BRSR Reporting for Listed Companies
The Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) is mandatory for the top 1000 listed companies by market capitalisation and is filed with the annual report. Larger companies must also get their BRSR Core figures independently assessed or assured. We collect the data, draft the report and prepare the working papers for your assurance provider.
What it is
The BRSR is a yearly report on how a listed company deals with the environment, its people, its customers and the wider community. It sits inside the annual report and follows a fixed SEBI format, so investors can compare one company with another.
SEBI introduced it by circular SEBI/HO/CFD/CMD-2/P/CIR/2021/562 dated 10 May 2021, under Regulation 34(2)(f) of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. It became mandatory for the top 1000 listed entities from FY 2022-23. In July 2023 SEBI added BRSR Core, a smaller set of key figures that must be independently checked. The current consolidated rules are in SEBI’s LODR Master Circular dated 30 January 2026.
The three sections of the BRSR
The format follows the nine principles of the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC). Each principle has essential indicators, which are mandatory, and leadership indicators, which are voluntary.
| Section | What it covers | Where the data usually sits |
|---|---|---|
| A: General disclosures | Company details, products, locations, employees, holding and subsidiary companies, CSR applicability | Secretarial, HR and finance |
| B: Management and process | Policies for each of the nine principles, board oversight, governance of ESG | Board papers and policy files |
| C: Principle-wise performance | Indicators on ethics, products, employees, stakeholders, human rights, environment, public policy, inclusive growth and customers | Plants, HR, legal, CSR and customer service |
BRSR Core: the nine attributes
BRSR Core, set out by SEBI circular dated 12 July 2023, picks nine attributes from the full BRSR that must be independently assessed or assured. Intensity ratios also use revenue adjusted for purchasing power parity, so Indian figures compare with global ones.
| Attribute | In simple terms |
|---|---|
| Greenhouse gas footprint | Greenhouse gas emissions from your operations |
| Water footprint | Water the business draws and uses |
| Energy footprint | Energy the business consumes |
| Circularity and waste | Waste generated and how it is handled |
| Employee wellbeing and safety | How the business looks after employee health and safety |
| Gender diversity | Includes gross wages paid to women |
| Inclusive development | Includes job creation in smaller towns |
| Fairness with customers and suppliers | How fairly the business deals with customers and suppliers |
| Openness of business | How concentrated and transparent its business dealings are |
Who it applies to
Top 1000 listed companies
The BRSR is mandatory for the top 1000 listed entities by market capitalisation. Other listed companies may file it voluntarily.
Top listed companies under BRSR Core
Assessment or assurance of BRSR Core started with the top 150 listed entities in FY 2023-24 and the top 250 in FY 2024-25. It extends in stages to the top 1000.
Value chain partners
Suppliers and customers of the top 250 listed entities may be asked for ESG data. Here is the catch: even voluntary disclosure by your customer means a questionnaire lands on your desk.
Why it matters
It is part of the annual report
The BRSR goes to the stock exchanges with the annual report. Investors and ESG rating providers read it.
Every number gets tested
BRSR Core figures are checked by an independent provider. Data that cannot be traced to bills, meters or registers will not pass.
It touches every department
Energy comes from the plant, wages from HR, CSR from the CSR team, and complaints from legal. Someone has to own the whole thing.
Documents required
Company and governance
- Previous annual report and BRSR, if any
- Board-approved policies on the nine principles
- List of plants, offices and subsidiaries
- Related-party transaction register
Environment
- Electricity, fuel and renewable energy records
- Water withdrawal and discharge records
- Waste disposal records and authorisations
- Emission calculations from your environmental consultant
People and community
- Headcount, wages and benefits from your payroll records
- Safety incidents and training hours
- POSH and other complaint registers
- CSR spend and projects, with implementing agencies that are CSR-1 registered
How it works
Read last year’s report first
We compare your previous BRSR with the current format and list gaps, new indicators and data owners.
Collect data through the year
We set up quarterly or monthly templates for each plant and team, so year-end becomes a compiling job, not a hunt.
Check the numbers against source
Before drafting, we tie key figures back to bills, meter readings and registers. In practice, an electricity figure built from twelve bills is easy to test. One built from an estimate is not.
Draft the report
We draft Sections A, B and C, calculate the intensity ratios and cross-check them with the financial statements and Board’s report.
Support the assessment or assurance
We hand the working papers to your independent provider and answer their queries. Management and the board then approve the final report.
