Leadership and Sustainability Should Be at Forefront Of Start-ups: Rajeev Peshawaria While acknowledging the challenges in the current financial landscape, Rajiv emphasized the role of impact capital and philanthropic funding, asserting, "Capital as a force of good is a huge problem."

Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO, Stewardship Asia Centre emphasized the importance of adopting leadership principles from the inception of a start-up. He highlighted the success stories of companies like Unilever, Tata Group, and Mars Inc., which prioritized sustainability from day one and achieved remarkable long-term success.

Rajiv underscored the need for entrepreneurs to embrace a triple bottom line approach, stating, "The best entrepreneurs are those who integrate sustainability into their business models and address the pressing challenges facing society."

While acknowledging the challenges in the current financial landscape, Rajiv emphasized the role of impact capital and philanthropic funding, asserting, "Capital as a force of good is a huge problem."

He called for a shift in the mindset of investors towards valuing purpose-driven businesses over traditional metrics like unicorn status.

Addressing concerns about implementing leadership in small start-ups, Rajiv encouraged entrepreneurs to lead by example and develop innovative models that demonstrate profitability alongside social and environmental impact.

He said, "You don't need direct reports, you don't need title, you need a burning desire in your heart to create a better future. Then you are a leader already."

Meanwhile, in a recent study found that 51 per cent of the top-100 companies have disclosed on a voluntary basis about carbon emissions.

According to PwC India survey, about 31 per cent of the respondent companies have disclosed their net-zero targets while 49 per cent companies have increased their energy consumption from renewable sources.

Meanwhile 31per cent of the companies disclosed their net zero targets.

"51 per cent of India's top 100 listed companies by market capitalisation disclosed their Scope 3 data for FY23 despite it being a voluntary disclosure in Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR)," said the report, 'Navigating India's Transition to Sustainability.'

The report analysed publicly accessible BRSR reports of top 100 companies (Nifty 50 companies and NEXT 50 listed companies) and their response to the regulatory requirement of mandatory reporting under the BRSR for the financial year ended March 31, 2023.