Frank Bold’s research shows significant improvement in corporate disclosures largely due to the standardisation brought by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. Companies are reporting ambitious climate targets and disclosing clearer, more comparable and meaningful sustainability information.
EU policy-makers are negotiating drastic changes proposed by the EU Commission to water down these rules as part of the first Omnibus on Simplification. The sudden U-turn and rushed legal process risks undermining momentum among the business community. Weakening the EU laws would roll back the progress made on transparency, data quality, and long-term climate planning at a time when consistency and ambition are most critical.
Our analysis shows how companies are responding to EU sustainability legislation, revealing positive developments in the transparency and quality of disclosures while also highlighting some persisting challenges:
Our analysts reviewed and assessed the sustainability information disclosed by 50 influential companies from the financial, textile, energy, agrifood and beverages, pharmaceuticals, mining and transportation sectors.
The complete research will be released this September, alongside a compilation of best practices.
Businesses require clarity, certainty, and stability to invest in sustainability reporting systems that meet market and stakeholder demands. The proposed rollbacks threaten not only environmental progress but also the credibility of EU leadership in sustainable finance. To preserve the achievements of the past decade and foster a forward-looking and competitive business environment, policy-makers in the EU Parliament must reject measures that weaken the CSRD and CSDDD and instead reinforce their consistent, effective application.
If you have any questions about the preliminary findings, or would like to share inputs, please get in touch with Susanna Arus at susanna.arus@frankbold.org or Lorena Bisignano at lorena.bisignano@frankbold.org.
The Czech government presented five key priorities it wants to focus on during the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, beginning on 1 July. The priorities include post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, energy security, strengthening European defence and cybersecurity, as well as the resilience of the European economy and of democratic institutions. However, according to Frank Bold experts, there is a lack of emphasis on the green transition - which is crucial for both energy security and economic resilience.
European companies can now take a look at the draft sustainability reporting standards they will report against in the coming years. The drafts were developed by the EFRAG Project Task Force on EU Sustainability Reporting Standards, with the participation of two Frank Bold representatives - Head of the Responsible Companies Section Filip Gregor, and Joanne Houston, from Frank Bold's Brussels office. Both experts will continue contributing to the development of the EU standards as members of the newly established EFRAG Sustainability Pillar.
As part of its strategy to implement the European Green Deal and the Action Plan on Financing Sustainable Growth, the European Commission presented its proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
