CSRD & Sustainability Reporting

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) results in increased sustainability reporting obligations. An increasing number of companies are now compelled to provide an ESG report (also known as a CSR report).

Initiate appropriate measures for your CSR reporting at an early stage!

Prepare for the increasing requirements of the CSRD and the respective European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

What is sustainability reporting?

Sustainability reporting provides essential information on the impact and sustainability measures of a company. It is usually administrated by internal sustainability management and can be conducted according to various standards. For instance, the Global Reporting Initiative’s GRI Standards (GRI) or the Integrated Reporting Framework by the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS) provide guidance on the reporting process.

Increasing momentum through upcoming requirements such as the CSRD reinforces the need for alignment towards reporting a company’s sustainability performance. In addition to regulatory requirements, purpose-oriented and reliable communication on corporate sustainability helps you to improve your reputation among your customers, (future) employees as well as investors by optimizing ESG rating results.

Related topics:

What is the European Union’s CSRD?

CSRD is the abbreviation for Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. It includes major improvements and amendments to past reporting requirements of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). The CSRD pushes the topic of sustainability reporting to the next level within the EU.

The ESRS standards are an integral part of the CSRD. An overview as well as an in-depth explanation about the ESRS, CSRD and affected companies are provided here in our article:

“The CSRD increasingly affects CFOs, controlling, and accounting departments. Sustainability indicators are already an integral part of finance. Those who create standards and structures are well-prepared for the future.“

– Mag. Karl Resel, Director Sustainability Service EY denkstatt

We make it easier for you and figure out how the various standards, directives, and frameworks fit together for your business and sustainability strategy.

CDP, TCFD, CSRD, ESRS:
For the most, improving sustainability performance is quite complex.

For us, it’s daily business.

Benefits of corporate sustainability reporting

A CSR report not only shows the status quo, but also the future direction of your company’s actions in terms of sustainability. That’s why sustainability reporting comes with several benefits:

Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements (CSRD, NFRD, NaDiVeG, CSR-RUG, Swiss RBI/CO etc.)
Competitive advantage among clients by showing the company’s ESG commitment
Positive signals to investors by improving scores in ESG ratings as well as sustainability indices
Boosting employer branding and employee retention
Reporting creates accountability and shows progress through data collection together with optimization potential
For first-time reporters: setting up an initial ESG management, defining material topics based on a materiality assessment, and identifying the sustainability status quo

Our sustainability reporting services

As a management and sustainability consulting firm we support companies in all elements which are necessary. Additionally, together with our partner agency we can offer you all editorial and layout services.

Sustainability reporting according to international standards

Gain credibility by being transparent and comparable

To enhance the quality of sustainability reports and support the comparability of companies' sustainability efforts, various standards have been established over the years. GRI and other voluntary standards set internationally accepted benchmarks. Also, the CSRD and the corresponding ESRS guide the sustainability reporting standards in Europe. Through our years of collaborations with clients from a wide range of industries, we have built up broad expertise regarding these current and upcoming reporting standards.

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Integrated and combined reporting

Show that sustainability is not a side-aspect, but that it is holistically integrated into your business concept

Whereas combined reports have a separate sustainability section, integrated reports go one step further and intertwine sustainability into every chapter. Our sustainability experts support companies in identifying the sustainability content for their combined or integrated annual report. We define a suitable structure and focus on the perfect content – also in order to prepare companies for the upcoming CSRD requirements, which will make combined reporting mandatory.

TCFD reporting

Assess the threats of climate change and take advantage of the opportunities for your business

The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) is committed to supporting the disclosure of information related to climate change, improves the understanding of material risks and enables market participants to assess opportunities and threats resulting from a changing climate. Our experts give you the best support for implementing a TCFD reporting system.

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CDP reporting

Contribute to climate protection by processing and providing climate-relevant data

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) aims to make a positive contribution to environmental and climate protection by processing and providing climate-relevant data. Our goal is for companies to address sustainability and climate challenges in a structured and holistic manner. Therefore, we are happy to support your company in dealing with the CDP programs climate change, water, forest and supply chain.

