Article Contents
ESG primary survey by Ecofunomics examined how Indian IT executives perceive and implement ESG principles as firms face rising pressure for sustainable growth. This research aimed to capture executive-level insights rather than rely on public reports or policies. The study included small, medium, and large IT firms from various regions across India, clearly defining the firm sizes and geographic coverage to clarify the research’s scope and ensure comprehensive representation.
Ultimately, the research sought to provide actionable insights to improve ESG strategy, reporting, and implementation.
ESG Primary Survey Insights on the Client
The client approached Ecofunomics with a clear need to understand how IT executives perceive ESG in practice. They wanted to move beyond superficial disclosures to capture the real adoption of ESG principles in decision-making and operations.
The client’s goals included:
- Understanding how ESG influences strategic business decisions.
- Comparing ESG awareness and adoption across small, medium, and large IT firms.
- Identifying gaps between ESG knowledge and practical implementation.
By gaining these insights, the client aimed to design better policies, reporting structures, and frameworks that could be applied across their operations. The focus was clearly on leadership perspectives because executives directly influence ESG adoption and integration within the organization.
What is ESG?
ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance, the three pillars of responsible business practices.
Each pillar evaluates different aspects of sustainability and ethical conduct in business.
- Environmental: This pillar measures how companies manage their impact on the planet. It includes energy efficiency, carbon emissions, water usage, waste management, and broader sustainability initiatives. Companies that actively manage these aspects reduce environmental risk and improve resource efficiency.
- Social: The social pillar evaluates how firms treat their employees, customers, and communities. It covers workplace safety, employee welfare, diversity and inclusion, data privacy, and community engagement. Strong social practices lead to improved employee morale, customer trust, and a stronger corporate reputation.
- Governance: Governance examines how organizations are run. It includes leadership ethics, transparency, regulatory compliance, risk management, and accountability. Strong governance ensures ethical decision-making, reduces financial and legal risks, and builds stakeholder confidence.
Why ESG matters
Organizations with strong ESG practices not only manage risks better but also attract investors, enhance their reputation, and ensure long-term sustainability. For IT firms, ESG is particularly critical due to energy-intensive operations, digital security risks, and their role in shaping societal impact through technology.
Business Need and Research Challenges in ESG Primary Survey
The need for this research arose because executive-level ESG data was hard to access and inconsistent. Senior IT professionals often face tight schedules, making participation in detailed surveys challenging. ESG topics are sometimes perceived as sensitive or compliance-driven, which can discourage honest responses. Additionally, questionnaires with 70–100 questions can create survey fatigue, reducing data quality. Ensuring that responses were accurate, unbiased, and complete became a significant challenge.
To address these challenges, Ecofunomics needed to design a research methodology that maximized participation, minimized bias, and ensured reliability. This required careful planning, strong field management, and rigorous validation techniques.
Research Design and Strategic Approach
To overcome these challenges, Ecofunomics implemented a structured, business-focused ESG framework. The framework was aligned with recognized ESG principles and designed to capture both awareness and practical application.
Key design elements included:
- Translating complex ESG concepts into clear, business-relevant questions.
- Balancing analytical depth with simplicity to encourage executive engagement.
- Using neutral language to avoid bias and ensure reliable responses.
The questionnaire covered all ESG dimensions and included sections for leadership perspectives, implementation practices, and organizational challenges. This design allowed Ecofunomics to collect meaningful, actionable, and credible data that could be used for decision-making and reporting.
Field Execution and Data Collection in ESG Primary Survey
Executing the research effectively was as important as its design. Ecofunomics deployed trained field teams across multiple regions to ensure consistent data collection. Teams followed standardized protocols to maintain transparency, confidentiality, and professional engagement with executives. Supervisors monitored the teams to ensure accuracy, completeness, and adherence to methodology. The field teams conducted structured interviews with executives at different hierarchical and functional levels.
This approach captured diverse perspectives and reduced the risk of biased or one-sided responses. The combination of strong training, supervision, and standardized processes ensured high-quality, reliable, and credible data.
Data Validation and Analysis
Once collected, the data underwent rigorous validation and quality checks. Incomplete, inconsistent, or suspicious responses were flagged and corrected where possible. Logical consistency across responses was verified to ensure accuracy. Only validated responses were included in the final dataset, which consisted of 607 high-quality executive responses. This dataset allowed the client to identify patterns in ESG awareness, adoption, and implementation gaps. It also provided a foundation for benchmarking ESG practices across firm sizes and leadership levels.
Key Findings and Strategic Value
The research highlighted several important insights:
- Variations in ESG awareness: Larger firms generally had higher ESG awareness than smaller ones.
- Gaps in implementation: Even when executives were aware of ESG principles, practical adoption often lagged.
- Leadership influence: ESG adoption was stronger when top executives actively championed ESG initiatives.
Impact for the client
The study provided actionable insights to improve ESG strategy, reporting, and organizational alignment. It helped the client identify priority areas for investment, training, and policy implementation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this ESG Research demonstrated the critical importance of understanding leadership-level ESG awareness. By examining Environmental, Social, and Governance factors, organizations can reduce risks, build stakeholder trust, and create sustainable long-term value. The research revealed that while awareness exists across Indian IT firms, practical adoption is uneven and requires targeted interventions. Structured and well-executed ESG studies provide organizations with actionable insights to guide strategy, policy, and growth. For IT companies, embracing ESG fully is not just compliance—it is a pathway to trust, innovation, and sustainable business success.
Author
Humsha Zahir
Research and Administrative Assistant
Ecofunomics LLP.
