What are the reasons to publish a sustainability report?

There are several reasons why an undertaking should publish a sustainability report in accordance with the CSRD and ESRS. Possible reasons are:

  • the legal obligation to publish in line with CSRD and ESRS. Undertakings that are in scope of the CSRD are required to publish a sustainability report. See Chapter 2 for more information on the scope of the CSRD;
  • anticipate legislation and future legal obligations for reporting in line with the CSRD and ESRS. It takes time and resources to report according to the CSRD and ESRS, so it is important to be proactive and being preparing already;
  • create trust with the financial markets and improve access to capital;
  • anticipate (future) requirements for information from customer and clients who fall under the CSRD / ESRS and proactively provide information toward them;
  • competitive advantage – undertakings that are transparent on their sustainability performance can maximize their competitive advantage;
  • protect the undertakings reputation, build brand value, and improve trust with consumers;
  • cooperation across the value chain to make impact. Value chain improvements are easier when there is transparency across them, for example, because they themselves can see overlap on themes or production sites;
  • take responsibility for sustainability performance. This transparency is relevant for a wide range of stakeholders, such as employees, unions, NGOs and value chain partners.

Questions CSRD & ESRS

Do you have questions about the CSRD, ESRS or are you missing a question in this list? Send us an e-mail and we will contact you as soon as possible. For technical questions, EFRAG has set up an ESRS Q&A platform (latest release of technical explanations: December 2024). Here you can submit a question, and also find answers to previously asked questions.

Questions regarding individual facts or circumstances will not be answered through these channels. For such questions, we recommend that you contact an advisor such as your company accountant.

Disclaimer

The SER and the DASB have put this questions and answers document together based on publicly available information at the time of publication. Although these questions have been answered with the utmost care, users of this document cannot be given any guarantees relating to the accuracy, topicality and completeness of the information displayed. The SER, the DASB and other parties related to this document cannot be held liable for the consequences of the use of the information from this document. This document does not represent the view of (EFRAG) or the European Commission, nor the SER or DASB.

It is not permitted to copy or distribute the included information or individual elements (including images) without explicit permission, if this may cause confusion about the origin of the material.