Introduction

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, sustainability is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a crucial aspect of corporate strategy. Companies are increasingly being held accountable for their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. However, navigating the complex web of ESG frameworks, standards, and certifications can be daunting, especially with varying regional regulations and industry-specific requirements.

This article aims to provide clarity on the most relevant ESG frameworks, break down what companies are using today, and highlight how organizations can standardize their reporting processes across multiple frameworks. We'll explore the distinct aspects of environmental, social, governance, and financial sustainability, while offering insights into the benefits of standardization, materiality analysis, and how to decide which frameworks suit your organization best.

Understanding the overlapping requirements, the benefits of standardization, and how to choose the right framework can help organizations, regardless of size, develop an effective ESG strategy.

From ISO standards to sector-specific regulations and certifications, understanding what each framework offers and how they overlap is essential for businesses aiming to streamline ESG reporting, ensure compliance, and maintain investor confidence. Let’s dive into the details and strategies to simplify and optimize your sustainability journey. This article does not cover all ESG regulations and frameworks, but the most commonly used.

Here is a list of most relevant sustainability frameworks, standards, directives and certifications:

Mandatory:

1. Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) - EU

• Scope: Large EU companies and listed SMEs; external companies generating over €150 million in turnover within the EU and having subsidiaries or branches in the EU.

• External Company Role: Must comply with reporting requirements if they meet the turnover threshold and have a physical presence in the EU market, ensuring their sustainability practices align with EU standards.

2. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ESG Disclosure Rules - USA

• Scope: Publicly traded companies in the U.S. must disclose climate-related risks and emissions.

• External Company Role: External companies listed on U.S. exchanges must adhere to the SEC's disclosure requirements regarding climate risks and emissions, impacting their investment appeal in the U.S. market.

3. UK Modern Slavery Act - UK

• Scope: Companies operating in the UK with an annual turnover of £36 million or more.

• External Company Role: External companies that conduct business in the UK must comply if they meet the turnover threshold, requiring them to report on their efforts to combat modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.

4. Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) - Various

• Scope: Large publicly listed companies and financial institutions in the UK, Japan, and New Zealand.

• External Company Role: External companies based outside these countries with listings or significant operations must comply with TCFD guidelines, ensuring transparency in their climate-related financial risks.

5. EU Taxonomy Regulation - EU

• Scope: Large EU companies and financial institutions must align their activities with the taxonomy.

• External Company Role: External companies may need to comply if they seek access to EU capital markets or are part of the supply chain for EU-based entities, demonstrating alignment with sustainable activities.

6. German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) - Germany

• Scope: Companies with 3,000 or more employees in Germany (1,000+ from 2024).

• External Company Role: External companies that supply to German companies must comply with due diligence obligations regarding human rights and environmental standards in their supply chains.

7. France Duty of Vigilance Law - France

• Scope: French companies with over 5,000 employees in France or 10,000 globally.

• External Company Role: External companies must comply with vigilance obligations if they are part of the supply chain for large French firms, requiring transparency on human rights and environmental impacts.

8. EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) - EU

• Scope: Large EU and external companies operating in the EU, with over 500 employees and €150 million turnover.

• External Company Role: Must adhere to due diligence requirements if they have significant operations or supply to the EU market, ensuring responsible business conduct in line with EU standards.

9. Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) - EU

• Scope: Asset managers and financial market participants in the EU.

• External Company Role: External asset managers must comply if they market their financial products in the EU, ensuring adherence to sustainability disclosure requirements.

10. Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) - EU

• Scope: Applies to imports of certain goods into the EU, including steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, and electricity.

• External Company Role: External companies must report carbon emissions associated with these goods and may face tariffs based on their emissions when exporting to the EU, incentivizing lower-carbon production methods.

Now frequently applied

Environmental:

1. ISO 14001 (Environmental Management)

   • Focus: Provides a framework for organisations to manage and improve their environmental performance through efficient use of resources and reduction of waste.

2. CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)

   • Focus: Helps companies disclose their environmental impact, particularly related to climate change, water security, and deforestation, to investors, customers, and governments.

3. Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

   • Focus: Encourages companies to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets that are in line with the latest climate science to limit global warming.

4. EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities

   • Focus: Provides a classification system for environmentally sustainable economic activities, guiding investments towards projects that support environmental objectives. Report through NFRD

5. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

   • Focus: Certification for buildings and communities that meet high-performance criteria in energy efficiency, water use, indoor environmental quality, and sustainability.

6. Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol)

   • Focus: Provides standards and tools for companies and governments to measure and manage GHG emissions, including both direct and indirect emissions.

7. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) - Environmental Indicators

   • Focus: Offers specific guidelines for reporting environmental performance, including emissions, energy use, waste management, and resource conservation.

Social:

1. SA8000 (Social Accountability)

   • Focus: Certification standard that focuses on improving workplace conditions, including child labor, forced labor, health and safety, freedom of association, and fair wages.

2. ISO 26000 (Social Responsibility)

   • Focus: Provides guidance on how businesses can operate in a socially responsible way, encompassing human rights, labor practices, community involvement, and fair operating practices.

3. Fair Trade Certification

   • Focus: Ensures fair prices, safe working conditions, and sustainable livelihoods for producers in developing countries, primarily in the agriculture sector.

