Who We Are
About Sustainability Alternatives
An independent Climate Intelligence & Sustainability Advisory operating at the intersection of science, policy, technology, governance, and implementation.
Sustainability Alternatives is an independent Climate Intelligence and Sustainability Advisory operating at the intersection of science, policy, technology, governance, and implementation.
We partner with governments, cities, enterprises, financial institutions, and multilateral organisations to translate complex environmental and climate challenges into evidence-based decisions, practical strategies, and measurable outcomes.
Our practice spans climate risk and analytics, Net Zero and ESG strategy, environmental policy, air quality, and institutional capacity, bridging the gap between analysis and execution.
Our work is designed for organisations that require rigorous analysis, policy-grade insight, and practical implementation support across fast-moving sustainability and climate priorities.
Founding Premise
Our Story
Sustainability Alternatives was established on a single observation: the institutions responsible for addressing climate change, environmental risk, and sustainable development were treating interconnected problems as separate agendas.
Climate risk, air quality, biodiversity, ESG performance, the Net Zero transition, public health, and artificial intelligence are routinely assigned to different teams, different budgets, and different timelines — even though a decision made in one domain regularly determines the outcome in another. A city’s transport policy shapes its air quality. A financial institution’s capital allocation shapes a region’s emissions trajectory. A ministry’s data infrastructure determines whether an environmental regulation can be enforced at all. Treating these as unrelated problems does not simplify them; it fragments the response and slows the outcome.
This pattern became evident across years of scientific research, environmental engineering, national climate policy engagement, and direct work with cities and communities managing the consequences of environmental change first-hand. In each setting, the science was rarely the constraint. What limited impact was the absence of a structure capable of carrying evidence through policy, into institutions, and out into implementation — coherently, and at the pace the problem demanded.
Sustainability Alternatives was built on a single premise: that today’s interconnected climate challenges require an integrated advisory response. We were founded to build that structure — a Climate Intelligence & Sustainability Advisory that treats scientific research, policy design, advanced analytics, digital and AI-enabled tools, and implementation as a single discipline rather than five separate services.
We partner with governments, cities, enterprises, and financial institutions to make decisions that hold across that entire chain — grounded in evidence, defensible under regulation, and built to survive contact with implementation.
Our founding premise is that systems thinking, rather than sector expertise alone, bridges the gap between scientific knowledge and lasting outcomes, and this continues to shape every engagement we take on.
Founder's Perspectives
The systems view behind Sustainability Alternatives draws on research spanning air pollution exposure science, citizen science, urban sustainability, and climate policy. Two articles by our Principal Investigator and Strategic Lead trace how that thinking developed.
- It Starts With a Breath: What I Learnt About India's Cities From Babies, Blocked Streets & Hopeful Citizens
- What Delhi, Aligarh & Glasgow Taught Me About Fixing India's Air - With People at the Centre
Mission
To design and deliver science-led, policy-informed sustainability strategies that strengthen climate resilience, manage environmental risk, and drive long-term environmental, social, and economic value.
Vision
A more sustainable, resilient, and equitable future where scientific evidence informs decisions and practical solutions create lasting environmental and societal value.
Our Approach
Grounded in Evidence
Peer-reviewed science and rigorous analysis.
Guided by Policy
International and Indian regulatory frameworks.
Driven by Impact
Implementation-oriented sustainability solutions.
Leadership & Advisory
Sustainability Alternatives is directed by a multidisciplinary platform of scientific, policy, and strategic expertise, convened by our Principal Investigator and Strategic Lead, Dr. Ashish Sharma.
Founder & CEO
Dr. Ashish Sharma, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO
Dr. Ashish Sharma is a climate-tech leader and researcher bridging rigorous scientific evidence with actionable, policy-informed climate solutions for clean air, Net-Zero transitions, sustainability governance, and resilient cities.
Clean air should be a public right - not a privilege.
Expertise behind our advisory work
Technical & Strategic
Advisory Panel
Senior scientific, technical and strategic expertise complements our institutional leadership across climate, energy, environmental health and sustainability.
Explore expert profiles and areas of expertise
Global Experience & Credentials
Our work is founded on deep, hands-on experience that spans academic research, national and regional climate policy engagement, and international forums.
This includes direct collaboration with government ministries on environmental and climate policy, contributions to major international climate, air quality, and sustainability conferences, and participation in regional economic and climate-cooperation initiatives across South and Southeast Asia.
This unique breadth provides our team with a practical, on-the-ground understanding of how climate science, policy, technology, and capital allocation intersect across diverse jurisdictions and institutional maturity levels. It provides us with the critical judgement to know which approaches transfer successfully between contexts and which must be rebuilt from first principles.
Our leadership brings international experience across government institutions, research organizations, universities, and global sustainability networks.
Our core capabilities encompass national greenhouse gas inventory development, climate reporting under the UNFCCC, urban air quality management, climate resilience planning, environmental health research, sustainability strategy, and evidence-based environmental governance.
Combined with international academic collaborations and multidisciplinary research, these experiences enable Sustainability Alternatives to deliver advisory services that are scientifically rigorous, institutionally credible, and aligned with emerging global best practices.
- Government and ministry-level environmental and climate policy engagement
- International academic, research and university collaborations
- Climate reporting, GHG inventory, air quality, resilience and governance capabilities
Professional Standards & Networks
Our advisory work is grounded in scientific integrity: findings and recommendations are built on peer-reviewed evidence and recognised international frameworks, and tested rigorously before they reach a client.
We maintain a discipline of continual learning across climate science, policy, and digital and AI-enabled analytics, so our methods keep pace with a fast-moving evidence base and regulatory landscape. Every engagement is subject to internal quality assurance, and every recommendation is built to withstand independent scrutiny — from regulators, auditors, investors, or the communities it affects.
Scientific credibility depends not only on expertise but also on continuous learning, independent review, and adherence to recognised professional standards.
Our leadership and expert collaborators actively engage with universities, scientific institutions, professional bodies, and international research networks through peer-reviewed publications, collaborative research, technical reviews, professional training, and policy engagement.
Where appropriate, we collaborate with accredited certification, assurance, and technical partners to support sustainability reporting, climate disclosures, ESG assurance, environmental audits, and institutional compliance aligned with internationally recognised frameworks.
These collaborations ensure our advisory services remain scientifically current, technically defensible, and globally aligned.
Ethics & Independence
Scientific integrity and transparency underpin every engagement we undertake.
Sustainability Alternatives operates with an unwavering commitment to independence, objectivity, transparency, and professional accountability. Our internal governance principles ensure that scientific evidence remains central to our decision-making and advisory processes, entirely free from commercial, political, or institutional bias.
We maintain robust standards for conflict-of-interest management, confidentiality, data governance, quality assurance, and ethical professional conduct throughout every stage of project delivery.
Ultimately, our recommendations are developed through evidence-based analysis, rigorous scientific methods, and transparent reasoning. This provides our clients with advice that is objective, defensible, and designed to support informed decisions, resilient institutions, and long-term sustainable outcomes.