ESG Consulting and Advisory for

End to end ESG consulting and advisory services for businesses across India and worldwide, built around a documented assessment that weights the environmental, social and governance pillars before any report is drafted. One accountable engagement runs from baseline and materiality scan to investor grade disclosure and assurance readiness, delivered from Mumbai, so ESG becomes measured performance that rating agencies, lenders and buyers can verify.

Request an ESG readiness review →Scope an ESG report

Assess · Disclose · ImproveWeighted pillars · 40 30 30India and worldwide delivery

Reviewed by Team GreenSutra · Updated 18 June 2026

On recordMethodologyWeighted pillars, 40 30 30EngagementBaseline to assurance, one teamPillars coveredEnvironmental, social, governanceDisclosure basisRecognised global frameworksReadiness built forRating agencies, lenders, buyersBaseMumbai · India · Worldwide

ESG consulting and advisory services in India

A documented assessment, a costed roadmap, and disclosure a rating agency or lender can verify.

ESG consulting and advisory services help a business measure, improve and disclose its environmental, social and governance performance. ESG Solutions by GreenSutra deliver that work end to end for businesses across India. One accountable engagement turns ESG from an annual questionnaire into measured performance: it runs a baseline, a materiality scan and a weighted pillar assessment, closes the gaps it finds, and drafts disclosure that stands up to outside review. Indian companies field ESG questionnaires from lenders, listed buyers and overseas customers, and face rating coverage from ESG Rating Providers registered with SEBI, so the engagement builds that evidence once, against a documented method.

How the weighted assessment works

A baseline captures current data and policies, and a materiality scan ranks the issues that move value and risk for the sector. The weighted pillar assessment then scores readiness on a transparent split of environmental 40 percent, social 30 percent and governance 30 percent. The split is GreenSutra practice, disclosed in full so any score can be retraced, and the gaps it exposes become a roadmap sequenced by cost and impact. The frameworks, the rating providers, the destination market standards and the deeper method are set out in full in the ESG reporting guide.

How the GreenSutra assessment weights the three ESG pillars
Pillar	Weighting	What it covers
Environmental	40 percent	Emissions, water, energy conservation and waste management, the quantitative metrics that ratings and investor grade disclosure draw on most.
Social	30 percent	Inclusive development, community development, diversity and CSR, the way a business treats its people and the places it operates.
Governance	30 percent	Compliance, related party transactions, transparency and royalty, the controls that hold the environmental and social commitments in place.

What an ESG consulting engagement delivers

Engagements are scoped by stage, from a first materiality assessment to a full advisory programme, and every stage leaves a deliverable a third party can inspect.

ESG advisory deliverables by engagement type
Engagement type	What it delivers
ESG assessment and materiality	A materiality matrix ranking the issues that move value and risk for the sector, and a scored pillar assessment on the 40, 30 and 30 percent weighting.
ESG strategy and roadmap	A costed roadmap sequenced by cost and impact, with an owner and an indicative cost band on every action.
ESG data systems	An assurance ready data file covering emissions, energy, water, workforce, safety and governance metrics on a repeatable annual cycle.
ESG reporting and disclosure	A disclosure draft on a recognised basis chosen for the business, ready for investors, lenders and buyer questionnaires.
ESG rating readiness	The data each chosen rating provider requests prepared in advance, with the disclosure gaps that depress a score closed first.
ESG due diligence	A scored, sourced risk picture of a target or investee company ahead of an investment, acquisition or exit.
Improvement loop	Rating movements, questionnaire scores and lender feedback tracked year on year against the prior baseline.

Which reporting standard the disclosure is drafted on

Indian companies that sell into the European Union, Singapore or the Gulf often answer to the reporting standard of the destination market as much as to any home regime. The standards differ in origin, scope and the audience they serve, so the engagement maps the evidence base once and aligns it to whichever standard the buyer, investor or listing venue expects.

