How to Start a Career in ESG and Sustainability in India

11th Aug, 2026  •  By Puneet kad with no comment •  Sustainability

These days companies in India are paying a lot of attention to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), which we call ESG for short. They want to be more sustainable and responsible in the way they do business. This means they have to think about things like climate change, being fair to their employees, and making sure they are doing the right thing.

As companies start to care more about ESG, they need people who know about these things to help them. So if you are a student or if you already have a job and want to change to something working in ESG and sustainability could be a great choice for you.

How do you get started in a career like this? Let’s break it down into steps.

What Does ESG and Sustainability Mean?

ESG is like an umbrella that covers three important areas.

• Environmental means taking care of the earth, so we think about things like climate change, using energy wisely, and not wasting water.
• Social is about being fair to people, so we think about things like making sure employees are safe at work and that everyone is treated equally.
• Governance is like the rules of the game, so we think about things like being honest and transparent in the way we do business.

Sustainability is an idea that means we want to make sure we can keep doing things in the future without hurting the planet.

Why Should You Choose a Career in ESG and Sustainability?

These days ESG is not something that a special team in a company thinks about. All parts of the company like finance, human resources, and operations need to think about ESG. This means there are lots of types of jobs you can do in this field.

If you already have experience in finance, you could work on things like investing. If you work in human resources, you could help make sure your company is treating its employees well. If you work in operations, you could help your company use resources more efficiently.

Step 1: Learn the Basics of ESG

The first thing you need to do is learn about the basics of ESG. This means reading about things like ESG principles, sustainability, climate change, and corporate governance.

You should learn about:

• What ESG is
• Why sustainability is important
• What companies are doing to reduce their impact on the environment
• How companies are being more responsible and fair
• How companies report on their ESG progress

Step 2: Learn About ESG Rules and Reporting in India

If you want to work in ESG in India, you need to know about the rules and regulations.

You should learn about:

• How companies report on their sustainability
• What the government requires companies to do in terms of ESG
• How companies are expected to behave in a responsible way

Step 3: Get Practical Skills

Just knowing about ESG is not enough. You need to have skills too.

This could include things like:

• Analyzing ESG data
• Writing reports on sustainability
• Assessing risks
• Managing stakeholders
• Communicating with people

Step 4: Consider Getting a Certification in ESG

Getting a certification in ESG can be really helpful. It's like a course that teaches you everything you need to know about ESG.

When you're choosing a course think about:

• What the course covers
• Who is teaching the course
• Whether you can practice what you're learning
• How long the course is
• Whether you get a certificate at the end

Step 5: Choose the Right Career Path

ESG is a field so you need to think about what area you want to work in.

You could be an ESG analyst, which means you would work with data and reports. You could be a sustainability professional, which means you would help companies be more sustainable. You could be an ESG consultant, which means you would help companies figure out how to be more responsible. You could work in finance, which means you would help companies make good investment decisions. You could work in ESG risk, which means you would help companies identify and manage risks.

Step 6: Get Some Experience

Once you have learned about ESG you need to get some experience.

You could volunteer to work on a sustainability project. You could help a company with its ESG reporting. You could even start your project to help the environment.

Step 7: Keep Learning

ESG is always changing so you need to keep learning.

You can read reports and articles, attend webinars, and take courses. This will help you stay up to date and be an expert in your field.

Start Your ESG Career

Starting a career in ESG and sustainability in India is exciting. You can do it even if you don't have a background in sustainability. You just need to learn about ESG, get some skills, and keep learning.

At eAsia Academy you can find courses and training programs that can help you get started.