Esg

Parliamentary panel pitches for ESG oversight body to combat greenwashing

The corporate affairs ministry should set up an ESG oversight body to actively combat greenwashing activities and also put in place penal provisions for fraudulent ESG claims, according to a Parliamentary panel. Generally, greenwashing refers to claims by companies about any product or service having a climate-friendly impact. ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles are part of the Companies Act, 2013. In its report tabled in Parliament on Monday, the Standing Committee on Finance mentioned the ministry's demurral against establishing a dedicated ESG oversight body, citing that the prevailing disclosure-based regime, underpinned by a company board's accountability and extant penal provisions, constitutes an adequate monitoring mechanism. Against this backdrop, the panel urged the ministry to "establish a dedicated ESG oversight body for actively combating greenwashing through specialised forensic expertise" as well as formulate sector-specific guidelines and extend .

Sebi proposes stricter norms for green bond reviewers to curb conflicts

Sebi on Friday said it has proposed to tighten the norms to appoint independent third-party reviewers or certifiers for green debt securities to align them with requirements for other ESG-linked bonds. In a draft circular, Sebi said that the current norms for green bonds, introduced in February 2023, lack detailed requirements around reviewer independence, conflict of interest mitigation, and disclosure standards that are now in place for other ESG-linked securities under a June 2025 circular. The regulator's latest proposal seeks public comments on a revised framework that would bring parity by incorporating comprehensive criteria for third-party certifiers of green bonds on non-convertible securities. Under the proposed norms, issuers of green debt securities will need to appoint reviewers who are independent of their management, directors, and key managerial personnel. These reviewers will be remunerated in a way that prevents any conflicts of interest and possess relevant ...

AIFs must lead ESG push in unlisted firms, says Sebi's Ruchi Chojer

Sebi executive director says AIFs must align with global ESG norms as 40 per cent of capital comes from foreign investors expecting high disclosure standards

JSW Energy joins FTSE4Good index for strong ESG and sustainability focus

JSW Energy on Wednesday announced its inclusion in the FTSE4Good Index Series. Created by the global index and data provider FTSE Russell, the FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, JSW Energy said in an exchange filing. JSW Energy announces that it has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series. The FTSE4Good indexes are used by a wide variety of market participants to create and assess responsible investment funds and other products, it added. FTSE Russell evaluations are based on performance in areas like Corporate Governance, Health & Safety, Anti-Corruption and Climate Change. Businesses included in the FTSE4Good Index Series meet a variety of environmental, social and governance criteria. Sharad Mahendra, Joint Managing Director and CEO of JSW Energy, said, "The company has set an ambitious target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and aims to scale up to 30 GW .

Sustainable business practices: Navigating India's ESG, energy transition

Mandatory ESG norms mark a shift towards stakeholder capitalism, reflecting global trends in climate governance and moving beyond shareholder- and state-driven business models

Sebi tweaks framework for ESG rating providers using subscriber-pays model

Markets regulator Sebi has tweaked the framework for ESG Rating Providers (ERPs), especially for those using a subscriber-pays model, requiring them to share ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) rating reports with both subscribers and the rated issuer simultaneously. This policy needs to be publicly disclosed. To give this effect, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has amended rules governing credit rating agencies in a bid to enhance clarity and transparency. "An ESG rating provider following a subscriber-pays business model shall share the ESG rating report with its subscribers and the rated entity or the issuer whose securities have been rated at the same time and provide two working days to such rated entity or the issuer to provide its comments," Sebi said in its notification issued on Tuesday. Further, all comments or clarifications received from the rated entity within the specified timeline will be included in the addendum to the ESG rating report by

Sebi to review ESG disclosures for listed firms, says Tuhin Kanta Pandey

India has fared poorly on ESG scores, with Moody's Ratings classifying the country in the high risk category on environment and social factors

