#123 Have the CSRD and European standards delivered on sustainability?

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As the Omnibus I package narrows the CSRD's scope and simplifies the ESRS, more responsibility falls on companies to report with a genuine commitment to show progress.  

The stakes extend well beyond compliance. The sustainability transition is fundamentally an industrial and innovation challenge, and Europe's position in it is uncertain. As the United States retrenches from climate commitments and China accelerates its dominance in clean technology, the EU's competitiveness, energy security, and geopolitical influence increasingly depend on whether European companies are treating sustainability as a strategic priority.

In this episode of the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Frank Bold researcher Lorena Bisignano and Head of Responsible Companies and member of EFRAG SRB, Filip Gregor. They co-authored the second annual study of corporate sustainability reporting: “Delivering on Sustainability: Evidence from the second year of CSRD implementation”. The research analysed the 2025 reports of 100 large EU companies that disclose sustainability information under the CSRD. It assessed how these companies address critical sustainability challenges in their strategy, focusing on what they report on climate, double materiality assessment, due diligence, actions and metrics, and governance.

Together they reveal what is improving, where gaps in strategy still remain and their advice for wave 2 companies starting to prepare for their sustainability reporting journey. You’ll also hear more about:

• If the intent of the legislation is being properly achieved
• Whether good practices in one sector are transferable to another
• If companies are doing effective due diligence and how the example of the textile apparel sector is striking
• How far have companies been using AI in this reporting, and what impact has the use of AI had on the reports themselves

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