BRSR, GRI, ISSB and ESRS reporting standards compared
Standard	Origin	Scope and focus	Who reports on it
BRSR	Securities and Exchange Board of India.	A statutory disclosure format for environmental, social and governance performance, with a subset of assurable core indicators.	India's largest listed companies, scoped on the dedicated statutory reporting page.
GRI Standards	Global Sustainability Standards Board, under GRI.	A modular, voluntary, free set of standards on an organisation's impacts on the economy, environment and people, structured into Universal, Sector and Topic standards.	The most widely used global basis; as of 2024, 77 percent of the world's 250 largest companies report with GRI.
ISSB (IFRS S1 and S2)	International Sustainability Standards Board, under the IFRS Foundation.	A global baseline for investor focused disclosure: IFRS S1 covers general sustainability related financial information, IFRS S2 covers climate and builds on the TCFD recommendations. Issued June 2023, effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2024.	Companies in jurisdictions adopting or referencing ISSB, and exporters whose customers, investors or listing venues expect ISSB aligned reporting.
ESRS	European Financial Reporting Advisory Group, for the European Union.	The European Sustainability Reporting Standards used under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, built on a double materiality view of an entity's impacts and its financial risks and opportunities.	Companies in scope of the CSRD, which can reach non EU groups through their EU operations.

ESG compliance and regulatory drivers in India

Four forces push Indian businesses to act on ESG. The services on this page answer each of them.

ESG compliance in India is not a single statute. It is the sum of four forces: statutory disclosure for the largest listed companies, rating coverage under a regime regulated by SEBI, conditions attached by lenders and investors, and the requirements buyers pass down their supply chains. ESG compliance services in India therefore start by mapping which of these drivers actually bind a business, then build the data and disclosure that answer them.

What drives ESG compliance for Indian businesses
Driver	What it asks of a business
Statutory disclosure	India's largest listed companies file a statutory sustainability disclosure with the exchanges; the format and its requirements are scoped on the dedicated BRSR reporting services page.
Rating coverage	ESG Rating Providers registered with SEBI rate listed companies under the Master Circular for ERPs dated 11 July 2025, each on its own published methodology and pillar weighting.
Lender and investor conditions	Funds and lenders attach ESG questionnaires, screens and due diligence to credit and investment decisions, and expect scored, sourced evidence with a method behind it.
Buyer and destination market requirements	Customers in the European Union, Singapore and the Gulf ask Indian suppliers for environmental, social and governance data to complete their own sustainability disclosure, often through platforms such as EcoVadis or CDP.

ESG reporting services in India

ESG reporting services convert collected evidence into a disclosure a third party can rely on. The work covers choosing the reporting basis, building the data file and drafting the report, and it closes with assurance readiness, never the assurance itself, which stays with an independent provider. As of 2024, 77 percent of the world's 250 largest companies report using the GRI Standards, so GRI is the most common voluntary basis, with ISSB aligned and ESRS aligned formats drafted where an investor, a listing venue or a destination market expects them.

Framework selection: the reporting basis fixed against the audiences the disclosure must serve, on the standards compared earlier on this page.
Data build: emissions, energy, water, workforce, safety and governance metrics collected to a repeatable annual standard.
Disclosure drafting: the report written on the chosen basis, with every figure traceable to a source record.
Assurance readiness: definitions, evidence trails and gap checks prepared in advance, so independent verification finds the file already in order.

ESG consulting from Mumbai, delivered across India and worldwide

One desk, national and international delivery.

ESG advisory is location independent work: the assessment runs on data, documents and structured interviews, so engagements run on site and remotely for businesses in any Indian state, and remotely for overseas clients in the European Union, the Gulf and Singapore. GreenSutra works as ESG consultants in India from a Mumbai base and has served manufacturers, IT and BFSI companies, pharmaceutical businesses and investors since 2016. The weighted assessment stays the same wherever the client operates.

Evidence on the record

GreenSutra has advised companies on environmental compliance since 2016. The method is public: the weighted pillar assessment is disclosed in full on this page, so any score can be retraced, and every regulatory claim above traces to the primary sources listed lower on the page. More than 390 published expert answers stand in the Experts Corner, more than 30 of them on ESG and disclosure, and the Expert Desk sets out how Team GreenSutra researches and publishes its guidance. An ESG readiness review applies the same discipline to a live business.

How an ESG engagement runs

From materiality and baseline through implementation to a drafted, assured and improving disclosure.

ESG consultant mapping environmental, social and governance material topics across three glowing pillar panels on a night office wall

Baseline and materiality

A baseline captures current data, policies and governance, and a materiality scan ranks the environmental, social and governance issues that carry the most value and risk for the sector. The output is a materiality matrix.

ESG team building an environmental, social and governance data baseline across three pillar columns on a studio screen

Weighted assessment and roadmap

The weighted pillar assessment scores readiness on the 40, 30 and 30 percent split and turns gaps into a costed, sequenced roadmap, each action carrying an owner, an indicative cost band and an impact rating.