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Double Materiality Assessment

Find out the most relevant key factors for your company to target issues directly

A materiality assessment allows organizations to identify the sustainability matters that are most important to their business and its value chain. A matter can be material from an impact perspective and/or from a financial perspective. Together with stakeholders' input, these dimensions determine an organization's material matters, which then become key elements of sustainability reporting and management.

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Stakeholder management and CSR communication

Get in touch and understand your stakeholder’s perspective

Conducting a stakeholder dialogue or survey means involving internal and external stakeholders to get their opinion on different sustainability topics relevant to your business. Engaging in dialogue with key stakeholders can be very beneficial for a company as it wins important advocates. In addition to that, stakeholder dialogue results are an important add-on when analyzing the sustainability topics of your business. Our experts can provide and accompany online surveys, interviews, focus groups, round table talks and scenarios within different timelines and many other online or in-person formats.

Indicator and data management

Get a comprehensive set of quantitative indicators to set up strategic sustainability management

In order to set up a good reporting system and sustainability management, a comprehensive set of quantitative indicators is required. They give sustainability a tangible meaning, help your organization in setting sound goals, and track your performance towards them. With our support, you can set up the right process to manage your data, identify the right indicators and select a data management or software solution that is fit for the future of your enterprise.

Report validation and assurance

Create trust through external report validation and assurance

Relationships are built on trust. If you create a report, you want your readers to be sure that they can rely on your content and messages. That´s why we also check reports or relevant sustainability information within integrated reports. How do we do this? We validate all the different messages and see if the content and indicators are relevant and the numbers are right. In the end, we create an assurance statement for the report and a management letter with recommendations for internal purposes.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions on CSRD and sustainability reporting

Why is sustainability reporting important?

Sustainability reporting is not just a legal requirement. It is also a communication tool that provides essential information to stakeholders. Sustainability reporting thus contributes to the transparency of a company’s operations and the impact of its business activities. Furthermore, sustainability reporting can serve as a management tool in order to analyze the status quo of the ESG performance of a company.

Is sustainability reporting mandatory?

A sustainability report is mandatory for an increasing number of companies. Whether your organization is also affected by this obligation depends on various aspects such as the number of your employees or your net sales.

Which companies will be affected by the CSRD?

The following companies are affected by the CSRD:

Large companies with an annual average of 250 or more employees (regardless of capital market orientation) and total assets of more than €25 million or a turnover of more than €50 million
all capital market-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises, with the exception of micro-enterprises (from 1.1.2026). According to Directive 2013/34/EU, companies are considered small if they exceed two of these three characteristics:

10 employees,
€450,000 in total assets, and
€900,000 in net sales.

Further information on the size criteria can be found in our blog post on the new CSRD thresholds.

When will the CSRD come into effect?

The timeline is depicted below:

Companies that are already obliged to publish a sustainability report according to the national implementation of the Non-Financial-Reporting-Directive NFRD (e.g. CSR-RUG in Germany, NaDiVeG in Austria): Reporting on all fiscal years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2024 (publication date of the report in 2025).
Large companies that are not yet required to submit a sustainability report: reporting on all fiscal years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2025 (publication date of the report in 2026)
listed SMEs and small and non-complex credit institutions and captive insurance companies: Reporting on all fiscal years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2026 (publication date of the report in 2027).

How can I prepare for the upcoming CSRD reporting regulation?

Since the CSRD will result in increased reporting obligations in the future, it is essential to deal with the upcoming changes at an early stage and to initiate appropriate measures.

As a first step, it would be particularly important to get an overview of the requirements of the current status of the ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards) and to consider to what extent these are applicable to the company. It is also important to determine the current maturity level of the company concerning sustainability reporting in order to identify the additional requirements at an early stage and to plan resources accordingly. Due to the future mandatory sustainability audit, the expectations of the auditors should also be coordinated at an early stage. Our sustainability experts are pleased to support your company in these steps.

CSRD & Sustainability Reporting

Initiate appropriate measures for your CSR reporting at an early stage!

What is sustainability reporting?

What is the European Union’s CSRD?

Benefits of corporate sustainability reporting

Our sustainability reporting services