Move beyond the BRSR checkbox. We help India’s listed companies build credible, board-approved sustainability strategies with measurable targets, clear timelines, and stakeholder-validated priorities — aligned with NGRBC, GRI, ISSB, India’s NDC commitments, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
BRSR compliance gets your report filed. A sustainability strategy drives long-term value. The difference between the two determines whether ESG is a cost centre or a competitive advantage.
India’s ESG regulatory landscape is accelerating: BRSR Core assurance expanding to top 1,000 companies, SEBI’s ESG Advisory Committee recommendations on greenwashing and ESG ratings, RBI climate risk guidelines for banks, and India’s 2070 net-zero commitment driving sectoral decarbonisation mandates. Companies without a strategy will be perpetually reactive.
Institutional investors (domestic and FII) increasingly use ESG performance as a screening and weighting factor. ESG ratings from CRISIL, MSCI, Sustainalytics, and CDP directly influence portfolio allocation. Companies with clear sustainability strategies attract ESG-linked capital — green bonds, sustainability-linked loans (SLLs), and transition finance at preferential terms.
Resource efficiency targets (energy, water, waste) reduce operating costs. Supply chain ESG programmes reduce disruption risk. Strong social performance improves talent attraction and retention. Climate risk preparedness protects asset value. Sustainability leadership opens new market opportunities — especially for Indian exporters facing EU CBAM and CSRD requirements.
A sustainability strategy for an Indian company must be grounded in India’s specific regulatory, climatic, and socio-economic context.
A structured six-phase process that takes your company from current state assessment to a board-approved, implementation-ready sustainability roadmap.
Comprehensive diagnostic of your current sustainability performance across environmental, social, and governance dimensions. We review existing policies, data systems, BRSR filings, ESG ratings, and peer benchmarks to establish your baseline. The assessment covers all 9 NGRBC principles and identifies strengths, gaps, and improvement opportunities.
Deliverable: ESG Maturity Scorecard with principle-wise ratings, peer comparison, and gap severity ranking.
Identify the ESG topics that are material to your business and stakeholders through structured engagement — investor surveys, employee consultations, community feedback, customer expectations, and regulatory horizon scanning. We apply double materiality (impact materiality + financial materiality) for companies with EU exposure.
Deliverable: Materiality matrix, stakeholder engagement report, and prioritised material topics. Learn about our materiality approach →
Define your sustainability vision and set measurable targets across material topics. Targets are informed by science (SBTi for climate), regulation (BRSR, EPR, PAT), sector benchmarks, and stakeholder expectations. We help distinguish between aspirational goals (net zero) and near-term operational targets (energy intensity reduction, water recycling rate, gender diversity).
Deliverable: Target framework with baseline year, target year, milestones, and measurement methodology for each material topic.
Translate targets into a time-bound, resourced implementation plan. Initiatives are prioritised by impact, feasibility, and cost. The roadmap covers 3–5 years with annual milestones, departmental responsibilities, capital and operating budget requirements, and quick wins for early momentum.
Deliverable: 3–5 year sustainability roadmap with initiative cards, Gantt timeline, resource plan, and investment case.
Design the governance architecture to drive accountability. This includes board-level ESG committee terms of reference, management-level sustainability steering committee, KPI ownership (RACI), reporting cadence, and integration with existing risk management and internal audit processes.
Deliverable: ESG governance charter, committee ToR, reporting framework, and board presentation pack. Learn about ESG governance →
Map the strategy to applicable reporting frameworks — BRSR, GRI 2021, ISSB/IFRS S1-S2, UN SDGs, and sector-specific standards (SASB). Prepare investor-ready sustainability communications including annual report ESG narrative, website content, and ESG rating agency questionnaire inputs.
Deliverable: Framework mapping matrix, SDG alignment report, and investor communication materials.
Based on India’s regulatory environment, climate commitments, and sector dynamics, these are the strategic themes most Indian listed companies should address.