Teams closing environmental, social and governance gaps at a night facility with solar panels, saplings and recycling bins

Implement and build data

Implementation support stands up the data collection, controls and policies the assessment flagged as missing. The result is a populated data file covering every pillar's metrics on a repeatable annual cycle.

ESG disclosure dashboard with pillar gauges glowing above a desk holding a drafted BRSR sustainability report

Disclose on a recognised basis

Disclosure drafting aligns the evidence to a recognised basis chosen for the business, so the same data set answers investor questionnaires, rating submissions and lender reviews without rework.

Auditor stamping an assurance sign-off on an ESG report beside a rising improvement chart

Assure and improve

Assurance support readies the data for independent verification, and after sign off an improvement loop tracks rating movements, questionnaire scores and lender feedback year on year, so each cycle raises the measured ESG position.

How an ESG assessment flows from company to disclosure

A baseline and a materiality scan decide what matters, the weighted pillars are assessed, and the findings close in an investor-grade disclosure.

01Baseline and materiality

A company baseline is taken and a materiality assessment decides which environmental, social and governance topics matter to the business and its stakeholders.

02Environmental pillar, 40 percent

Weighted at 40 percent of the assessment, the environmental pillar covers emissions, water, energy conservation and waste management, the quantitative metrics that ratings and investor grade disclosure draw on most.

03Social pillar, 30 percent

Weighted at 30 percent, the social pillar covers inclusive development, community development, diversity and CSR, the way a business treats its people and the places it operates.

04Governance pillar, 30 percent

Weighted at 30 percent, the governance pillar covers compliance, related party transactions, transparency and royalty, the controls that hold the environmental and social commitments in place.

05Disclosure and rating

Findings are mapped to recognised frameworks and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, then disclosed and read by ESG rating providers and investors.

A company baseline and materiality scan set the agenda, the environmental, social and governance pillars are assessed on the disclosed 40, 30 and 30 percent weightage, and the findings close in a disclosure drafted on a recognised basis and aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The data file is readied for independent verification, and ESG rating providers registered with SEBI read the published record alongside investors and lenders.

The assessment flows from a company baseline through the weighted pillars to an investor grade disclosure, and a readiness review turns that flow into a costed, sequenced ESG plan.

WhatsApp Request an ESG readiness review →

Benefits of ESG solutions

What an assessed, disclosed and improving ESG programme earns a business.

B·01

Ratings readiness

A scored pillar assessment and an assurance ready data file prepare the company for coverage by SEBI registered ESG rating providers and global agencies, with the disclosure gaps that depress a score closed first.

B·02

Investor and lender confidence

Disclosure built on a recognised basis and a documented method gives funds and lenders evidence they can underwrite: scored pillar results, sourced data and a method that can be checked line by line.

B·03

Buyer questionnaire response

One evidence base answers buyer questionnaires, supplier audits and overseas customer requests, so exporters reply from data already collected, inside the buyer's deadline.

B·04

Measured improvement

An annual loop tracks rating movements, questionnaire scores and lender feedback, so each cycle starts from the prior baseline and raises the measured ESG position.

Board members reviewing an ESG disclosure across the environmental, social and governance pillars with an investor-grade rating dial on screen — ESG turned into measured performance

Why GreenSutra for ESG consulting

Proof a buyer can check, not adjectives.

R·01

Documented assessment method

The engagement runs on a transparent 40, 30 and 30 percent pillar weighting and a scored assessment, published in full on this page so any score can be retraced to its method.

R·02

All three pillars, one team

Environmental, social and governance work is scoped, scored and delivered by one team, not split across separate reviews, so the materiality matrix and the data file stay consistent.

R·03

Recognised bases, one data set

Metrics collected to a repeatable annual standard and structured to survive independent verification, drafted on recognised bases such as the GRI Standards, with the same evidence base answering EcoVadis and CDP style buyer questionnaires.

R·04

End to end delivery

One accountable engagement runs from baseline and materiality through implementation, disclosure and assurance readiness, and any stage can be taken standalone.

R·05

Mumbai based, worldwide reach

ESG advisory delivered for businesses across India and for overseas clients from a Mumbai base since 2016, in an evidence first house style where every claim carries a number, a name or a date.

ESG questions, answered

Q·01What is ESG, and what does it stand for?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. It is a set of criteria used to assess how a company manages its environmental footprint, its relationships with people and communities, and the way it is governed and held to account. The environmental pillar covers matters such as emissions, water, energy conservation and waste management; the social pillar covers inclusive development, community development, diversity and CSR; the governance pillar covers compliance, related party transactions, transparency and oversight. ESG solutions help a company measure, improve and disclose performance across all three so that rating agencies, lenders and buyers can verify it.

