SEBI’s more is better fallacy on ESG disclosures

While a global backlash has triggered a rethink of environmental, social and governance regulations, India’s answer is a mandatory disclosure regime.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India is ready to put the cart before the horse when it comes to environmental, social and governance regulation.

In 2021, the market regulator asked the top 1,000 listed companies by market capitalization to file a Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report on a voluntary basis. Under this, firms were required to make disclosures on about 800 parameters related to environmental, social and governance, or ESG, factors. This included data on companies’ waste disposal practices, energy consumption, water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, workforce diversity and more. Reporting of such data was made mandatory for the …

Author

Azman Usmani

Azman writes on climate change, ESG, and how a warming world impacts businesses and people alike. Prior to The Morning Context, he led climate coverage at BloombergQuint, where he started his career as a desk writer.

Writer

azman@mailtmc.com

Mumbai