What does the BRSR question 'do your policies extend to value chain partners' mean for suppliers?

Section B question 3 asks a listed company, for each of the nine principles, whether its policies extend to value chain partners: yes or no. Question 4 asks which codes and certifications it has adopted under each principle. For a supplier, a yes means a code of conduct to sign and evidence to show.

The two questions

• Question 3: Do the enlisted policies extend to your value chain partners? Yes or no, for each of Principles 1 to 9.
• Question 4: Name the national and international codes, certifications, labels or standards adopted, under each principle. SEBI's examples: Forest Stewardship Council, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, Trustea, SA 8000, OHSAS, ISO and BIS.

What a yes means for you

• A supplier code of conduct with clauses on ethics, product safety, worker welfare, human rights and environment.
• A right for the buyer to audit or send questionnaires.
• Data requests that follow from the buyer's own BRSR, such as energy, emissions, water and waste figures.

Certificates that help, by principle

• Environment, Principle 6: ISO 14001, ISO 50001.
• Worker safety and wellbeing, Principle 3: ISO 45001, which replaced OHSAS 18001.
• Labour and human rights, Principles 3 and 5: SA 8000.
• Sustainable sourcing, Principle 2: FSC, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade or Trustea, depending on your material.

If you cannot meet every clause yet

Do not tick every box. Sign with a short written note of the gaps and dates to close them. A buyer can work with a dated plan; a false yes found in an audit ends the relationship.

What Senseible does here

When the code of conduct asks for your energy and emissions, Senseible prepares Scope 1 and 2 figures from your electricity bills and fuel invoices, with each line linked to its bill, ready to send to the buyer.

• Supplier questionnaire, field by field
• BRSR data request to an MSME supplier
• BRSR sustainable sourcing percentage
• Supplier evidence for buyers

Sources: SEBI circular, 12 July 2023: BRSR Core and updated BRSR format, SEBI, updated BRSR format (Annexure II to the 12 July 2023 circular)

Last reviewed 2026-10-31.