Insights

New York held its Climate Week from 20 to 27 September 2026, alongside the UN General Assembly's High-Level Week. The mood was less about announcing targets and more about whether existing ones are being met, paid for and explained. From pledges to proof Practitioners who attended dozens of sessions reported that the week was not a stage for new targets or net-zero pledges. The focus was on progress against existing commitments, where it has stalled, and what is needed to get

Image Source: GRI The European Commission adopted the final delegated act containing the revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS 2026) (adopted on 3rd July, published on 21st Sept 2026). This closes out a process that began in February 2025 as part of the Commission's Omnibus simplification package, one of the final steps of the European Commission's February 2025 'Omnibus' package intended to simplify EU sustainability reporting rules. The headline number

Overview Senate Bill 253 requires large companies doing business in California, those with total annual global revenue exceeding $1 billion, to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on an annual basis, in conformance with the GHG Protocol. Reporting is being phased in: Scope 1 & Scope 2 emissions: first report due November 10, 2026 (deferred from the original August 10, 2026 date). Scope 3 emissions: reporting begins in 2027, initially covering five proposed

With so much happening in the field of sustainability, we have decided to bring quality updates at more frequent intervals – such that they remain relevant, and you, dear readers, are updated with the latest news of what’s happening in the field of sustainability. We shall now be issuing monthly sustainability newsletters, with the exception of this month, where we shall be covering both July and August. Like always, we have divided our newsletter into relevant sections for

For over a decade, Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 has quietly defined the boundaries of India's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) universe. It is the list that tells a company what counts as a valid CSR activity. In May 2026, that list grew by one line item. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has inserted a new item, (xiii), into Schedule VII: subscription to Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) instruments listed on the Social Stock Exchange (SSE). On the surf

On 12 August 2026, the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), formally Regulation (EU) 2025/40, began applying on the ground, with the first substantive restriction under the law now in force. For any Indian business that manufactures, exports, or sells packaging or packaged products into the EU, this marks the start of a multi-year compliance journey that touches design, materials, labelling, and recyclability across the entire packaging lifecycle.

Why Scope 2 Is Being Rewritten? In 2015, GHG Protocol introduced the Scope 2 rules companies still use today. These rules allow two ways to report emissions from purchased electricity: the location-based method and the market-based method. Ten years on, GHG Protocol is now running its biggest review of these rules yet. Between October and January 2026, GHG Protocol asked the public for feedback in two separate consultations. One covered proposed changes to Scope 2 accounting.

In the first two posts of this series, we've unpacked how BRSR Core applies to a listed company's own operations — the nine KPIs, the assurance glide path, who can audit what. But BRSR Core doesn't stop at the boundary of the listed entity. It reaches into the value chain: the suppliers a company buys from, and the customers and distributors it sells to. This is the part of BRSR Core that catches most people off guard — not because the rule is complicated, but because of who

If Q1 was about the shock of an energy crisis, Q2 has been about the response to one. Governments, corporates, and consumers alike spent the quarter putting energy security firmly in the driver's seat — from EU’s new strategy to insulate itself from fossil fuel dependence, to a fresh wave of Indian battery storage and EV infrastructure, to a global EV buying spree that shows no signs of slowing. Europe's carbon border tax also got its first real price tag, adding a new cost d

With BRSR Core audits set to expand from the Top 500 to the Top 1,000 listed companies in FY 2026–27, the compliance landscape for Indian corporates is shifting in ways that demand more than last-minute preparation. For senior leadership - particularly CFOs, Chief Sustainability Officers, and Company Secretaries - this expansion is not simply a regulatory milestone. It is an inflection point that separates companies building genuine sustainability infrastructure from those st

In the rapidly evolving landscape of corporate sustainability, the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) has emerged as a cornerstone of transparency for Indian listed entities. As mandates tighten, understanding the applicability of these regulations is critical for compliance and strategic positioning. This article, the first in our BRSR Series, breaks down the eligibility criteria for mandatory filing, voluntary adoption, and the conditions for cessation

Much of the headlines this quarter, including that of our newsletter, were dedicated to the global energy crisis that has emerged due to the US-Iran war. In this issue, we shall take you through the effects of the war and how the world economies are continuing in their pursuit of climate action. And guess what? We have many ‘firsts’ to report - the first US state to implement climate disclosure laws, the first standards for permanent carbon removal and the first loan linke

Welcome to 2026! Let’s take a moment to reflect on what a year 2025 has been for sustainability. There was a definite change in the sentiment and the way sustainability is perceived. While most of the Western countries witnessed a political shift away from sustainability policies, the Eastern half continued their silent pursuit of progress. One common thread that has emerged at the end of this year is that – ESG efforts need to be resilient in itself . They need to be pragmat

We make energy efficient batteries used in two-wheelers. Are we eligible for carbon credits? We undertake tree plantations as part of our CSR projects. Are we eligible for carbon credits? Carbon credits have been in the buzz these days. With the Government of India announcing Green Credits Programme and large multi-nationals like Apple & Google sponsoring environmental projects for offsets, a lot of companies are evaluating carbon credits to earn an extra dollar for their s

Q3 2025 was a tumultuous quarter that saw a fight between simplification and deregulation. While the US continued on its new agenda to promote oil and gas, the EU witnessed delays in its new deforestation bill. On the other hand, developing economies like China and India witnessed growth in clean-tech and renewables, leading the market as their western counterparts slowed down. Sustainability outflows continued, however investor reports showed relevance, even as companies con

While the 3 scopes of greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3) are ubiquitously used, there exists a less popular category for Scope 4...

Q2 2025 witnessed a series of regulatory and policy developments, from a climate finance taxonomy in India to the first-time issue of...

The Union Budget Speech for FY 2024-25 had first proposed formation of a climate finance taxonomy, following which the Ministry of...

We are at a point in time where politicians refute climate change, where diversity is considered unjust, and where economic...

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) recently released the draft Corporate Net Zero Standard 2.0 (henceforth referred to as...