With the changing regulatory and business environment of today, Sustainability Reporting has become a must-have from a nice-to-have. With businesses under increasing scrutiny from investors, regulators, and consumers, there is a need for structured and transparent sustainability disclosures. The Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework, launched in India and increasingly cited by multinational companies, provides a robust framework for sustainability performance measurement and reporting.
But what does BRSR do for Middle Eastern businesses—and why is Sustainability Reporting increasing in popularity around the region?
Throughout the GCC, sustainability has ceased to be a corporate cliché—it’s a strategic imperative. From net-zero ambitions in the UAE to Saudi Vision 2030, businesses are called upon to not only demonstrate profitability but also positive environmental and social contribution. And that’s where Sustainability Reporting fits in.
As per the Arab Monetary Fund, more than 23% of publicly listed companies in the GCC now incorporate sustainability disclosures within their annual reports. UAE-based companies, particularly from industries such as construction, energy, and finance, are embracing frameworks such as GRI, SASB, and increasingly, BRSR, to address stakeholder needs.
Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) is a framework articulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Although it’s required of Indian top listed firms, its thinking has universal implications—particularly in the case of conglomerates operating across borders.
BRSR nudges companies to make their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance public based on values such as:
For Middle Eastern businesses, particularly those that trade with or invest in Indian economies, compliance with BRSR boosts credibility and investor confidence.
The BRSR model provides a scalable model for Sustainability Reporting for the Middle East. Here’s why it is important:
BRSR harmonizes with other frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), enabling regional companies to provide comprehensive, internationally-consistent ESG reports.
The UAE’s 2050 Net Zero and Saudi Arabia’s Green Initiative both rely on measurable ESG action. BRSR provides a framework to monitor and report on that progress.
A PwC Middle East report emphasized that 67% of regional investors now take ESG factors into account when making decisions. BRSR-based Sustainability Reporting enhances trust and proves commitment to long-term value creation.
An effective Sustainability Reporting process with BRSR principles involves:
By highlighting key and leadership indicators, companies give a complete range of account of their sustainability experience.
At Clenergize, we realize that Sustainability Reporting isn’t simply a compliance exercise—it’s a strategic communication device. We assist organizations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and worldwide to create effective BRSR-compliant reports by providing:
To determine ESG concerns most important to your industry and stakeholders.
Securing reliable performance data and substantiating it using best-in-class procedures.
We convert technical information into visually engaging stories, making it clear, transparent, and BRSR-aligned.
Whether you report under GRI, BRSR, or national sustainability requirements, we assist you in aligning disclosures across all reporting formats.
A large Abu Dhabi real estate development company recently hired Clenergize to align its ESG practices to the BRSR. With operations in India, alignment with BRSR provided double advantage: foreign market compliance and increased transparency to ESG-aware investors in the GCC. In one reporting cycle, the organization enhanced stakeholder engagement and gained interest from regional green funds.
As the Middle East enhances its leadership in global ESG leadership—emphasized by COP28 in Dubai—the demand for sound Sustainability Reporting intensifies. Those companies that adopt frameworks such as BRSR will not just comply with regulator requirements but future-proof themselves amid a fast-evolving business landscape.
In addition, Sustainability Reporting is not the prerogative of big companies alone. SMEs, family firms, and state-linked enterprises too can gain from transparent sustainability disclosures—particularly in tender, financing, or international partnership competitions.
Sustainability Reporting is not only a disclosure, but a declaration of purpose. In a region where economic ambition converges with environmental necessity, tools such as BRSR give companies the framework they need to make sustainability strategy.
With Clenergize in your corner, developing a BRSR-friendly report is no chore, but a chance to shine.
Let us shape your ESG narrative into your greatest competitive advantage.
