Prep for the ESRS Fashion Show

Sustainability reporting managers must sometimes feel like fashionistas. Each year there is a new idea, a new style emerges, and “everything changes.” This year’s “hot new look” is something called ESRS: European Sustainability Reporting Standards. It is an odd combination of last year’s skirt (ISSB), the previous year’s pants (SFDR), plus a few added ruffles and flounces.

The underlying idea is that all companies should report at least a certain set of sustainability information. The hope is that stakeholders would use these metrics to better understand how a particular company is performing.

This is a lofty goal that may sound familiar? We’ve been told many times that investors need standardized stable data. We’ve also heard that regulators and governments need it. And, that good data would make supply chains function better. While these needs and benefits may be true, it is unclear that the information generated by ESRS will achieve these goals. We can expect that many companies will report only some indicators. When they report, they will do so in inconsistent ways that make it hard to compare one company to another. The initially-chosen indicators will not include things certain groups want. Many companies will be too small to report. Companies outside the EU may find ways to avoid reporting. Etc.

Nevertheless, fashion rules and sustainability reporting managers need to start working on their outfits! How will your company look, when viewed from the ESRS perspective? Which of your peers will seem most attractive and which will suffer? Are there any major partners or suppliers who could be in trouble when the standards come into effect? (ESRS will be mandatory for financial years beginning or after January 1, 2027.)

CSRHub has built a readiness calculator that can help answer these questions. Once a reporting manager understands where their firm may be stronger or weaker, they can start to engage with the plethora of consultants and software platforms who are offering to help. We provide a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive start to what may turn out to be another long, difficult and expensive adoption process.

Use CSRHub like a mirror. See how fabulous you are! It is a good way to start this particular journey. See the new CSRHub ESRS Readiness Calculator here.

CSRHub helps you compare performance against peers with a consensus view, not one source. We identify the factors shaping your ratings and help you focus improvement efforts where they will have the greatest impact. For more information, we welcome hearing from you. Please contact us here.

About CSRHub

CSRHub provides access to the world’s largest corporate social responsibility and sustainability database, powered by expert consensus sustainability ratings, information, and tools. Clients use CSRHub’s decisive data platform for global benchmarking, supply and value chain risk assessment and compliance readiness solutions. Founded in 2007, CSRHub covers 62,000 public and private companies, and provides ESG performance scores on 42,000 companies from 134 industries in 158 countries. Our Big Data platform uses algorithms to aggregate, normalize and weight ESG metrics from 1,000 sources to produce a strong consensus signal on corporate sustainability performance.

Bahar Gidwani is CTO and Co-founder of CSRHub. He has built and run large technology-based businesses for many years. Bahar holds a CFA, worked on Wall Street with Kidder, Peabody, and with McKinsey & Co. Bahar has consulted to a number of major companies and currently serves on the board of several software and Web companies. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree in physics and astronomy. He plays bridge, races sailboats, and is based in New York City.