The environmental, social and governance (ESG) ecosystem in India is in the early stages of its evolution, with the securities regulator having made it mandatory for the top 1,000 listed companies to furnish sustainability reports from this financial year. India is also one of the few countries in the world to have a corporate social responsibility (CSR) mandate – companies with a net worth of Rs5 billion (US$61 million) or more (or turnover of Rs10 billion or more, or net profit of Rs50 million or more) are required to spend 2 per cent of their net profits on CSR initiatives. This makes India a major market for sustainability solutions and green finance, and makes it critical to the evolution of the ESG ecosystem worldwide. To understand the drivers of India’s ESG push, the challenges, and the opportunities for businesses, Eco-Business spoke to Shantanu Srivastava, energy finance analyst with think tank Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), who covers listed companies in the Indian energy sector, analysing their transition strategy, financing needs and ESG profiles. Read More