ANNOUNCEMENTS
This dissertation critically evaluates the integration of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) commitments into the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) disclosures of a prominent packaging manufacturer, focusing on its implications for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. Utilizing the company's Environmental Custom Reports for FY 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 (which form part of its BRSR disclosures, particularly under Principle 6), alongside its EPR certificates and a series of damning CPCB Audit Finding Reports, the study assesses whether its sustainability efforts are genuinely embedded in its operations and value chain ("Sustainability by Design") or are predominantly articulated through superficial policy statements and critically flawed compliance measures ("Sustainability by Declaration").
The analysis delves into waste management, emissions, and water usage, with particular emphasis on the transparency and accountability related to plastic waste and the broader supply chain. While the analyzed company demonstrates robust internal environmental performance reporting, a series of CPCB audits for FY 2023-2024 revealed significant, multifaceted discrepancies in its external EPR compliance, including a profound lack of auditable traceability for post-consumer plastic waste (e.g., absence of valid Proof of Deliveries, Online Waste Tracking System data, invoices, lorry slips), vague recycling claims, and inadequate due diligence on Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs).
These findings, corroborated by similar systemic issues exemplified by the Shakti Plastic Industries scandal involving the issuance of large volumes of fake EPR certificates, categorically challenge the legitimacy of its BRSR disclosures concerning external EPR obligations and underscore pervasive systemic vulnerabilities within India's broader EPR and ESG reporting framework.
Recommendations are provided for urgently enhancing BRSR disclosure practices and regulatory oversight to bridge the critical gap between reported compliance and the demonstrable, real-world application of EPR, thereby strengthening overall ESG performance.
