Corporate Governance Mechanisms and Climate Disclosure in India’s Mid-cap Segment

Abstract

This study employs Poisson regression to empirically analyse climate disclosure by mid-cap firms in India. We have developed a Climate Disclosure Index based on Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures recommendations and the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework in India. Seventy-eight mid-cap firms from NSE were selected for analysis, whose required data were available from their sustainability reports and annual reports for the period 2023–2024. Additional robustness tests were conducted using sensitivity analysis through model parsimony, and subsample tests were performed to further check robustness. The study fills the gap by focusing on mid-cap companies, often neglected in the literature on corporate governance and climate change disclosure. The results find a significant relationship between gender diversity on the board, disclosure of Scope 3 emissions, presence of a sustainability committee and climate disclosure score. The empirical evidence stresses the need for improvement of BRSR baseline reporting in the revised climate disclosure regulatory framework in India. The study provides useful suggestions to policymakers to implement these recommendations and enhance the role of women and the sustainability committee in future versions of BRSR.