Sebi includes Green Credit Program under BRSR framework

Capital markets regulator Sebi on Friday decided to include disclosure pertaining to the 'Green Credit Program' by listed companies under the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework. The Green Credits can be generated by a listed company and its value chain partners through plantations of trees on waste or degraded lands and river catchment areas. In its circular, Sebi said that 'green credits' generated by the listed company and their top 10 value chain partners can be added as a leadership indicator under Principle 6 of BRSR, which states that businesses should respect and make efforts to protect and restore the environment. This new requirement will be applicable for BRSR disclosures starting from FY 2024-25 and onwards. The disclosure is also in line with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notification issued in February 2024. In addition, Sebi has redefined 'value chain partners', which now encompass the upstream and downstrea

$1.8 trillion ESG market thrives as US govt agencies drive demand

Sales of so-called social bonds, which direct proceeds to areas like health, housing and education, jumped about 130 per cent to $657 billion globally last year

M&M ranks in top 1% of S&P Global's corporate sustainability assessment

Mahindra & Mahindra is the only global carmaker in the top 1% of S&P Global's 2025 Sustainability Yearbook, achieving a perfect 100 percentile in business ethics, risk management, and transparency

Sebi proposes rules to beef up ERP framework; aims to enhance transparency

Key areas include withdrawal of ESG ratings, disclosure of rating rationale

Sebi WTM Amarjeet Singh raises concerns of greenwashing by India Inc

Says some manufacturing, automotive, and energy cos making misleading disclosures

Sebi relaxes on timeline for review of ESG rating on BRSR publication

To promote ease of doing business, markets regulator Sebi on Friday provided relaxation in the timeline for review of ESG rating following the publication of Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR). ESG Rating Providers (ERPs) will carry out a review of the ESG ratings upon the occurrence of or announcement/ news of such material developments immediately, but not later than 10 days of occurrence of the said event. However, review of the ESG rating following the publication of BRSR by the rated entity will be carried out immediately, but not later than 45 days after the publication of the BRSR, Sebi said in its circular. This came after ERPs made a representation to Sebi highlighting the operational challenges faced in undertaking review of ESG ratings for a large pool of listed companies following publication of BRSR by such companies, within the specified timeline of 10 days. ERPs have made a representation to Sebi, highlighting the operational challenges faced

Experts call for systemic change in accounting, ESG to reflect true value

Income statements in the US haven't changed since maybe 1920

Syngenta signs $ 4.5 bn sustainability-linked loan, Asia's largest in 2024

Borrowers in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan have raised $57 billion-equivalent of such facilities so far this year, a 19% jump from the same period in 2023, Bloomberg-compiled data shows

Sebi defers ESG disclosure deadline under BRSR framework by 1 yr to FY26

Markets regulator Sebi has decided to defer the ESG disclosure deadline for value chain partners of listed companies by one year until FY26, giving more time to them to comply with the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) requirements. Until then, environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting will remain voluntary instead of the current "comply-and-explain" approach. The proposal, approved by Sebi's board on Wednesday, is aimed at enhancing ease of doing business for listed companies and their value chain partners in meeting BRSR requirement. The Sebi's board approved several relaxations and updates for ESG disclosures. These include "deferring ESG disclosures for value chain", as well as "assessment or assurance" thereof, by one year. Hence, ESG disclosures for value chain shall apply from FY26 (as against the current requirement of FY 2024-25) and "assessment or assurance" thereof shall be applicable from FY 2026-27 (as against the current requiremen

Lack of regulatory clarity could drive away private ESG finance for India

Political shift is affecting ESG investing

CareEdge group to scale up share for its non-rating business to 20%

The plan is to establish regional hubs to enhance local connections in the countries rated by CARE

Sebi looks to iron out new ERP framework for ease of doing business

Revision to allow ERPs to rate unlisted securities and exempt them from disclosing ESG ratings to stock exchanges

NFOs galore: WhiteOak Capital launches ESG fund, but is it worth it?

The fund will utilize its proprietary framework to assess companies on their corporate governance practices.