Environmental, social and governance considerations are increasingly becoming part of how companies measure performance, manage risk and communicate with investors, customers and other stakeholders. We provide professional ESG Reporting Advisory Services in Ahmedabad to help businesses understand applicable ESG reporting requirements, organise relevant information and build a more reliable reporting process around their environmental, social and governance performance.
BRSR Reporting Advisory Services for Listed Companies
The Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) was introduced by SEBI to bring more standardised ESG disclosures into the reporting framework for listed entities. The framework covers performance against the nine principles of the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct and includes essential and leadership indicators.
Our BRSR Reporting Advisory Services can assist with:
- BRSR reporting requirements
- BRSR data collection
- BRSR disclosure preparation
- BRSR format review
- Principle-wise disclosures
- Essential and leadership indicators
- BRSR Core assessment
- ESG data validation
- Supporting documentation
- Management and governance disclosures
- Value-chain information
- Internal BRSR review
- Reporting process improvement
The applicable reporting requirements should always be assessed against the company’s current listing status, market-capitalisation category and the latest SEBI regulations and circulars.
Understanding the BRSR Framework
BRSR is designed to provide quantitative and standardised ESG information that can improve comparability across companies, sectors and reporting periods. SEBI’s original BRSR framework introduced disclosures across the nine principles of the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct.
The reporting framework covers three broad areas:
Environmental Performance
This can include information relating to:
- Energy consumption
- Renewable energy
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Water usage
- Waste management
- Resource efficiency
- Environmental compliance
Governance & Economic Performance
This can involve:
- Board oversight
- Ethics and transparency
- Anti-corruption measures
- Risk management
- Regulatory compliance
- Responsible business practices
- Stakeholder engagement
- Business conduct
Social Performance
Relevant information can cover:
- Employees and workers
- Health and safety
- Diversity and inclusion
- Training and development
- Human rights
- Communities
- Consumers
- Grievance mechanisms
The actual disclosures depend on the applicable BRSR requirements and the company’s operations.
BRSR Data Collection & Documentation
One of the biggest practical challenges in BRSR reporting is that the required information rarely sits with one department.
Environmental data may come from operations or facilities, employee information from HR, governance information from the company secretarial function and financial or operational metrics from finance and management teams.
We help businesses organise the BRSR data collection process around:
Data Ownership: Identifying the department or person responsible for each reporting indicator.
Source Documents: Determining what records can support reported information.
Calculation Methodology: Reviewing how quantitative metrics are calculated and presented.
Reporting Period: Maintaining consistency in the period covered by the disclosures.
Consolidation: Bringing information from different departments or locations into a common reporting structure.
A clear data trail can make subsequent internal review and assurance processes more manageable.
Principle-Wise BRSR Disclosures
BRSR reporting is structured around the nine principles of the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct.
The principles broadly address areas including:
- Ethical, transparent and accountable businesses
- Sustainable and safe goods and services
- Employee well-being
- Stakeholder responsiveness
- Human rights
- Environment protection
- Responsible public and regulatory engagement
- Inclusive growth and equitable development
- Responsible value to consumers
Our BRSR Reporting Advisory Services can help companies organise relevant information under the appropriate principles and review whether the disclosures are supported by suitable records.
This approach can also help reduce inconsistencies where the same information is being reported across different sections of the report.
BRSR Essential & Leadership Indicators
The BRSR framework distinguishes between essential indicators and leadership indicators. SEBI’s original framework made essential indicators mandatory and leadership indicators voluntary, while encouraging listed entities to report leadership indicators as well.
Our advisory support can help companies:
- Identify applicable indicators
- Organise data requirements
- Review disclosure completeness
- Identify missing information
- Maintain supporting evidence
- Coordinate information between departments
- Review qualitative explanations
- Improve consistency between quantitative and narrative disclosures
This can be particularly useful for companies preparing BRSR reports across multiple reporting cycles.
BRSR Core Advisory
BRSR Core introduced a defined subset of key performance indicators and metrics from the broader BRSR framework. SEBI’s July 2023 circular established BRSR Core and a glide path for reasonable assurance for specified listed entities.
Our BRSR Core advisory can include:
- Identification of applicable BRSR Core metrics
- Data availability assessment
- Source-data review
- KPI calculation review
- Documentation checks
- Consistency checks
- Reporting methodology review
- Coordination for assurance readiness
The BRSR Core framework is particularly relevant where reported metrics need to withstand greater scrutiny and assurance requirements.
BRSR Value Chain Reporting
BRSR-related reporting can extend beyond information generated directly by the listed entity.
SEBI’s BRSR Core framework introduced value-chain disclosures covering specified upstream and downstream partners. The framework defined the value chain for this purpose around top upstream and downstream partners cumulatively representing 75% of purchases or sales by value, subject to the applicable provisions and implementation framework.
