In a world where sustainability is no longer a differentiator but a necessity, recognitions like the EcoVadis Gold Rating aren't just accolades but affirmations of commitment, accountability, and tangible progress. This year, Virtusa earned the EcoVadis Gold Rating for the third consecutive year, placing us in the top 5% of more than 130,000 companies worldwide. With an 81 out of 100 score, we now stand in the 98th percentile globally—our highest yet.
But this recognition didn't happen overnight. Nor is it the result of isolated initiatives. It's the outcome of years of conscious evolution, operational rigor, and an organizational culture. Virtusa's engineering philosophy, anchored on our PIRL values—passion, innovation, respect, and leadership—has led us to adopt a purpose-driven approach to future-proof our businesses and supply chain, while ensuring transparency and holding ourselves accountable for our sustainability footprint. We do so by enabling all our stakeholders—customers, suppliers, investors, and teams—to have a purpose, with a passion for people and the planet.
A score that tells our story
The EcoVadis assessment evaluates sustainability performance across four key pillars: environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Virtusa received "Advanced" ratings in every category, reflecting compliance and leadership. But behind those numbers lies a deeper narrative of purpose-driven action and continuous improvement.
Leading with a climate change strategy
Our environmental performance was driven by an enterprise-wide approach to energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and responsible infrastructure. In FY24, we reinforced our climate strategy by adopting targets aligned with the 1.5°C pathway, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This significant milestone puts Virtusa among the few global technology companies with science-aligned decarbonization goals.
The impact is already visible. We achieved a 15% year-over-year reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, transitioned 28% of our total energy use to renewable sources, and recycled 50% of our total water usage—clear indicators that we're not just setting goals, but meeting them.
On the infrastructure front, our Hyderabad campuses now operate under LEED Platinum certification, while our Navalur campus received LEED 4.1 Platinum certification recently. Data center modernization led to the decommissioning of hundreds of legacy servers, reducing our digital carbon footprint while avoiding over 105 MTCO₂e. These savings aren't theoretical but measurable, repeatable, and scalable globally.
We also continued investing in long-term ecological stewardship. Our forest restoration project in the Kanneliya Biosphere Reserve led to the return of endangered species. We launched a solar-powered borewell initiative in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, ensuring water access for wildlife and the Chenchu tribal community. Our urban lake and pond restoration programs in Hyderabad and Chennai are helping recharge groundwater and protect fragile ecosystems. In Sri Lanka, we partnered to restore mangrove forests, contributing to the country's 2030 goal of increasing mangrove cover by 50%. Our environmental initiatives didn't just aim for compliance but took up leadership to enable proactive change around us.
Investing in people
Our people-first approach is embedded into our policies, practices, and culture. Virtusa's labor and human rights score reflects an inclusive, fair, and future-focused culture. Our "Virtual Gamified Induction" experience helps new hires feel welcomed, connected, and aligned with our values from day one, regardless of geography.
With purpose, ownership, and a growth mindset, we have invested heavily in reskilling, certification, and leadership upskill programs through various learning and development initiatives, including Thrive Academy. Our systems are designed to give real-time feedback, encourage peer recognition, and build a strong, collaborative workplace culture. These investments are reflected in the fact that Virtusa has been a Great Place to Work® certified company three consecutive times in seven countries, including the US, UK, India, Canada, UAE, Australia, and Singapore.
Integrity by design
Our ethics score reflects the company's mature compliance infrastructure, policy transparency, and culture of integrity. Ethics here isn't just confined to a poster on the wall—it is enforced through rigorous onboarding, ongoing re-certification, and real-time training simulations, including phishing assessments and anti-bribery modules.
All employees must complete information security, data privacy, and workplace safety training regardless of seniority. The expectations are even more stringent for those working in high-risk functions or engaging with external stakeholders. Our whistleblower framework, which includes anonymous reporting via secure platforms, is supported by direct oversight from the Compliance Officer and the Audit Committee of the Board. It's not just about having policies in place; it's about ensuring they're understood, followed, and continuously improved.
Redefining the supply chain through sustainability
Sustainable procurement was one of the most notable improvements in this year's score. Supply chains are often the trickiest part of sustainability programs, but we've taken deliberate steps to improve transparency and accountability across our supplier ecosystem.
In FY24, we partnered with a global sustainability rating platform to monitor how our 1,970 suppliers contribute to our net-zero targets, especially Scope 3 emissions. We actively engaged with vendors to transition 27% of their vehicle fleets to electric, aligning with our environmental goals. We also implemented a plastics policy to eliminate single-use plastics in food packaging and office supplies. By the end of the year, we'd already achieved a 59% reduction across key campuses. Meanwhile, 71% of organic waste and 55% of paper waste were recycled due to on-ground behavioral change and backend infrastructure alignment.
Governance that delivers
At the heart of Virtusa's sustainability journey is strong governance driven by the Sustainability Committee, which includes our Chairperson of the Board Audit Committee, CEO, CFO, Chief People Officer, Compliance Officer, and Global Head of Sustainability.
Our Global Head of Sustainability and Facilities, working with the CFO, ensures execution across geographies. The result is not just progress but transparency achieved through centralized dashboards, regular audits, and internal reviews that shape every campus and client conversation.
What's next?
Virtusa sees the EcoVadis Gold Rating not as a finish line but as a launchpad for further progress. Key focus areas for the next two years include:
- Net-zero operations: Develop and implement a roadmap to achieve net-zero operations by 2030.
- Sustainable procurement 2.0: Deploy advanced sustainability metrics and dashboards for supplier monitoring.
- Employee training and innovation hubs: Expand sustainability learning programs and innovation challenges to crowdsource green ideas from employees and partners.
More than just a rating…
Receiving the EcoVadis Gold Rating for a third time is a proud moment for Virtusa. But it's also a call to continue the work. The higher our score climbs, the more responsibility we carry to our clients, our communities, and the future we're engineering.
In a sector known for complexity and rapid change, Virtusa has chosen clarity: a science-based climate roadmap, a culture built on inclusion and trust, and a supply chain aligned with global goals. This integrated approach—equal parts technology, transparency, and transformation—is helping us lead from the front.
Because sustainability isn't a sidebar, it's the system.