INDUSTRIESCASE STUDIES
Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare
ESG ratings are ultimately assessments of disclosed evidence, not unseen performance. A leading Indian life sciences and specialty chemicals manufacturer had already embedded sustainability initiatives across its operations, yet those efforts were not being fully reflected in external assessments.
Cognitud aligned the company's public disclosures, reporting frameworks, and investor-facing communications with the evidence requirements of leading ESG rating agencies, ensuring that demonstrated performance could be consistently recognized across assessment platforms.
The gap was not in sustainability performance, but in how that performance was documented and presented. Sustainability information existed across numerous public documents, including its Sustainability Report, Annual Report, BRSR Core disclosures, governance policies, and investor communications. Although these documents contained substantial evidence of environmental and governance performance, they had been developed for different purposes and lacked the consistency, structure, and cross-referencing expected by rating agencies.
This fragmented disclosure landscape created several missed opportunities. Material achievements—including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, renewable electricity procurement, process water recycling, and supply chain assessments—were not consistently mapped to the scoring methodologies of S&P Global CSA, CDP, and EcoVadis. Climate governance, financial implications of climate risks, and scenario analysis also required stronger articulation to satisfy the evidence expectations associated with higher CDP performance bands. The challenge therefore extended beyond reporting—it required creating a disclosure ecosystem where every public document reinforced the same performance narrative.
The gap was not in sustainability performance, but in how that performance was documented and presented. Sustainability information existed across numerous public documents, including its Sustainability Report, Annual Report, BRSR Core disclosures, governance policies, and investor communications. Although these documents contained substantial evidence of environmental and governance performance, they had been developed for different purposes and lacked the consistency, structure, and cross-referencing expected by rating agencies.
This fragmented disclosure landscape created several missed opportunities. Material achievements—including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, renewable electricity procurement, process water recycling, and supply chain assessments—were not consistently mapped to the scoring methodologies of S&P Global CSA, CDP, and EcoVadis. Climate governance, financial implications of climate risks, and scenario analysis also required stronger articulation to satisfy the evidence expectations associated with higher CDP performance bands. The challenge therefore extended beyond reporting—it required creating a disclosure ecosystem where every public document reinforced the same performance narrative.
The priority was to ensure that every material sustainability achievement could be identified, verified, and credited by external assessors. Cognitud reviewed the Sustainability Report, BRSR Core, TCFD-aligned Climate Action Report, Annual Report, policy documents, investor presentations, and rating submissions as interconnected evidence sources supporting a single ESG narrative.
Disclosure gaps were systematically mapped against S&P Global CSA and CDP assessment criteria, enabling governance practices, climate risk analysis, environmental performance metrics, and management approaches to be presented in formats directly aligned with assessor expectations. Key indicators—including greenhouse gas emissions, renewable electricity, energy consumption, water recycling, supplier assessments, and climate targets—were standardized using consistent reporting boundaries and documented methodologies, ensuring that performance was communicated consistently across every disclosure channel.
The priority was to ensure that every material sustainability achievement could be identified, verified, and credited by external assessors. Cognitud reviewed the Sustainability Report, BRSR Core, TCFD-aligned Climate Action Report, Annual Report, policy documents, investor presentations, and rating submissions as interconnected evidence sources supporting a single ESG narrative.
Disclosure gaps were systematically mapped against S&P Global CSA and CDP assessment criteria, enabling governance practices, climate risk analysis, environmental performance metrics, and management approaches to be presented in formats directly aligned with assessor expectations. Key indicators—including greenhouse gas emissions, renewable electricity, energy consumption, water recycling, supplier assessments, and climate targets—were standardized using consistent reporting boundaries and documented methodologies, ensuring that performance was communicated consistently across every disclosure channel.
The engagement created a disclosure architecture that enabled operational performance to be consistently recognized across global ESG assessments. Within a single assessment cycle, the organization achieved an S&P Global CSA Score of 74, an S&P Global ESG Score of 74, B ratings for both CDP Climate Change and Water Security, and an EcoVadis Silver rating, placing it in the 94th percentile of its sector. The CSA score also positioned the company in the 92nd percentile of the S&P Global Chemical sector.
More importantly, these outcomes reflected genuine operational achievements—including a 4% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, 35% renewable electricity procurement, 45% process water recycling, 76% of value chain partners assessed for environmental performance, and an 11% reduction in power and fuel costs. By ensuring these achievements were disclosed through a coherent, evidence-based reporting structure, Cognitud closed the gap between sustainability performance and external recognition, creating a stronger platform for future rating cycles, investor communication, and global customer engagement.
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