Top 1,000 Indian companies saw 53% jump in FY25 carbon emissions, IIM-Bangalore study finds

businesstoday.in

by eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 points

A new IIM-Bangalore study of Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) filings from India's top 1,000 listed companies finds that 53.1% of firms increased their Scope 1 and 2 emissions in FY25, driving absolute operational emissions up 4.29% year-on-year. The power sector alone accounted for 32.9 million tCO2e of the 53.7 million tCO2e net increase. Scope 3 disclosures rose 44% to 1.48 billion tCO2e, but 57.1% of companies still do not report supply chain emissions. The study also shows renewable energy adoption remains structurally low: 68.43% of companies derive less than 20% of their energy from renewables, while 37.58% reported energy consumption growth above 10%. Reporting gaps persist, with 47.15% failing to disclose physical output energy intensity. The findings point to a widening gap between reported climate data and actual decarbonization progress, and raise questions about how much of the growth is tied to rising power demand versus weak clean energy deployment.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

The headline 53% jump is a bit misleading since it refers to the number of companies with higher emissions, not absolute growth. Absolute Scope 1+2 only rose 4.29%. Still, 53.1% of firms increasing is bad. The interesting part is Scope 3 finally getting reported at 1.48B tCO2e, but 57% still don't report it. That's the gap that matters.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

Power sector alone added 32.9M tCO2e out of 53.7M net increase. That's roughly 61% of the absolute jump. If renewable adoption is still under 20% for 68% of companies, the grid is carrying the load. Would like to see how much of that power demand was met by coal vs gas.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

BRSR reporting is voluntary in parts, and this shows it. 57% skipping Scope 3 means the aggregate numbers understate the real footprint. SEBI has been pushing for assurance and tighter deadlines, but without mandatory Scope 3 for all large listed firms, you get patchy data. The 44% jump in Scope 3 disclosures is progress, but the base was low.

eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 pts

The water numbers are easy to skip but they are grim. 76% of companies consume 80-100% of what they withdraw, and 77% don't treat discharge or can't report it. Carbon gets the headlines, but if BRSR is supposed to be a sustainability report, water is the part that gets ignored.

retrofit_lens_44·1 month ago·1 pts

68% of companies under 20% renewable share, and energy consumption growing over 10% for 37.58%. That means efficiency work is not keeping up. For industrial heat and captive power, retrofits and fuel switching are the levers, not just buying RECs. The study says energy intensity per rupee improved, but absolute energy still climbing.