Ankit Todi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group, 0
Mahindra Group is setting a benchmark in the industry by adopting a “Planet Positive Strategy,” bringing sustainability to the core of its operations. As Ankit Todi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group, emphasizes, the Group’s approach transcends mere carbon reduction, focusing on a holistic view of environmental impact, encompassing energy, water, biodiversity, waste, and operational transparency. With a strong commitment to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green business transformations across sectors like automotive, real estate, and logistics, Mahindra Group is integrating sustainability into its operations as well as its extended ecosystem. CEO Insights engages in an exclusive interview with Ankit to explore how Mahindra sets an example in the industry and Ankit's role as a sustainability leader.
"Your ‘Planet Positive’ strategy takes a comprehensive view of sustainability. How do you see these interconnected areas shaping Mahindra’s long-term environmental and business goals?
At the Mahindra Group, we approach sustainability holistically through our ‘Planet Positive” strategy, which covers more than just carbon emissions. We assess our impact across carbon, energy, water, biodiversity, waste / materials and overall company operations. Our strategy was shaped through discussions with external stakeholders like investors, governments, and the public, aligning with upcoming regulations around environmental impact.
The first step is to make bold commitments, focusing on areas within our operational control. This includes reducing carbon emissions , water use, and waste, while promoting material circularity. For instance, we focus on net-zero emissions by improving energy across our operations. Additionally, we aim for net water positivity and waste management, where our waste never ends up in landfills.
Another key pillar is transitioning our business portfolio towards greener sectors. We’re launching electric vehicles and promoting green buildings in real estate. We also regularly engage with our supply chain to encourage adoption of sustainable practices, including emissions reduction and material recycling.
Transparency in reporting and disclosure is another key element of our approach. We believe that clear, open communication about our environmental impact is essential for driving improvement and gaining stakeholder trust. This includes both internal operations and the broader ecosystem in which we operate, such as ensuring our logistics are more efficient and shifting to electric vehicles for last-mile deliveries.
Sustainability at Mahindra is not limited to a single department. It involves collective efforts across all functions. We are focused on building capabilities throughout the company to ensure everyone is equipped to contribute to our environmental objectives.
Through this comprehensive strategy, Mahindra aims to be a leader in sustainability, demonstrating that large corporations can positively impact the planet while driving business growth and innovation.
How do you engage with local communities in Mahindra’s sustainability initiatives, especially in rural areas?
We work with local communities through two key programs aimed at women empowerment. The first focuses on regenerative agriculture, where we help women farmers adopt sustainable practices, reducing water and fertilizer use. The second is our drone skilling program in collaboration with government
training institutes—Drone Didi Yojana, wherein we skill women farmers to become drone pilots who can operate drones for more efficient pesticide spraying. This method reduces the use of chemicals.
We also undertake another skilling initiative open to both men and women, with a focus on rural youth. At our skilling center developed by Mahindra Susten outside Mumbai, we train individuals to work as technicians in solar energy installations. managing solar panels on rooftops and ground installations. This program, recognized by the United Nations Global Compact, has trained over 10,000 people in the last 8-9 years.
Additionally, we ran a large-scale afforestation initiative, the Haryali Program, in Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh, which has a significant tribal population. We have planted over 25 mn trees since the inception of Hariyali and partnered with the local community coffee plantations to improve rural livelihoods.
These are some of the examples of our key engagement with local communities at the intersection of social and environmental wellbeing.
How important is innovation in sustainable business practices?
Innovations play a crucial role in adapting to sustainable business practices. As part of our planet-positive strategy, we actively engage with the startup ecosystem to stay ahead of innovations, particularly in areas like energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste management, recycling, and green materials. This allows us to pilot and adopt new solutions within the Group.
One example is our collaboration with Sangti Solutions, a startup that developed a platform to calculate emissions from the transportation sector. After a successful pilot, we turned this into a full-scale commercial project, enabling Mahindra Logistics to share detailed emission reports with its clients. This initiative was driven by innovation from the startup ecosystem.
Internally, we focus on innovation throughout our operations, especially in vehicle design. At Mahindra Research Valley, we’ve made significant advancements in reducing vehicle weight without compromising strength and fuel efficiency.
