Timeline of ESG Evolution

Timeline of how ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) evolved globally and in India

Pre-2000: Foundations of ESG

1960s–70s: Rise of environmental movements (e.g., Earth Day 1970), anti-pollution laws (Clean Air Act, Water Act, etc.)
1976: OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises – one of the earliest frameworks encouraging responsible business conduct.
1987: Brundtland Report (Our Common Future) defines “Sustainable Development.”

2000–2010: ESG Frameworks Begin Taking Shape

2000: United Nations Global Compact launched – 10 principles on human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.
2004: UN report “Who Cares Wins” coined the term ESG, calling for integration into capital markets.
2006: UN PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment) launched – investors begin focusing on ESG risks.
2009: IFC Performance Standards launched – used for ESG due diligence in projects financed by World Bank group.

2011: OECD updates its guidelines, GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) grows in global use.
2015: UN adopts Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2015: Paris Climate Agreement – global commitment to limit global warming.
2017: Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) established by G20’s Financial Stability Board.
2018: EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan launched – first push for taxonomy and sustainable finance.
2019: ESG funds see a sharp rise in inflows globally.

2020–2021: COVID-19 shifts focus to ‘S’ and ‘G’ (social and governance) factors: employee well-being, board resilience, etc.
2021: India introduces BRSR (Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting) – replacing BRR.
2022: BRSR mandated for top 1000 listed companies by SEBI.
2023: India releases BRSR Lite for unlisted and small enterprises.
2023–24: Growing alignment of Indian ESG norms with global standards like GRI, TCFD, SASB, and ISSB.
2024: EU CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) goes live for large companies.

Integration of AI and data into ESG tracking and reporting.
Mandatory ESG disclosures for SMEs and private companies (in stages).
ESG ratings and taxonomies becoming standardized (globally and in India).
Increasing investor and regulatory focus on climate risk and supply chain ESG compliance.

Year	Milestone
2009	National Voluntary Guidelines (NVGs) introduced
2012	BRR (Business Responsibility Report) mandated for top 100 listed companies
2021	BRSR introduced by SEBI
2022	BRSR mandatory for top 1000 listed entities
2023	BRSR Lite for small/unlisted businesses launched
2024–25	Focus on sector-specific ESG guidelines, digital reporting tools