The year 2025-26 was a crucial moment for sustainable development - amidst geopolitical tensions, energy security concerns, advent of AI. The year marked the 10th anniversary since the Paris Agreement was agreed upon in 2015; and 5 years in hand to reach the goalpost for realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Seventeen years after the launch of India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change in 2008, Indian policymakers, civil society, and businesses have advanced the issue a great distance. As governments around the world update their climate targets and plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), an opportunity to craft a 2035 roadmap that signals ambition, attracts investment, and future-proofs the economy from the adverse effects of climate change – covering both mitigation and adaptation.
Likewise, for TERI, 2025-26 witnessed some defining moments. With its Council members, TERI has played a pivotal role in shaping India's NDC announcements, offering analytical insights and evidence-based recommendations that have facilitated the government's strategic approach to meeting its climate targets.
Throughout 2025-26, TERI Council for Business Sustainability strived to ensure that pressing concerns relating to energy transition, sustainable agriculture practices, water-use efficiency and more were embedded in our engagements with the corporate world, and with our partners. During this time, TERI Council for Business Sustainability (CBS) witnessed enthused participation of national and global partners along with policy stakeholders at the subnational, national and regional levels. Across the year, the network of TERI CBS helped build a system that provides policymakers with reliable, relevant and real-world evidence from businesses to support the translation of NDCs and sustainability goals into effective policies and regulations, and the Council aims to keep strengthening this system in years ahead.
Our engagements with leading Indian industries have gained consistent traction to advance agenda of industry decarbonization and circular economy.
In 2025-26, at an aggregate level, the Council directly engaged with over 300 Indian companies, while reaching out to over 500 companies in the CBS Network. Glimpses of the key moments and outcomes of TERI CBS engagements from 2025-26 can be accessed below.