To encourage continuous innovation, we have an annual group-wide award recognizing innovations in sustainability. Each year, around 30 entries from various Mahindra businesses are evaluated based on their innovation and impact, celebrating the best contributions.
Tell us about your team and their role in achieving sustainability for Mahindra.
Sustainability at Mahindra Group is a highly integrated function that works closely with multiple teams across the organization. At the highest level, we have the Group Sustainability Council, chaired by our Group CEO and MD, Dr Anish Shah, and made up of 10 other members, including CEOs of large companies and executive board members. I help orchestrate this council, where major decisions and action plans are discussed. This is supported by strong sustainability teams within each of our businesses.
Below this, is the group-level sustainability team, a center of excellence responsible for strategy, large projects, external engagements, climate advocacy, and reporting & disclosures. This team consists of 7-8 members. This team works with the factory and individual business-level teams and coordinates with other departments, such as procurement for supply chain sustainability and R&D for sustainable material development. This structure ensures a cohesive approach to sustainability across the Group.
What is your long-term vision for Mahindra’s role in shaping India's sustainable future?
Our long-term vision for the Mahindra Group is to ensure that all companies operate in a planet positive manner. This means reducing our operational impact, helping the ecosystem transition to green sources of revenue—whether through products, services, or enablers like green financing and working to create a positive impact on society and nature affected by climate change. We are implementing this vision across all key Group companies, creating strategies that align with this planet-positive goal.
We also undertake another skilling initiative open to both men and women, with a focus on rural youth. At our skilling center developed by Mahindra Susten outside Mumbai, we train individuals to work as technicians in solar energy installations. managing solar panels on rooftops and ground installations. This program, recognized by the United Nations Global Compact, has trained over 10,000 people in the last 8-9 years.
Additionally, we ran a large-scale afforestation initiative, the Haryali Program, in Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh, which has a significant tribal population. We have planted over 25 mn trees since the inception of Hariyali and partnered with the local community coffee plantations to improve rural livelihoods.
These are some of the examples of our key engagement with local communities at the intersection of social and environmental wellbeing.
Sustainability at Mahindra is not limited to a single department. It involves collective efforts across all functions.
How important is innovation in sustainable business practices?
Innovations play a crucial role in adapting to sustainable business practices. As part of our planet-positive strategy, we actively engage with the startup ecosystem to stay ahead of innovations, particularly in areas like energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste management, recycling, and green materials. This allows us to pilot and adopt new solutions within the Group.
One example is our collaboration with Sangti Solutions, a startup that developed a platform to calculate emissions from the transportation sector. After a successful pilot, we turned this into a full-scale commercial project, enabling Mahindra Logistics to share detailed emission reports with its clients. This initiative was driven by innovation from the startup ecosystem.
Internally, we focus on innovation throughout our operations, especially in vehicle design. At Mahindra Research Valley, we’ve made significant advancements in reducing vehicle weight without compromising strength and fuel efficiency.
To encourage continuous innovation, we have an annual group-wide award recognizing innovations in sustainability. Each year, around 30 entries from various Mahindra businesses are evaluated based on their innovation and impact, celebrating the best contributions.
Tell us about your team and their role in achieving sustainability for Mahindra.
Sustainability at Mahindra Group is a highly integrated function that works closely with multiple teams across the organization. At the highest level, we have the Group Sustainability Council, chaired by our Group CEO and MD, Dr Anish Shah, and made up of 10 other members, including CEOs of large companies and executive board members. I help orchestrate this council, where major decisions and action plans are discussed. This is supported by strong sustainability teams within each of our businesses.
Below this, is the group-level sustainability team, a center of excellence responsible for strategy, large projects, external engagements, climate advocacy, and reporting & disclosures. This team consists of 7-8 members. This team works with the factory and individual business-level teams and coordinates with other departments, such as procurement for supply chain sustainability and R&D for sustainable material development. This structure ensures a cohesive approach to sustainability across the Group.
What is your long-term vision for Mahindra’s role in shaping India's sustainable future?
Our long-term vision for the Mahindra Group is to ensure that all companies operate in a planet positive manner. This means reducing our operational impact, helping the ecosystem transition to green sources of revenue—whether through products, services, or enablers like green financing and working to create a positive impact on society and nature affected by climate change. We are implementing this vision across all key Group companies, creating strategies that align with this planet-positive goal.