ESG Overview

Understanding Environmental, Social & Governance Reporting Requirements

ESG has moved from a voluntary sustainability narrative to a mandatory disclosure requirement for large Indian companies, driven by SEBI's Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework and growing investor, lender, and supply-chain expectations around non-financial performance.

We help companies understand what ESG reporting actually requires of them — which regulations apply, what needs to be measured and disclosed, and how to build the internal processes needed to report credibly, rather than treating ESG as a one-time compliance exercise.

Our ESG Overview & Advisory Services

Applicability Assessment

Determining which ESG regulations and reporting frameworks apply to your company based on listing status and size.

ESG Maturity Assessment

Benchmarking current ESG data, processes, and disclosures against regulatory and investor expectations.

ESG Roadmap Development

Building a phased roadmap to close data, process, and disclosure gaps over defined reporting cycles.

Stakeholder & Materiality Mapping

Identifying material ESG issues relevant to your sector, stakeholders, and business model.

ESG Governance Structuring

Setting up board and management oversight structures for ESG strategy and reporting accountability.

Investor & Lender ESG Queries

Preparing responses to ESG questionnaires from investors, lenders, and supply-chain partners.

Why ESG Reporting Matters Now

SEBI mandates BRSR reporting for the top 1000 listed companies by market capitalisation
BRSR Core, with reasonable assurance requirements, applies in a phased manner to the top listed entities
Institutional investors increasingly factor ESG performance into capital allocation and engagement decisions
Lenders are incorporating ESG risk assessment into credit evaluation, particularly for larger exposures
Global supply chains are extending ESG disclosure requirements down to Indian suppliers and vendors
Weak ESG governance and disclosure can affect valuation multiples in fundraising and M&A transactions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BRSR and who does it apply to?

The Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework, mandated by SEBI, requires the top 1000 listed companies by market capitalisation to report on environmental, social, and governance parameters as part of their annual report, structured around nine principles derived from the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct.

What is BRSR Core?

BRSR Core is a subset of key performance indicators within the broader BRSR framework, covering areas such as greenhouse gas emissions, water and waste management, and employee well-being, which SEBI has mandated for reasonable assurance in a phased manner for the top listed entities, and which is also being extended to value chain partners.

Is ESG reporting mandatory for unlisted companies?

Currently, mandatory BRSR reporting applies only to specified listed companies, though unlisted companies that are part of the supply chain of large listed entities, or that seek institutional funding, increasingly face voluntary or contractually-driven ESG disclosure expectations even without a direct regulatory mandate.

What are the three pillars of ESG?

Environmental covers a company's impact on natural resources, emissions, and climate; Social covers its relationships with employees, communities, and customers, including labour practices and diversity; and Governance covers board structure, business ethics, and accountability mechanisms — together forming the basis on which ESG performance is assessed and reported.

How is ESG different from CSR?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) under Section 135 of the Companies Act is a specific mandated spend on social development activities, while ESG is a much broader framework covering how a company manages environmental, social, and governance risks and opportunities across its entire operations, of which CSR spend is only one small component.

Understand Your ESG Obligations

From applicability assessment to roadmap development, we help you build an ESG reporting foundation that meets regulatory and stakeholder expectations.

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