Who must file a BRSR, and what is BRSR Core?

Who files

The top 1,000 listed entities, ranked by market capitalisation as on 31 March each year (lists published by the stock exchanges), must file a BRSR as part of their annual report. Others may file voluntarily. Under the current rules, an entity that falls out of the list stops reporting only after it has stayed outside the top 1,000 for three consecutive years.

The BRSR is organised around the nine principles of the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct, with essential indicators (compulsory) and leadership indicators (voluntary).

BRSR Core

BRSR Core is a subset of key performance indicators under nine attributes:

• greenhouse gas footprint (Scope 1 and 2) and its intensity;
• water footprint, energy footprint and waste management;
• employee well-being and safety, and gender diversity;
• inclusive development, fairness with consumers, and openness of business.

These must be checked independently, on this glide path:

Since March 2025, SEBI allows either assessment (under standards developed by the Industry Standards Forum with SEBI) or assurance. Value-chain disclosures are voluntary from FY 2025-26, and their assessment or assurance is voluntary from FY 2026-27.

Who can provide the assurance

The provider must be independent and have the necessary expertise, and must not provide services to the entity that would create a conflict of interest. Chartered accountants follow ICAI's Standard on Sustainability Assurance Engagements (SSAE) 3000 for such engagements.

Preparing for it

Map each indicator to an owner and a source record, fix the reporting boundary, use documented emission factors, and run a dry run on half-year data. Read our note on BRSR Core reaching the top 1,000 and the ESG and BRSR guide.