India’s sustainability focus moves to action and results, finds Burson Report

New Delhi: Burson, the global communications agency, has released a new cross-market study spotlighting how sustainability is being perceived and communicated across Australia, India and Singapore. 

Developed using the firm’s proprietary AI-enabled tools, Know Your Opportunity (KYO) and Decipher,  the report provides insight into emerging public expectations and highlights key gaps in how sustainability narratives are currently being framed.

In India, the findings suggest a distinctive sustainability discourse rooted in the country’s agrarian foundation. Consumer conversations are largely centred on food security and rural resilience, even as urban scrutiny grows around sectors like fashion and personal care. This shift in attention is accompanied by increasing regulatory oversight, particularly as sustainability concerns become more mainstream.

The report finds that India’s energy sector enjoys notable public trust, with renewables attracting significantly higher interest than in regional peers. Sustainability conversations in the country are described as compliance-oriented and largely apolitical, with audiences favouring narratives that link climate action to broader national development goals.

“Burson’s ‘Decoding Sustainability’ report highlights the rapid evolution of India’s sustainability narrative,” said Vandana Sandhir, Chief Client Strategy Officer, Burson Group India. “Audiences today are increasingly calling for tangible progress toward stated goals, creating a clear opportunity for brands to build meaningful sustainability narratives.”

The study reveals a common shift across all three markets. Consumers in Australia, India and Singapore are no longer satisfied with ambitious declarations; they now expect demonstrable impact, supported by clarity and data. This shift away from buzzwords is creating pressure on organisations to communicate with precision.

“As our clients work to enhance their social and environmental impact, they’re navigating a landscape of controversy, complexity and confusion,” said Adrian Warr, Burson’s South Asia-Pacific CEO. “By blending AI-first intelligence with our reputation-building craft, we’re helping clients communicate with greater agility, precision and credibility to strengthen their reputation and their business.”

While there is widespread awareness of frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the report notes an ongoing lack of clarity around what sustainability means in practice. Generic language such as “progress”, “growth”, “technology” and “solutions” increasingly fails to resonate, with audiences showing a preference for transparent, data-led reporting. This demand for specificity is particularly acute in sectors such as agriculture, energy, and consumer goods, which face mounting public scrutiny and regulatory attention.

Another insight from the report points to the relatively subdued presence of activism within mainstream sustainability discussions. With the exception of climate issues, public discourse remains largely neutral and reactive, signalling a missed opportunity for brands and institutions to play a more visible role in shaping sustainability leadership.

“Sustainability is no longer just a reporting requirement – it’s a reputational imperative,” said Michael Rhydderch, APAC Head of Sustainability and Social Impact, Burson. “Today, audiences are demanding more than ambition – they expect transparency, accountability and real progress which means organisations must move from vague sustainability promises to clear and relatable communication.”

The methodology of the report centres on KYO’s ability to assess how consumers engage with sustainability narratives by analysing online search behaviour and cross-referencing it with media content. “KYO’s advanced algorithms analyse online search behaviour and cross-reference it with media narratives, uncovering insights into how consumers engage with sustainability topics,” said Timon Kohli, SVP, Global Innovation Product Manager at Burson.