The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), through its School of Business Environment (SoBE), in collaboration with UNICEF, organised a one-day workshop on Business Responsibility & Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) in New Delhi. The objective of the workshop was to build the capacity and awareness of the participants on the emerging trends and best practices of BRSR in relation to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
Praveen Kumar, director general and CEO, IICA highlighted the importance of ESG as a strategic tool for businesses to create value and mitigate risks. He quoted business case studies wherein effective ESG strategy and reporting have contributed to enhanced reputation and overall-performance of the businesses.
He also highlighted the significant role IICA plays in promoting corporate sustainability by providing technical inputs for National Voluntary Guidelines, Ntional Gudelines on Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC) and BRSR framework, among other key policy interventions.He also emphasised that it is aligned with international reporting frameworks as well.
He urged the participants to integrate ESG in their core compliance practices and conduct detailed assessments to accurately identify the key materiality issues in their respective domains. Morever, he urged the professionals to endeavour to transform their businesses or organisations into responsible entities by aiding effective integration of ESG factors into their business operations, over and above mandatory compliance.
The workshop featured five technical sessions by experts from academia, industry and civil society, who covered various aspects of BRSR and ESG such as interpreting the 'S' of ESG, applying family friendly policies in business, understanding the interlinkages among ESG-BRSR-NGRBC, measuring carbon footprints of businesses and disclosing them in BRSR, effectively reporting occupational health and safety factors in BRSR and exploring the global and national reporting landscape.
Prof. Garima Dadhich, associate professor and head, SoBE, IICA suggested some action points for the participants to apply their learnings in their respective organisations.
The workshop was attended by experts, like sustainability professionals, ESG professionals, CSR and top leaders.