'We need a tech stack for sustainability': All-women panel at BT Sustainability Summit charts India’s green playbook

An all-women panel of climate and business leaders offered a bold vision for how India can seize the climate opportunity—if it couples ambition with accountability at BT Sustainability Summit 2025.

Mridula Ramesh, founder of the Sundaram Climate Institute, emphasized the vital role of industry anchors in scaling innovation. “The role of big companies—the motherships, the buyers, the ecosystem formers—cannot be overstated,” she said. Drawing parallels to Israel’s water sector, Ramesh pointed to Meccarot, the national water utility, as a model for how large players can catalyze entire innovation ecosystems. “Startups often don’t know the next step. A big company making introductions can change that. I tell them—I’ll be your friend.”

She also underlined the economic potential of better waste management. “If we just stop burning waste and manage it like some Indian municipalities do, we’ll create thousands of crores in innovative capital and 1 to 2 million jobs,” Ramesh said. “Climate is a huge opportunity.”

Namrata Rana, National Head of ESG at KPMG in India, focused on regulatory momentum. “Central banks across the world are embedding climate risk. RBI came up with guidelines—firms need to evaluate climate risk and opportunities,” she noted. With frameworks like BRSR, green advertising norms, and carbon credit schemes emerging rapidly, she called it “a realization that massive risks are ahead of us.” Rana added, “Large organisations have started accounting for their climate risks. Hoping RBI’s draft becomes the norm.”

She emphasized the urgent need for infrastructure to support sustainability. “We have a tech stack for digital payments. But we need one for sustainability. Ask how much textile waste we generate—no one knows,” she said. “Transparency is the biggest requirement for a circular economy.”

Swapna Gupta, Partner at Avaana Capital, highlighted how India’s startup landscape has evolved from a service economy to a product powerhouse. “Most entrepreneurs aren’t solving for a small project anymore. They’re asking—can I build for India? For Southeast Asia? For the world?” she said. Gupta also pointed to a mindset shift: “It was okay earlier to be a cheaper made-in-India product. Now, products are globally competitive at the same price point.”