What is BRSR Core? India's Mandatory ESG Disclosure Framework Explained
BRSR Core is SEBI's mandatory ESG reporting framework for India's top listed companies. If your company is in India's top 1,000 by market cap, you need to understand BRSR Core. This guide explains everything — what it is, who must comply, the assurance timeline, and how to prepare.
What is BRSR?
BRSR stands for Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting. It is the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)'s mandatory ESG disclosure framework for listed companies, introduced in May 2021 (SEBI Circular No. SEBI/HO/CFD/CMD-2/P/CIR/2021/562) and applicable from FY 2022-23.
BRSR replaced the earlier Business Responsibility Report (BRR) with a more comprehensive, quantitative framework aligned with the National Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC). The full BRSR covers all 9 NGRBC principles through both qualitative and quantitative disclosures — touching ethics, employee welfare, environmental performance, human rights, and consumer responsibility.
Who must file BRSR?India's top 1,000 listed companies by market capitalisation must include a BRSR with their annual report. Filing BRSR is a listing obligation under SEBI's Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements (LODR) regulations.
What is BRSR Core?
BRSR Core is a subset of the full BRSR framework that isolates the most critical, quantitative, and independently verifiable ESG indicators. Unlike the broader BRSR (which includes many qualitative disclosures), BRSR Core focuses on KPIs where independent third-party assurance is mandatory.
The core of BRSR Core is Principle 6 — Environmental performance. BRSR Core requires companies to disclose:
- Scope 1 GHG emissions (direct emissions from owned sources)
- Scope 2 GHG emissions (indirect emissions from purchased electricity)
- Scope 3 GHG emissions (value chain emissions — mandatory from FY 2025-26)
- Total energy consumption and energy intensity
- Water withdrawal, consumption, and intensity
- Waste generation and disposal
- Air emissions (NOx, SOx, particulate matter)
- Percentage of renewable energy used
Beyond environmental disclosures, BRSR Core also covers key social indicators: turnover rates, total wages paid, and training hours per employee.
The 9 BRSR principles
BRSR is structured around the 9 NGRBC principles. Principle 6 (Environment) is the heart of BRSR Core:
Wages, turnover, training in BRSR Core
The main focus of BRSR Core
BRSR Core assurance timeline
SEBI is phasing in mandatory third-party assurance of BRSR Core disclosures progressively:
| Financial Year | BRSR Core Assurance Coverage |
|---|---|
| FY 2022-23 | Full BRSR mandatory for all top 1,000 listed companies (no assurance yet) |
| FY 2023-24 | BRSR Core assurance mandatory for top 150 |
| FY 2024-25 | BRSR Core assurance mandatory for top 250 |
| FY 2025-26 | Top 500 + value chain (Scope 3) disclosures begin |
| FY 2026-27 | Top 1,000 — all mid-market listed companies included |
Why BRSR Core requires carbon accounting software
BRSR Core's environmental disclosures — particularly Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions — require accurate, auditable carbon accounting data. The assurance requirement means an independent third-party must be able to verify your GHG numbers. This is impossible if your carbon data lives in Excel spreadsheets.
BRSR software like CarbonLens automates the data collection, GHG calculation, and report generation process. Every emission entry is tracked with source documentation, calculation methodology, and user attribution — giving assurance providers exactly what they need.
How to prepare for BRSR Core compliance
- Establish a carbon accounting baseline: Calculate your Scope 1, 2, and (for FY 2025-26+) Scope 3 GHG emissions using the GHG Protocol methodology with India-specific emission factors from CEA and BEE.
- Set up data collection systems: Implement BRSR software to automate the collection of energy, water, waste, and emissions data throughout the year — not just at year-end.
- Engage an assurance provider early: Identify a SEBI-recognized third-party assurance provider (typically a CA firm or environmental consulting firm) before the fiscal year ends.
- Build your BRSR audit trail: Ensure every data point in your BRSR Core report has supporting evidence — bills, meter readings, purchase records. CarbonLens maintains this audit trail automatically.
- Generate and review your BRSR Core report: Use BRSR software to generate your BRSR Core report and review it against the SEBI BRSR format before submission with your annual report.
BRSR Core FAQ
What does BRSR stand for?
BRSR stands for Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting. It is SEBI's mandatory ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) disclosure framework for India's listed companies, introduced in 2021 to replace the earlier BRR (Business Responsibility Report).
What is BRSR Core and how is it different from BRSR?
BRSR Core is a subset of the BRSR framework that focuses on quantitative, GHG-linked KPIs and requires mandatory third-party assurance. While the full BRSR covers all 9 National Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC) principles through qualitative and quantitative disclosures, BRSR Core isolates the most critical, measurable indicators — particularly around environmental performance — that institutional investors and regulators can verify independently.
Is BRSR Core mandatory for all listed companies?
BRSR Core assurance is being phased in progressively. It was mandatory for the top 150 companies from FY 2023-24, top 250 from FY 2024-25, top 500 from FY 2025-26, and will extend to the top 1,000 from FY 2026-27. Even companies below the top 1,000 must file the full BRSR report — it's only the BRSR Core assurance requirement that is being phased by company size.
What are the 9 BRSR principles?
The 9 BRSR principles are based on the National Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC): P1 (Business Ethics), P2 (Sustainable Products), P3 (Employee Wellbeing), P4 (Stakeholder Engagement), P5 (Human Rights), P6 (Environment — GHG, energy, water), P7 (Policy Advocacy), P8 (Inclusive Growth), P9 (Consumer Responsibility). Principle 6 (Environment) is the core of BRSR Core — it requires Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG disclosures.