BRSR Core: SEBI's New Mandatory ESG Disclosures Explained

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has significantly raised the bar for ESG disclosures through the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) Core framework. What began as a voluntary disclosure requirement has evolved into a mandatory, assured reporting obligation for India's largest listed companies.

What is BRSR Core?

BRSR Core is a subset of the full BRSR — a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that SEBI has identified as most material for assessing a company's ESG performance. Unlike the broader BRSR, BRSR Core disclosures must be independently assured.

• Mandatory for top 150 listed companies by market capitalisation from FY 2023-24.
• Scope expanding to top 250 companies from FY 2024-25 onwards.
• Covers environmental, social, and governance KPIs across 9 principles.
• Requires reasonable or limited assurance from an independent third party.

Key KPI Categories in BRSR Core

The BRSR Core KPIs span three broad areas — Environment, Social, and Governance — with specific metrics that companies must measure, disclose, and get assured.

• Environment: GHG emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3), energy intensity, water intensity, waste generation.
• Social: Employee well-being, gender diversity, training hours, supply chain sustainability.
• Governance: Transparency in business conduct, anti-corruption policies, CSR spending.

Value Chain Disclosures

One of the most challenging aspects of BRSR Core is the requirement to extend disclosures to the value chain — specifically, the top suppliers and customers that account for a significant portion of purchases and sales. This requires companies to engage with their supply chain partners on ESG data collection, which is a significant operational undertaking.

Preparing for BRSR Core

Companies that are not yet covered should treat this as an opportunity to build robust ESG data systems now — before the obligation arrives. The firms that invest in ESG infrastructure early will find the transition far smoother than those who scramble at the last minute.

Basant Das & Co offers end-to-end BRSR support — from materiality assessment and data collection to report preparation and assurance coordination — backed by CC-ESG certified expertise.