BRSR value chain disclosure extends selected BRSR Core ESG data to the principal upstream and downstream partners of the top 250 listed entities by market capitalisation, identifying partners that individually account for 2 percent or more of purchases or sales by value, capped optionally at 75 percent cumulatively, and voluntary since 28 March 2025.
What BRSR value chain disclosure covers
BRSR value chain disclosure extends a defined subset of BRSR Core ESG data to a listed entity’s principal upstream and downstream partners, so environmental and social performance is traced beyond the company’s own gate. The partners in scope are the principal upstream suppliers and downstream distributors through which the entity’s goods and services move. It sits within the wider Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting framework set by SEBI, and draws on the same nine ESG attributes assured under BRSR Core.
Who it applies to and how partners are identified
Value chain disclosure applies to the top 250 listed entities by market capitalisation. The way partners are identified changed with the SEBI circular dated 28 March 2025. Unlike the market-capitalisation glide path governing BRSR Core assurance, value chain scope stays fixed at the top 250 entities, and the identifying test is a relative share of trade, not any rupee turnover threshold.
| Basis | Original (12 July 2023) | Revised (28 March 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Identifying test | Partners cumulatively covering 75% of purchases or sales by value | Partners individually at 2% or more of purchases or sales by value |
| 75% figure | The identifying definition | Optional cap on partners disclosed |
| Status | Comply-or-explain | Voluntary |
Key points for reporting entities:
- The 2 percent test looks at each partner individually, not a running cumulative total.
- An entity may still limit disclosure to partners cumulatively covering 75 percent of purchases or sales.
- Assessment or assurance of value chain data is likewise voluntary.
Voluntary status and what it means in practice
Since the 28 March 2025 circular, value chain ESG disclosure and its third-party assessment or assurance moved from comply-or-explain to voluntary. Value chain ESG data for FY 2024-25 is reported voluntarily in FY 2025-26. The same 28 March 2025 circular also introduced a voluntary Green Credits disclosure indicator covering green credits generated or procured by the listed entity from FY 2024-25. In practice, entities that already gather BRSR Core data for their own operations can extend the same measured KPIs, for example greenhouse gas, water and energy figures, to qualifying partners without building a separate dataset. Assessment and assurance remain the work of independent accredited third parties, while readiness of the underlying data file is advisory consulting. Background context sits in the ESG guide for entities mapping their reporting obligations.
Sources: SEBI circular, 12 July 2023 · SEBI circular, 28 March 2025