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

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/brsr-policies-extend-to-value-chain-question

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](https://senseible.earth/answers/brsr-supplier-questionnaire-field-by-field)
- [BRSR data request to an MSME supplier](https://senseible.earth/answers/brsr-value-chain-data-request-msme-supplier)
- [BRSR sustainable sourcing percentage](https://senseible.earth/answers/brsr-sustainable-sourcing-percentage-question)
- [Supplier evidence for buyers](https://senseible.earth/scope-3-supplier-evidence)

Sources: [SEBI circular, 12 July 2023: BRSR Core and updated BRSR format](https://www.sebi.gov.in/legal/circulars/jul-2023/brsr-core-framework-for-assurance-and-esg-disclosures-for-value-chain_73854.html), [SEBI, updated BRSR format (Annexure II to the 12 July 2023 circular)](https://www.sebi.gov.in/sebi_data/commondocs/jul-2023/Annexure_II-Updated-BRSR_p.PDF)

Last reviewed 2026-10-31.