Rustomjee

Client at a Glance

Rustomjee, one of India’s premier real estate developers, is known for its design-led innovation and customer-centric approach. With a vast portfolio of residential and commercial townships, the company faced the dual challenge of meeting immediate regulatory mandates while preparing for long-term climate resilience.

What began as a requirement for regulatory compliance evolved into a comprehensive sustainability transformation. Rustomjee engaged Oren to not only digitise their data but also to act as their strategic partner in navigating the complex landscape of Net Zero, GRESB, sustainability reporting, and supply chain sustainability.

The Challenge: Beyond Compliance to Strategic Data

Rustomjee’s ESG journey began with the goal of complying with SEBI’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) mandate. However, the company faced significant hurdles in operationalising this requirement:

• Data Silos: Collecting granular ESG data from various projects and active construction sites was a manual, error-prone process. There was no centralised backbone to manage this flow efficiently.
• Limited Strategic Visibility: While a materiality assessment had been conducted two years prior, it was limited to internal stakeholders, offering a narrow view of risks and opportunities.
• Global Ambition: To attract international capital, Rustomjee needed to move beyond Indian regulatory compliance and align with global frameworks like GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark), capabilities that were not yet institutionalised internally.

The mandate for Oren was to build the digital infrastructure for compliance and subsequently architect the strategy for global leadership.

Oren's Solution: A Multi-Year Strategic Evolution

Oren’s engagement with Rustomjee was structured as a progressive three-year journey, evolving from data automation to deep strategic integration.

Year 1: The Digital Foundation (Data & Compliance)

‍The immediate priority was establishing a single source of truth for ESG data.

• Tech-Led Data Management: We deployed the Oren Sustainability Hub (OSH) to automate data collection across Rustomjee’s projects, construction sites and corporate offices. This replaced manual spreadsheets with digital workflows, ensuring accuracy and auditability.
• BRSR Compliance: Leveraging OSH, Oren facilitated a seamless BRSR submission, ensuring the company met all SEBI mandates without operational disruption.

Year 2: Strategic Deepening & Supply Chain Sustainability

‍With the data foundation in place, the focus shifted to governance and value chain impact.

• Materiality Re-assessment: Oren conducted a comprehensive re-assessment of material topics. Unlike the previous internal-only exercise, this involved extensive external stakeholder engagement to identify broader risks and opportunities.
• Governance & Capacity Building: We established a company-wide governance framework and conducted department-specific ESG training to embed sustainability into the corporate culture.
• Supply Chain Engagement (Scope 3): Recognising that the bulk of real estate emissions lie in the supply chain, Oren engaged 25+ critical vendors across categories like cement, steel, pipes & fittings, tiles, and paints. We began the rigorous process of collecting and calculating Scope 3 emissions data.
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): To appeal to global investors, Oren guided Rustomjee in publishing a Sustainability Report aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards.

Year 3: Advanced Decarbonisation & Beyond

‍In the current phase, Oren has integrated deeply, functioning effectively as Rustomjee’s outsourced ESG department.

• Net Zero Pilot: We are currently supporting a pilot project to develop a Net Zero Carbon building, setting the blueprint for future developments.
• GRESB Readiness: Oren is guiding Rustomjee through a GRESB maturity assessment, identifying gaps and preparing the organisation for its first submission to the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark.
• AI-Driven Data Accuracy: We have upgraded the data architecture to include AI-driven validation, significantly improving the accuracy of environmental data.‍
• Quarterly Strategic Alignment: Oren meets with Rustomjee leadership quarterly to coordinate Net Zero targets, track ESG KPIs, and identify areas for ISO certifications and further endorsements.

The Outcome: From Data Collection to Decarbonisation

The partnership has matured Rustomjee’s ESG profile from a compliance checklist to a strategic driver of business value.

Complexities Managed

The engagement required navigating specific sector challenges:

• Data Complexity: Capturing reliable data from dynamic, labour-intensive active projects required robust digital intervention.
• Vendor Engagement: Overcoming resistance and data gaps within the supply chain to secure crucial Scope 3 data from material suppliers.‍
• Strategic Expansion: Moving the organisation from a limited internal view of sustainability to a holistic, stakeholder-driven perspective capable of meeting international standards.

Conclusion

This partnership demonstrates the power of long-term collaboration. By first establishing a strong digital foundation and then progressively integrating strategy, supply chain engagement, and decarbonisation initiatives, Rustomjee has been able to truly operationalise sustainability.

Today, with Oren as their long-term strategic partner and outsourced ESG team, Rustomjee has built a resilient, data-driven sustainability framework that future-proofs their business and strengthens their brand value in an increasingly competitive market.