Abstract for: Corporate Pathway to Net-Zero: A System Dynamics Study of India’s top companies’ Decarbonisation Strategies

The transition to a low-carbon economy has placed corporate decarbonisation at the center of global climate action, particularly in emerging economies such as India.Emerging economies occupy a pivotal position in the global decarbonisation agenda, attributable to their expanding industrial sectors and escalating energy requirements. Academic discourse concerning developing nations contends that firms operating within these environments encounter distinctive obstacles, such as technological deficiencies, limited access to finance, and regulatory ambiguities. This study uses systems theory to understand the feedback mechanisms of various decarbonisation strategies that impact net-zero carbon-emission targets. As decarbonisation requires systemic transformation of energy, industrial production, and supply chains, corporate climate initiatives are part of broader transitions supported by global frameworks such as the Science Based Targets initiative, which aligns corporate emissions-reduction targets with global climate goals. We employed CLDs to capture the integration of various decarbonisation initiatives. The findings reveal that corporate pathways to net-zero are characterized by nonlinear interactions and feedback loops, where policy incentives, market pressures, and organizational capabilities jointly influence emissions reduction trajectories. While firms demonstrate significant progress in renewable energy adoption, energy efficiency, and sustainability governance, challenges remain in addressing Scope 3 emissions, technological constraints, and data transparency. This study contributes to the literature by offering a systems-based framework for understanding corporate climate strategies in emerging economies and provides managerial and policy implications for accelerating the transition to net-zero. This is well-cited