Timelines
Annual cycle
The BRSR covers a financial year (April to March) and goes out with the annual report for that year.
BRSR Core assessment or assurance
Top 150 from FY 2023-24, top 250 from FY 2024-25, then in stages up to the top 1000.
Value chain
Voluntary disclosure for the top 250 from FY 2025-26; voluntary assessment or assurance from FY 2026-27.
What happens if the BRSR is weak or late
Listing compliance failure
A BRSR is part of the annual report required by the LODR Regulations. A missing BRSR is a listing compliance failure, which SEBI and the stock exchanges can act on.
A qualified assurance report
If figures cannot be traced to evidence, the assessment or assurance provider may qualify its report, and that is visible to investors.
Numbers that don’t match
CSR spend, wages or related-party figures that differ from the financial statements raise questions from investors and regulators.
Frequently asked questions
Which companies must file a BRSR?
The top 1000 listed entities by market capitalisation must file a BRSR as part of their annual report. This has been mandatory since FY 2022-23 under Regulation 34(2)(f) of the SEBI LODR Regulations. Other listed companies may file one voluntarily. Unlisted companies have no BRSR duty. Take a listed manufacturer edging towards the top 1000: preparing a year early means its first BRSR is not built in a rush.
What is the difference between BRSR and BRSR Core?
BRSR is the full report on the nine NGRBC principles. BRSR Core is a subset of key figures, grouped under nine attributes such as greenhouse gas, water, energy, waste and gender diversity, that must be independently assessed or assured. SEBI introduced BRSR Core by circular dated 12 July 2023. So every BRSR Core figure appears in the BRSR, but only the Core figures face independent testing.
Who must get BRSR Core assessed or assured?
The requirement started with the top 150 listed entities from FY 2023-24 and the top 250 from FY 2024-25, and it extends in stages to the top 1000. Since SEBI’s circular of 28 March 2025, companies can choose assessment, done under standards from the Industry Standards Forum, or assurance. The board must make sure the provider has the expertise and no conflict of interest. We help you prepare for either route.
Does Taxhint provide BRSR assurance?
No. We draft the BRSR and prepare the working papers, and the independent assessment or assurance is done by a separate provider your board appoints. Keeping the preparer and the checker apart is what gives the report its credibility. In practice, a well-organised file with figures tied to source records makes the provider’s review shorter and cheaper for you.
What are value chain disclosures?
They are BRSR Core figures for your significant suppliers and customers. For the top 250 listed entities, the value chain covers upstream and downstream partners that each make up 2% or more of purchases or sales by value. Disclosure is voluntary from FY 2025-26, and assessment or assurance of it is voluntary from FY 2026-27. A short supplier questionnaire, sent early in the year, collects most of what you need.
Is there a fee for filing the BRSR?
No, there is no government fee for the BRSR itself. It is part of the annual report that you already submit to the stock exchanges. Your costs are internal effort, the advisory fee for drafting if you use help, and the fee of the independent assessment or assurance provider if BRSR Core applies to you. We quote our part before any work begins.
How does CSR show up in the BRSR?
CSR is reported in Section A and under the principle on inclusive growth. Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 applies to companies with net worth of ₹500 crore or more, turnover of ₹1,000 crore or more, or net profit of ₹5 crore or more. They must spend at least 2% of average net profits of the last three years. Your BRSR figures should match the CSR annual report in the Board’s report exactly.
How early should we start?
Start collecting data on 1 April, at the beginning of the financial year, not after 31 March. Most BRSR figures are yearly totals of monthly data such as electricity, water and waste. If the monthly records are missing, rebuilding them in May is slow and hard to evidence for assurance. A simple monthly template, owned by one person in each plant, keeps the year-end calm.
Can a BRSR be prepared alongside our other compliance work?
Yes, and it works better that way. Several BRSR inputs, such as related-party transactions and board policies, also feed the Board’s report and the secretarial audit. Preparing them together keeps the numbers consistent across documents. We coordinate with your company secretary and statutory auditor so the BRSR, financial statements and Board’s report tell the same story.
What it costs
Our fee plus the government fee that applies to your case, quoted before you commit. Tell us the situation and we will price it exactly.
There is no government fee for the BRSR. If BRSR Core applies, the independent assessment or assurance provider charges its own fee.
Ready to begin?
Send us last year’s annual report. We will show you which BRSR indicators need work and how to collect the data this year.