Big changes often begin with a single question on: Can we do this better? At the F26 Mahindra groups sustainability awards, the answer was a resounding yes!

The Mahindra Group Sustainability Awards F26 served as a dynamic showcase of our planet positive strategy in action driven from ground up. The awards had 3 major categories: a) Most impactful sustainability projects, b) Sustainability champions, and c) Sustainability enablers

Most impactful sustainability project

This year, we received 30+ nominations from group companies, each contributing meaningfully to our Planet Positive strategy by addressing climate action, resource efficiency, waste reduction, and energy transition. The awards aim to celebrate their ingenuity, encourage bottom-up innovation and identify initiatives that can be scaled across the Group to deliver tangible environmental and business outcomes

The nominations were evaluated on four key criteria: innovation, scale-up opportunity, environmental impact, and business impact. An initial list of 11 projects was shortlisted and then the team members presented to a four-member jury comprising of a) Mitika Bajpai, Head - Sustainability, Reliance Industries, b) Manish Kumar, Head - ESG & CSR, ICICI Bank, c) Viral Thakker, Chief Business Officer, Credibl ESG, and d) Ankit Todi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group. This year, seven projects were felicitated (no ranking), recognizing the collective effort and ingenuity behind each initiative. Project highlights and team members who made it happen:

• Sustainable Tractor Design (Mahindra Tractors – MRV): A redesigned tractor driveline achieved a 40-kg weight reduction, improving fuel efficiency, durability, and maintenance while reducing CO₂ emissions and delivering cost savings.
  Team Members: Maxson Gomes, Swapnil Dhanale, Girish Atre, Kedarnath Savant, G Magendran, Rohit Tipugade, P Solairaj, Devang Shastri
• Biodegradable Packaging (Farm Machinery Division): Single-use plastic packaging was replaced with 100% certified biodegradable materials, reducing emissions and pollution while remaining cost-positive and scalable.
  Team Members: Chirayu Desai, Ankit Saxena, Ankit Sharma, Ganesh Dhotre
• Sealant Recovery Maximization (Auto Division – EPT): Process improvements reduced sealant waste by ~85%, improving production efficiency and generating annual cost savings.
  Team Members: Rangarajan Shankar, Abhay Lomte, Santosh Pawar
• Extracted Oil Reuse through Metal Scrap Compaction (Auto Division – MVML): ~98% oil recovery reduced hazardous waste, transportation impacts, and improved shopfloor safety.
  Team Members: Soumya Panda, Suresh Gaikwad, Kailas Tingare, Ramkrishna Patil, Amarendra Panditrao, Pratap Karande, Bharat Bhole, Nitin Bhangale, Sumit Nandurdikar
• Recycled Plastic in Oil Containers (Strategic Sourcing Unit): Introduction of 30% recycled plastic reduced virgin plastic use and emissions, aligned with India’s EPR requirements.
  Team Members: Himmat Patil, Akhil Parashar, Ramaprabhu, Avinash Murugan, Karthika Menon
• Automated Wheel Washing System (Mahindra Lifespaces): A low-cost in-house solution reduced construction dust, improved compliance, and enabled water reuse.
  Team Members: Sachin Khot, Dattatray Garad, Abhishek Nilegaonkar, Sagun Koul, Lalit Dembla
• Compressed Air Optimization (Auto Division – Kandivali): Energy-efficient compressors delivered ~3% energy savings with improved reliability and scalability potential.
  Team Members: Santosh Patel, Vinayak Bhandurge, Kuldeep Shekhawat, Komandoor Raghunandan, Rohit Karanjekar

Individual Sustainability Awards

Sustainability Champions Award: This category recognises dedicated sustainability professionals who translate strategy into action, ensuring consistency, rigour, and measurable progress across the Group’s Planet Positive priorities.

Awardees include Pranav Dubey (Strategic Sourcing Unit, AFS), Kapil Patidar (Strategic Sourcing Unit, AFS), Kuldeep Shekhawat (Auto Division), R Raghupati (Farm Division, Zaheerabad), Rashmi Yelpure (Mahindra Lifespaces), Prasad Patil (Mahindra Logistics), Pranav Patel (Manulife), and Surya Sekhar Panda (Auto & Farm Sector)

Sustainability Enablers Award: Recognises individuals whose core roles are not in sustainability, but have actively enabled and supported sustainability initiatives through their work. This category underscores that sustainability is a shared responsibility, celebrating non-sustainability roles that integrate environmental thinking into core business decisions and accelerate impact at scale.

Awardees include K Sankar (Mahindra Research Valley), Himmat Patil (Strategic Sourcing Unit, AFS), Gurpreet Chhabra, Manu MS, Prince Gomez, and Pavitra Venkatesh (Mahindra Lifespaces), Saurav Rakshit and Swarup Pradhan (Mahindra Logistics), Kamlesh Upadhyay (Mahindra Susten), Devendra Gandhi (Strategic Sourcing Unit, AFS), and Kunal Doshi (Packaging & Logistics, M&M Ltd.)

These initiatives affirm that sustainability at Mahindra is powered by innovation, efficiency, and ownership at every level. As we scale and share these successes, their impact will extend well beyond individual projects. Thank you and congratulations to all awardees for leading meaningful environmental action across the Mahindra Group.