The internet is flooded with white papers, webinar invitations, and playbooks for successful CSRD reporting. However, I feel that few of the authors offering these resources have actually completed a full CSRD report or even parts of it in practice. Much of the advice and procedures are theoretical rather than practical. I once asked in a LinkedIn group if anyone, not from the consulting side, was interested in discussing real CSRD projects with hands-on practitioners. Unfortunately, no one responded. It might have been the wrong group or the wrong question. Remember, CSRD is new to everyone, and those managing the first-mover projects are likely too busy to chat.
I’ve read a lot of material, but not all of it was helpful. Initially, I downloaded everything I could to understand CSRD and to reassure myself that I was utilizing all available resources. However, over time, I realized that these theoretical articles were repetitive and no longer advancing my understanding. What truly helped me was focusing on practical insights and hands-on experiences to prepare for CSRD reporting for my organization, which we need to complete for the year 2025 by 2026.
Before we all search for the same. I thought it is worth it to write down the sources that helped me moving forward. Here are the resources helped me moving forward:
EFRAG Materiality Assessment Implementation Guidance (MAIG)
That is a very helpful resource to structure and to understand the double materiality assessment and to find the first steps into the new process
Link: IG 1 Materiality Assessment_final.pdf (efrag.org)
EFRAG List of all datapoints
They provide a full excel based list with all datapoints written down in the European Sustainability Reporting Standard (ESRS). But not only that, the improvement is that you can click on the datapoints and you’ll end up in the correct chapter of the ESRS, which makes it a way more easier to read and understand what the datapoint is about and in what context it is written.
Link: ShareFile
EFRAG Explanatory Note of ESRS datapoints
A supporting documentation to understand the datapoint list (above) with some more insights how to use this list.
Link: EFRAG IG 3 List of ESRS Data Points – Explanatory Note.pdf
Science Based Target Network resources
Once you have finished the double materiality assessment, you have created impacts, risk and opportunities, have divided impacts into actual and potential, positive and negative and you ranked them with scale, thought about a scope and the irremediability of it you will enter the different topical standards that you have to report. For climate, biodiversity and water you can find good tools on the SBTN resources website. Such as the WWF biodiversity risk filter, the water risk filter and others.
Link: Resources – Science Based Targets Network
SASB materiality finder
In case you want to double check if your double materiality assessment has a similar result to your industry average. Or you possibly need some advice in the beginning, you can use the SASB materiality finder. You select your industry or the one that is the closest to your industry if you cannot find yours and you get material topics back from the tool.
Link: Overview – SASB (ifrs.org)
Implementation of ESRS – Initial observed practices from selected companies
Also EFRAG published a study of twenty-eight large european undertakings and share insights of the four focus areas of double materiality assessment, datapoints, value-chain and ESG reporting organizational approach.
Link: EFRAG_ESRS initial observed practices Q2 2024 final version.pdf
First sustainability statements reported on ESRS on voluntary basis
And last but not least, I have collected a the first sustainability statements / reports from undertakings across Europe which made the reporting on ESRS. Reports I’ve found:
Scan Global Logistics Group, BW Offshore, Ahold Delhaize, ABM Amro, Bakkafrost, Akzo Nobel, Allianz Group, H+H International A/S, Hydro, Metsä Group, Arla Food, Carlsberg Group, Demant A/S, Novo Nordisk, Örsted A/S and Vestas Wind Systems A/S (so far). To read and to understand how other organizations made the reports really helped me to paint my own picture.
Summary
There are numerous white papers and one-pagers available, but in my experience, they primarily aim to sell services and products rather than clarify CSRD requirements. Webinars, deep dives, and academies have become the latest tools to attract new customers, often hoping they sign contracts without fully understanding that CSRD is new to everyone. No consultancy or software provider has a decade of experience in this field. While frameworks like GRI help in understanding CSRD mechanisms, we must undertake this journey ourselves for the first time.
After attending 10-15 webinars and deep dives, and reading various documents and LinkedIn posts, I found that most content simply repeats the providers’ marketing material.
I propose a non-commercial round-table on CSRD to explore how we can best leverage this new framework. Recognizing this directive as a significant opportunity can help us save costs and enhance our reputation if implemented correctly.