenerative agriculture practices, covering 2000+ acres across two seasons.

2. Championing Inclusion and Diversity: Representation and empowerment remain core to Diageo India’s purpose-led culture. Our broader Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) approach encompasses our people, brands, suppliers, partners, and communities. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to nurturing an inclusive and diverse work culture. Our Equal Opportunity policy outlines our commitment to embracing diversity in the broadest possible sense, encompassing gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and disability.

In line with its Spirit of Progress action plan, Diageo India aims to increase women’s representation to 50% within USL’s Leadership Team. As of FY25, women made up 28% of the executive workforce, 30% of the leadership team and 50% of the Executive Committee.
The company’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) the Spirited Women’s Network and the Rainbow Network continue to build awareness, advocacy, capability, and community.
Under Project Saksham, 43 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) have been hired and upskilled through long-term career development initiatives.
Through the Learning for Life program, 1,922 individuals were trained in FY25, including 1,282 women and 303 PwDs. 67% of beneficiaries across Diageo India’s skilling programmes are women. Diageo’s Bar Academy trained more than 9,400 bartenders and bar owners, enhancing industry standards and employability.
Diageo India has been recognised as a Gold Employer for LGBT+ Inclusion (2024) by the India Workplace Equality Index (IWEI) and ranked 16th (out of Top 20) in the Equileap’s Gender Equality Report & Ranking 2024 for Emerging Markets.

3. Promoting Positive Drinking: Guided by the philosophy of “Drink Better, Not More,” Diageo India continues to champion responsible consumption and behaviour-change initiatives.

Curbing underage consumption: The Act Smart India initiative reached 200,000 youth in FY 2024-25, bringing cumulative reach to 500,000 since FY 2020-21.
Anti-Drink Driving: The Wrong Side of the Road digital learning platform, implemented across 79 Regional Transport Offices in 10 States, engaged 500,000 consumers in FY25, taking total reach to 1.2 million since 2021.
Moderation: The DRINKiQ platform continues to drive awareness around moderation and alcohol-related harm as a global resource for responsible drinking.

4. Doing Business the Right Way: Strong governance remains the bedrock of Diageo India’s ESG leadership, reinforcing ethical conduct and long-term stakeholder trust.

The Board comprises diverse, experienced professionals with strong independent representation, including an Independent Chairperson. The Nomination & Remuneration Committee, Risk Management Committee, Audit Committee, and CSR & ESG Committee are all chaired by Independent Directors.
The CSR & ESG Committee of the Board oversees the company’s ESG performance through periodic reviews of strategy, goals, and targets.
ESG governance is enabled through cross-functional teams embedded across business processes, reporting quarterly to the Executive Committee.