This can require companies to establish processes for obtaining relevant ESG information from business partners.
We can assist with:
- Value-chain reporting requirements
- Identification of relevant data points
- Supplier and customer information
- Data collection processes
- Reporting boundaries
- Assumptions and estimates
- Supporting documentation
- Review of value-chain disclosures
The applicability and reporting requirements should be assessed against the latest SEBI framework applicable to the company.
BRSR Data Review & Reporting Quality
A BRSR report should not be viewed as a collection of isolated numbers. Quantitative data and narrative disclosures need to present a consistent picture of the company’s ESG performance.
Our review can consider:
- Accuracy of reported information
- Consistency across sections
- Previous-year comparisons
- Supporting documentation
- Calculation methodology
- Reporting boundaries
- Qualitative explanations
- Internal approvals
- Discrepancies between source data and reported figures
Identifying inconsistencies before the report is finalised can help reduce avoidable issues during subsequent review or assurance.
BRSR Governance & Management Review
BRSR reporting involves information that may need to be reviewed by senior management and the Board.
We assist companies in considering the governance aspects of reporting, including:
- Responsibility allocation
- Management oversight
- Board-level review
- ESG policies
- Internal controls
- Risk management
- Compliance processes
- Stakeholder-related disclosures
- Approval and documentation processes
A defined internal reporting structure can make it easier to maintain accountability for ESG information from one reporting period to the next.
BRSR Reporting for Different Industries
The relevance of ESG indicators can vary significantly between sectors.
For example, a manufacturing company may have substantial environmental data relating to energy, emissions, water and waste, while a service organisation may have greater emphasis on employees, data responsibility, governance and stakeholder matters.
Our advisory approach considers the company’s:
- Industry
- Business model
- Operations
- Workforce
- Supply chain
- Environmental impact
- Stakeholder relationships
- Governance structure
- Applicable regulatory requirements
This helps keep the BRSR reporting process connected to the actual business rather than treating every company in the same manner.
BRSR Review Before Annual Report Disclosure
BRSR forms part of the annual reporting framework for applicable listed entities. SEBI’s prescribed format includes general disclosures, products and services, operations, employees, holding/subsidiary/associate information and other ESG-related sections.
Before finalisation, a structured review can help identify:
- Missing disclosures
- Inconsistent figures
- Unsupported statements
- Incorrect reporting boundaries
- Data gaps
- Classification issues
- Incomplete explanations
- Differences between departments
- Information requiring management confirmation
This review can provide management with an additional layer of confidence before the report moves through its final approval process.
Why Choose H. S. Mehta & Associates?
Regulatory Alignment: Keeping the reporting process connected with the applicable SEBI framework.
Data Coordination: Helping different departments work with defined reporting responsibilities.
Disclosure Review: Checking information for consistency, completeness and supporting documentation.
Governance Perspective: Considering management and Board-level responsibilities around ESG reporting.
Assurance Readiness: Helping companies organise BRSR Core information and supporting records where assurance requirements apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
BRSR Reporting Advisory Services provide professional assistance with understanding BRSR requirements, collecting ESG data, preparing disclosures, reviewing supporting records and organising the reporting process for applicable listed entities.
BRSR requirements apply to specified listed entities under SEBI’s LODR framework. The current applicability should be checked against the latest SEBI regulations and circulars rather than relying on an older market-capitalisation threshold.
BRSR is the broader sustainability reporting framework, while BRSR Core is a defined subset of key ESG performance indicators and metrics introduced by SEBI with specific assurance requirements and implementation timelines for applicable listed entities.
BRSR can require information covering environmental performance, employees and workers, communities, consumers, governance, business conduct, human rights and other ESG-related areas. The exact information depends on the applicable reporting format and the company’s operations.
SEBI introduced value-chain disclosures under the BRSR Core framework for specified listed entities, with requirements concerning relevant upstream and downstream partners. Applicability and implementation should be assessed under the latest SEBI framework.
Yes. Professional assistance can include identifying relevant BRSR Core metrics, reviewing source data, checking calculation methodologies, organising supporting documentation and preparing for applicable assurance requirements.
BRSR disclosures often involve quantitative ESG metrics that may need to be supported by source records and consistent calculation methods. Maintaining a clear data trail can help during internal review and applicable assurance processes.
Strengthen Your BRSR Reporting Process
BRSR reporting brings together information from across the organisation, making data ownership, documentation and review important parts of the reporting cycle. H. S. Mehta & Associates assists listed companies with BRSR preparation, ESG data review, BRSR Core, value-chain disclosures and reporting governance. Putting the right reporting responsibilities and supporting records in place before the reporting cycle closes can make the final BRSR review considerably more structured and manageable.