GHG reduction roadmap, renewable energy procurement, energy efficiency, Scope 3 mapping, SBTi alignment, and India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) readiness. Critical for PAT-designated consumers, energy-intensive sectors, and EU-exposed exporters (CBAM).
Water risk assessment, efficiency targets, ZLD implementation, rainwater harvesting, and watershed restoration. India faces severe water stress — NITI Aayog projects 21 cities running out of groundwater. Water is a material risk for manufacturing, power, agriculture, and real estate sectors.
Waste minimisation, recycling targets, EPR compliance, hazardous waste management, and product lifecycle design. India’s EPR framework (plastic, e-waste, battery, tyre, oil) creates both compliance obligations and circular economy opportunities.
Workforce diversity and inclusion, occupational health and safety, living wages, skill development, community engagement, and human rights due diligence across the value chain. Critical for BRSR Principles 3, 5, and 8.
Supplier ESG assessment, Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services, responsible sourcing policies, supplier development programmes, and value chain disclosure for BRSR. Essential for EU-facing companies under CSRD and CSDDD.
Board ESG oversight, executive compensation linked to ESG KPIs, ethics and anti-corruption, stakeholder grievance mechanisms, and transparent reporting across multiple frameworks. Foundation for strong ESG ratings and investor confidence.
120-question readiness assessment to baseline your ESG maturity. Starting point for strategy development.
Start free →Map Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions to inform decarbonisation targets and SBTi pathway.
Launch tool →Physical climate risk assessment for India. Heat stress, flood risk, water scarcity mapping for strategy risk scenarios.
Launch tool →Industrial water balance and ZLD feasibility to inform water stewardship targets.
Launch tool →Gender-responsive ESG assessment for diversity targets and social strategy inputs.
Launch tool →CDP climate disclosure preparation to align strategy communication with investor expectations.
Launch tool →Double materiality analysis — foundation of any credible sustainability strategy
Translate strategy into BRSR disclosures across all 9 NGRBC principles
Board oversight structures and ESG rating optimisation
Decarbonisation pathways, climate risk, and India’s net-zero transition
A typical sustainability strategy engagement takes 12–16 weeks from kick-off to board presentation. This includes 2–3 weeks for maturity assessment, 3–4 weeks for materiality and stakeholder engagement, 3–4 weeks for target setting and roadmap development, and 2–3 weeks for governance design and board preparation. The timeline depends on the complexity of your operations and the number of stakeholder groups to be engaged.
There is no explicit SEBI mandate requiring a formal sustainability strategy document. However, BRSR Section B requires companies to disclose policies and governance mechanisms for each NGRBC principle, which implicitly requires strategic thinking. Additionally, ESG rating agencies evaluate strategy comprehensiveness, and investors increasingly expect a published sustainability strategy. Companies in the top 250 are practically expected to have one.
ESG rating agencies (CRISIL, MSCI, Sustainalytics, CDP) evaluate whether a company has a published sustainability strategy with measurable targets, governance oversight, and progress tracking. Companies with clear strategies consistently score higher on “management” and “strategy” pillars. Specific targets (e.g., SBTi-aligned emissions reduction, water efficiency improvements) demonstrate commitment beyond compliance and directly improve rating scores.
BRSR is a backward-looking disclosure of past-year performance — what you achieved. A sustainability strategy is forward-looking — what you intend to achieve and how. BRSR tells stakeholders where you are; the strategy tells them where you are going. The two are complementary: the strategy sets targets, and the BRSR report tracks progress against those targets year-on-year.
If your company has material GHG emissions and operates in a sector covered by SBTi, setting science-based targets significantly enhances credibility. SBTi alignment is increasingly expected by institutional investors and ESG rating agencies. However, SBTi is voluntary, and not all Indian sectors have SBTi pathways. For companies not ready for SBTi, we recommend intensity-based emission reduction targets aligned with India’s NDC commitments as an intermediate step.
Book a free consultation to discuss your sustainability ambitions and how we can help you build a credible, measurable roadmap that goes beyond compliance.