Q·02What are ESG solutions for a business in India?

ESG solutions are advisory and implementation services that take a company's environmental, social and governance performance from unmeasured to disclosed. A typical engagement covers a baseline, a materiality scan, a scored assessment of the three pillars, a costed roadmap, data systems, disclosure drafting on a recognised basis, and assurance readiness. The aim is performance an outside reviewer can verify without taking the company's word for it. GreenSutra delivers this as one accountable engagement from Mumbai across India and scores readiness on a transparent environmental 40 percent, social 30 percent and governance 30 percent weighting.

Q·03What does an ESG consultant actually do?

An ESG consultant turns scattered policies and data into a measured, defensible position. The work begins with a baseline and a materiality scan that ranks the issues most relevant to the sector, then a scored assessment exposes gaps across the environmental, social and governance pillars. From there the consultant builds a costed roadmap, stands up the data collection the assessment flagged as missing, drafts disclosure on a recognised basis, and readies the file for independent assurance. The output is evidence a reviewer can check, item by item.

Q·04How do materiality and double materiality set the scope of an ESG engagement?

Materiality is the filter that decides which environmental, social and governance issues a company must manage and disclose. In a materiality assessment, the issues are scored for a specific business and sector, and the highest ranking ones set the scope of the ESG programme. Double materiality extends the exercise: an issue can matter because it affects the company financially, or because the company affects people and the environment through it, and disclosure formats such as the European ESRS apply both tests. GreenSutra runs this scan at the start of every engagement and publishes the result as a materiality matrix, the document that fixes the weighting and scope for the work that follows.

Q·05Which reporting framework does an ESG consultant draft on?

No single framework fits every company, so the reporting basis is chosen for the audience the disclosure must convince. GRI remains the most used starting point worldwide: as of 2024, 77 percent of the world's 250 largest companies reported with the GRI Standards. ISO 26000 sits alongside as guidance on social responsibility, explicitly not a certifiable standard. Where an investor, a listing venue or a destination market expects it, the disclosure is drafted on ISSB aligned or ESRS aligned formats instead. Whatever the basis, one structured data set feeds them all, so a change of framework never means rebuilding the evidence.

Q·06Does a business need ESG reporting software or an ESG consultant?

Neither replaces the other, and many Indian companies run both. ESG reporting software structures recurring data capture across sites, tracks indicator completion and generates dashboards, and ESG tools in India range from spreadsheet templates to full disclosure platforms. An ESG consultant judges what the data must show: which issues are material, which reporting basis fits which audience, how a rating provider will read the figures, and how the disclosure should stand before a board or a lender sees it. GreenSutra supplies the consulting half and works beside whichever platform a business already runs.

Q·07How can a company improve its ESG score or rating?

A score improves when disclosure gaps close and data quality rises. The fastest gains usually come from completing the quantitative data that rating methodologies request. An analysis of FY 2024 disclosures by India's largest listed companies, published in November 2025, found 781 of roughly 1000 filers disclosed Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions while only 268 reported value chain Scope 3 emissions, so completeness is where most positions are lost. A scored pillar assessment identifies which missing metrics depress the score most, and the roadmap sequences them by cost and impact. A number of ESG Rating Providers are registered with SEBI, and each publishes its own pillar weighting rather than a shared one. One provider's published methodology dated May 2026, for instance, weights governance highest at 40 percent, with environmental at 35 percent and social at 25 percent, so readiness means checking each chosen provider's published weighting and preparing the data it requests.

Q·08Which ESG rating agencies cover Indian companies?

Indian companies are rated by ESG Rating Providers registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India, with obligations consolidated in the Master Circular for ESG Rating Providers dated 11 July 2025. The first ESG Rating Provider was registered with approval announced on 25 April 2024, and others are on the live register. Global rating agencies also cover larger Indian firms. Each provider publishes its own methodology and pillar weighting, so a readiness engagement prepares the data each of those methodologies requests.

Q·09What does ESG due diligence cover before an investment or acquisition?

ESG due diligence is the pre transaction review of a company's environmental, social and governance position, run before an investment, an acquisition or an exit. It covers environmental and social management, health and safety, business and human rights exposure, governance quality and pending liabilities, scored so the finding can feed the deal. A fund runs it before committing capital and sets improvement conditions on the findings; a company runs it on itself ahead of a sale so nothing in the data room surprises the buyer. The output is a scored, sourced risk picture the deal team can price.

