Examining governance and sustainability reporting: insights from BRSR disclosures in Indian companies

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact and interconnectedness of corporate governance attributes such as board size, gender diversity of board, ESG/Sustainability committee, age of company, profitability, market capitalization and leverage on India's recent sustainability reporting business responsibility and sustainability reporting (BRSR) framework. Design/methodology/approach A total of 101 NSE listed company's BRSR reports for the financial year 2023–2024 were used to prepare the sustainability quality index (SQI). The impact of BRSR framework quality on reporting organisations was investigated using Multiple hierarchical regression analysis. This study used SQI score as the dependent variable and firm age, board size, board gender diversity, board independence, presence of ESG/sustainability committee and presence of women KMP were the independent variables. Market capitalisation, profitability and leverage were taken as control variables. Findings The study's findings revealed that traditional corporate governance attributes like firm age, board size and board independence have no significant positive relationship with sustainable reporting in India. In contrast, the study revealed that modern governance factors, including ESG/sustainable committee, board gender diversity and presence of women KMP, have a strong positive impact on sustainable reporting. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in examining how firm-level and corporate governance attributes influence the quality of BRSR sustainability disclosures among Indian listed companies.