India’s second-largest IT services firm, Infosys Ltd., has launched a survey asking its roughly 300,000 global employees to disclose household electricity usage during remote workdays, extending its aggressive sustainability push into workers’ living rooms. Chief Financial Officer Jayesh Sanghrajka outlined the effort in an internal email, emphasizing the need for precise data amid the company’s hybrid model, which mandates at least 10 office days per month. “With hybrid work becoming an integral part of our operations, the environmental impact of our work increasingly extends beyond our campuses and into our homes. Electricity consumed while working from home also contributes towards Infosys’ greenhouse gas emission footprint,” Mr. Sanghrajka wrote, as reported by LiveMint.
The questionnaire probes specifics on appliances like fans, air conditioners, heaters, lights—including wattage—and even solar panel usage, while inviting ideas for energy savings. This marks at least the second such initiative; in fiscal 2020-21, Infosys pioneered reporting work-from-home emissions through a similar poll on lighting, computers and cooling. Employees contacted by reporters described the current survey as a tool to foster home energy awareness, noting Infosys campuses use 50-60% less power than standard buildings. The Bengaluru-headquartered giant, pursuing climate-positive status by 2030, has held carbon neutrality for six years, certified under ISO 14068-1:2023, with per capita energy down 55% since 2008 and 77.7% of India operations’ electricity from renewables, per its ESG reports cited in Times Now.
Hybrid Work Redefines Corporate Emissions Math
Under Infosys’s policy, staff spend most days remotely, shifting a chunk of its footprint offsite and complicating Scope 3 calculations, which encompass indirect emissions like employee commutes and home energy. “As we seek to enhance and update our reporting methodology, obtaining accurate data on current work-from-home energy usage is essential to our ongoing efforts,” Mr. Sanghrajka added, urging quick responses to refine offsets via clean energy. The firm operates 60 MW of captive solar capacity and joined RE100 as India’s first in 2015. Fiscal 2025 emissions totaled 179 million kg CO2e for Scope 3, 39 million for Scope 2 and 9 million for Scope 1, down from prior years, according to DitchCarbon.
This data hunt aligns with Infosys’s refreshed ESG Vision 2030, targeting 90% cuts in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, 40% in Scope 3, and climate positivity—sequestering more carbon than emitted—while upholding neutrality through 2029. The company aims to deliver 33% of work via flexible options by 2030, with 84% of staff using remote setups in fiscal 2024, up from 75% prior, per its ESG disclosures referenced in NDTV Profit.
Sanghrajka’s Call Ignites Online Debate
Social media buzz erupted post-publication, with posts from accounts like @IndianTechGuide amassing thousands of views questioning the request’s scope. Some hailed it as progressive climate accountability; others decried it as intrusive, arguing firms save office costs while employees foot home bills. “The intent may be sustainability, but execution matters. Transparency needs to work both ways,” one user posted, as noted in The Financial Express. Critics highlighted commuting’s emissions irony under hybrid mandates.
X chatter, including shares from @NDTVProfitIndia and @rajivmehta19, amplified concerns over data privacy and equity, though no official backlash emerged. Employees anonymously told outlets the survey feels voluntary, aimed at collective responsibility rather than penalties. Infosys declined comment to reporters.
Pioneering Path or Privacy Frontier?
Infosys trails no peers in employee energy polling; searches yielded no similar mandates from rivals like TCS, Wipro or Accenture, though all chase net-zero via renewables and efficiency. TCS enforces five office days weekly; Wipro three. Infosys’s early 2020-21 WFH emissions estimate set a benchmark, now updated for post-pandemic hybrids. The firm touts 29.7 million sq ft of green buildings and ASSURE platform for super-efficient real estate with partners like IIHS.
Globally, hybrid models strain Scope 3 tracking, with firms like Microsoft estimating remote work’s mixed bag: less commuting but higher residential power. Infosys’s move, part of 15-year green drive, underscores IT’s pivot to granular data for ESG credibility amid investor scrutiny. Science-based targets validate its cuts: 12.5% Scope 1/2 by fiscal 2025 from 2020 baseline, 37.5% by 2035.
Broader Stakes for IT’s Green Ambitions
For industry insiders, this signals escalating demands on offsite emissions as regulators like EU’s CSRD tighten disclosures. Infosys’s 77% renewable sourcing dwarfs many peers, backed by 50 MW Karnataka solar park proposed in 2014. Yet, with 300,000 staff, aggregated home data could reveal hybrid’s true toll, guiding offsets or policy tweaks. X user @TheHustlr urged full context: voluntary sharing bolsters ESG filings.
Reactions blend praise for leadership—UN Global Climate Action Award winner—with skepticism on burdens. As IT giants eye tier-2/3 expansions for talent, home energy metrics may shape retention amid return-to-office fatigue. Infosys’s bet: shared data drives shared progress toward 2030 climate-positive milestone.