Q·10Is ESG advisory the same as ESG certification?

No. ESG advisory builds a company's performance and evidence: baseline, materiality, a scored assessment, a roadmap, disclosure and assurance readiness. ESG certification, in common Indian usage, usually means a training credential issued to an individual or a third party audit against a specific scheme. The two are complementary but distinct, and one does not substitute for the other. GreenSutra delivers advisory and assurance readiness; it does not issue training certificates, act as a rating agency or provide third party assurance.

Q·11Can an ESG consultant answer EcoVadis or CDP questionnaires for a supplier?

Yes. Large customers route supplier scrutiny through platforms: a buyer asks its Indian suppliers to complete an EcoVadis assessment or disclose through CDP, and the score feeds procurement and financing decisions. Good answers depend on the records behind them. The engagement builds one evidence base covering the full pillar metric set, then maps that single data set to whichever questionnaire format arrives, so each request is answered from records that already exist.

Q·12Why do unlisted companies and SMEs get asked for ESG data?

The pressure comes from the market. Large listed customers collect ESG data from their suppliers to complete their own disclosures, lenders write ESG conditions into credit, and overseas buyers screen vendors on sustainability data, so an unlisted company ends up answering for ESG that no regulation directly imposes on it. An early baseline and roadmap let the company answer those requests from records it already keeps. The obligation is commercial: buyers keep placing orders with suppliers who can produce the data.

Primary sources

GRI · The global standards for sustainability impactsOpen ↗GRI StandardsOpen ↗ISO 26000 · Social responsibilityOpen ↗SEBI · Master Circular for ESG Rating Providers, 11 July 2025Open ↗SEBI · Registered ESG Rating ProvidersOpen ↗ESG rating methodologyOpen ↗Corporate emissions disclosures in India, 2025Open ↗

Asked at the Expert's Corner

Real ESG and disclosure questions from the community, answered by the GreenSutra team.

Q · 01BRSR4,126 views

What is ESG?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It is a set of criteria used to evaluate a company's performance in these three areas. Environmental…

Answered by the GreenSutra team Q · 02ESG69 views

Which ESG framework should an Indian company use: BRSR, GRI, ISSB or ESRS?

There is no single ESG framework every Indian company should use; the right basis follows the driver. BRSR is the statutory format for India's…

Answered by the GreenSutra team Q · 03ESG51 views

How is an ESG materiality assessment carried out?

An ESG materiality assessment ranks the environmental, social and governance issues that matter most for a specific organisation, working through understanding context, identifying impacts,…

Answered by the GreenSutra team Q · 04BRSR67 views

How can a listed Indian company improve its ESG rating?

To improve esg rating india outcomes, a listed Indian company should raise data completeness across all BRSR essential and leadership indicators, obtain BRSR Core…

Answered by the GreenSutra team Q · 05ESG55 views

Limited vs reasonable assurance for sustainability reports?

Limited vs reasonable assurance describes two IAASB levels: limited assurance uses fewer procedures and smaller samples to give a negative conclusion that nothing suggests…

Answered by the GreenSutra team Q · 06ESG64 views

Why do overseas buyers ask Indian exporters for verified ESG data?

Overseas buyers ask Indian exporters for verified ESG data because their own sustainability disclosure and supply chain commitments depend on the numbers suppliers return.…

Answered by the GreenSutra team Q · 07ESG4,125 views

Can an ESG Rating Provider provide ESG services?

Basis the rules outlined by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) dated 23rd July 2023, an ERP also referred to as ESG Rating…

Answered by the GreenSutra team Q · 08Green Building12,783 views

What are the characteristics of a Green Building?

All green buildings are governed by a set of principles and rules that favor saving energy and resources. Majority of the characteristics of all…

Answered by the GreenSutra team

Browse all ESG questions →Ask a question →Answered by the GreenSutra team →

Request an ESG advisory review

A short conversation about the ESG position, the frameworks that apply and the disclosure ahead turns into a tailored ESG plan. Schedule a call directly or send a written brief.

01Schedule a call

Pick the service and a slot; a practitioner takes the call.

02Write to us

03Direct line

Call+91 83691 29962Mon to Sat · 10:00 to 18:30 IST WhatsAppMessage the ESG desk

Field notes and stories

Reading on sustainability, disclosure and green standards from the GreenSutra journal.

Carbon Footprint18 MAR 2026 · 6 MIN READ

ESG assessed, disclosed and improved across India WhatsApp Request an ESG readiness review →

Cart review

ESG Consulting and Advisory for