Examining The Impact Of CSR Expenditure On Sustainability And The SDGs

Purpose – The main purpose of the study is to answer the question: Does India contribute to sustainability, the UNSDGs, and to what extent?  The UN Economic Report (2025) showed India's economy growing at 6.6 percent, with 205 Indians listed as billionaires worth a combined $941 billion on the Forbes billionaire list (2025).

Methodology- Using the exploratory and descriptive research design, the study examines the CSR spending of all eligible Indian companies and the top IT firms falling under Section 135 from FY 2019 to 2024. The research employed both qualitative and quantitative methods, including thematic classification, alignment analysis, descriptive statistics, and trend analysis.

Findings- The study finds that all eligible companies spent a total of INR 1,44,159.05 crores on CSR initiatives over the last five financial years, reflecting nearly a 30 percent increase. The non-PSUs sector demonstrated a consistent upward trend in CSR spending. Both categories of companies allocated the majority (over 50%) of their average CSR expenditure to environmental sustainability measures. IT companies allocated 55.98 percent of their average CSR budgets to employment generation and educational facilities, which is more than 11.5% higher than all other Indian companies. The Sustainable Development Goals, especially goals 1 to 4, 6 to 8, 11, and 13 to 15, relate to hunger and poverty eradication, education and skill development, health improvement, clean sanitation, the creation of decent work and growth opportunities, renewable energy, and rural development were contributed.

Originality-The study is based on real CSR expenditure and confirms the importance of corporate entities as key drivers of change.