My listed buyer has issued a green bond. What will it ask me as an MSME supplier?

Expect requests for energy, fuel, emissions and waste figures. A green bond issuer reports project impact and BRSR items, including Scope 3 and the share of suppliers assessed, and must avoid cherry-picked data. Its ESG rating also counts MSME sourcing, so documented data helps you stay on its list.

Why the request lands on you

• SEBI requires listed green debt issuers to report major BRSR items, including total Scope 3 emissions and the percentage of value chain partners, by value of business, assessed for environmental impact.
• Impact must be reported project by project, with methods and assumptions, and negative externalities quantified.
• SEBI's greenwashing rules forbid cherry-picking data, so buyers need numbers that hold up rather than estimates.

What is likely to be asked

1. Monthly electricity use in kWh and fuel use by type, with bills or invoices.
2. Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, or the data to calculate them.
3. Waste generated, recycled and disposed of, and water withdrawn.
4. Whether any figure was checked by an outside party.
5. For supplies to a funded project, the materials and transport behind your product.

Where it can help you

SEBI's list of India-specific ESG rating parameters includes the share of a company's inputs bought directly from MSMEs and small producers. ESG mutual funds must hold mostly companies with assured BRSR Core data. A supplier that answers quickly with traceable figures makes its buyer's reporting easier, which is a practical edge when contracts are renewed.

How to prepare

• Keep 12 months of electricity bills and fuel invoices in one place.
• Use one method and state the emission factors you used.
• Answer only what you can support; mark estimates as estimates.

What Senseible does here

Senseible reads a supplier's electricity bills and fuel invoices into Scope 1 and 2 figures with the source document attached, ready to share with a buyer.

• BRSR items a green bond issuer reports
• Share of value chain partners assessed
• Indian parameters in ESG ratings
• SEBI greenwashing rules for green bonds

Sources: SEBI circular, Revised disclosure requirements for issuance and listing of green debt securities, 6 February 2023 (now Chapter IX of the NCS Master Circular), SEBI circular, Dos and don'ts relating to green debt securities to avoid occurrences of greenwashing, 3 February 2023, SEBI Master Circular for ESG Rating Providers, 11 July 2025, SEBI circular, New category of mutual fund schemes for ESG investing and related disclosures, 20 July 2023

Last reviewed 2026-10-23.