4. B Corp Certification

   • Focus: Certifies companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency across all aspects of their business.

5. Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code

   • Focus: A set of labor standards based on the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, aimed at improving working conditions globally.

6. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) - Social Indicators

   • Focus: Provides guidelines for reporting on social issues, such as labor practices, human rights, community impact, and diversity and inclusion.

Governance:

1. ISO 37001 (Anti-Bribery Management Systems)

   • Focus: Provides a framework to help organizations prevent, detect, and respond to bribery and comply with anti-bribery laws and regulations.

2. OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

   • Focus: Recommendations for responsible business conduct, including human rights, labor rights, environmental stewardship, and anti-corruption.

3. King IV Report on Corporate Governance

   • Focus: A South African framework promoting ethical leadership, sustainability, and good corporate governance practices across all sectors.

4. COSO Framework (Committee of Sponsoring Organizations)

   • Focus: A widely accepted framework for designing, implementing, and evaluating internal controls and corporate governance structures.

5. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) - Governance Indicators

   • Focus: Offers guidelines for reporting on governance issues, including ethical behavior, anti-corruption measures, board composition, and decision-making processes.

Financial:

1. SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board)

   • Focus: Develops industry-specific standards to guide companies on the disclosure of financially material sustainability information to investors.

2. TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures)

   • Focus: Provides recommendations for disclosing clear, comparable, and consistent information about the risks and opportunities related to climate change.

3. EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD)

   • Focus: Requires large companies to disclose information on how they operate and manage social and environmental challenges, with a focus on non-financial performance.

4. PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment)

   • Focus: A set of principles that guide investors on incorporating ESG factors into their investment and ownership decisions to manage risks and generate sustainable returns.

5. GRI Standards (Financial Disclosure)

   • Focus: Offers guidelines for reporting on economic performance, including financial implications of climate change, market presence, and indirect economic impacts.

Integrated ESG:

1. UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

   • Focus: A global framework of 17 goals aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all by 2030, addressing a wide range of environmental, social, and economic issues.

2. UN Global Compact

   • Focus: Encourages businesses to align with ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of broader UN goals.

3. GRI Standards

   • Focus: The most widely used sustainability reporting framework, covering a broad range of ESG issues, including economic, environmental, and social impacts.

4. Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)

   • Focus: EU directive that enhances and standardizes sustainability reporting, requiring companies to disclose detailed ESG information in their annual reports.

5. Integrated Reporting Framework (IIRC)

   • Focus: Combines financial and non-financial information to provide a comprehensive view of how an organization creates value over time, considering financial, manufactured, intellectual, human, social, and natural capitals.

6. Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI)

   • Focus: Evaluates the sustainability performance of companies across a wide range of ESG criteria, and ranks them within their industries.

7. MSCI ESG Ratings

   • Focus: Provides insights into the ESG risks and opportunities within a company’s operations, helping investors make informed decisions based on sustainability performance.

Sector-Specific Frameworks:

1. Equator Principles

   • Focus: A risk management framework used by financial institutions to assess and manage environmental and social risks in projects, particularly in the banking sector.

2. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification

   • Focus: Ensures that forest products are sourced from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits.

3. Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification

   • Focus: Ensures sustainable fishing practices and the traceability of seafood products, promoting marine biodiversity and ecosystem health.

4. Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Certification

   • Focus: Promotes sustainable palm oil production through certification, ensuring environmental protection, fair labor practices, and community engagement.

Materiality analysis:

Materiality analysis helps companies identify and prioritize the ESG issues that are most significant to their business and stakeholders. It focuses on assessing the impact of ESG factors on financial performance and corporate strategy, guiding companies to allocate resources efficiently.

Double materiality analysis expands this approach by looking at two perspectives:

1. Financial materiality – how ESG issues affect the company's financial performance.

2. Environmental and social materiality – how the company's activities impact the environment and society.

Frameworks that encourage materiality assessment:

• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): Emphasizes the importance of understanding both the company’s impact on stakeholders and vice versa.

• EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): Mandates double materiality analysis for companies, especially those operating in Europe.

• Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB): Focuses on financial materiality, encouraging businesses to assess ESG factors that could influence financial outcomes.

• Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD): Highlights the need to assess material climate risks for financial stability.

Here is what is being used most by fortune 500 companies:

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

• Overview: GRI is one of the most widely used frameworks for sustainability reporting. It provides comprehensive guidelines on how organizations can disclose their ESG impacts.

• Focus: It covers a broad range of ESG topics, including environmental impact, labor practices, human rights, and governance.

2. Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)

• Overview: SASB provides industry-specific standards for reporting on financially material ESG issues.

• Focus: It emphasizes the disclosure of ESG factors that are likely to impact a company’s financial performance, making it particularly relevant for investors.

3. Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

• Overview: TCFD provides recommendations on disclosing climate-related financial risks and opportunities.

• Focus: It is focused on how companies can integrate climate risks into their financial planning and risk management.

4. CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project)

• Overview: CDP is a global disclosure system that helps companies report their environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and deforestation.

• Focus: It is particularly strong in environmental reporting and is often used by companies to track and manage their carbon footprint.

5. UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Overview: While not a reporting framework per se, the SDGs provide a global blueprint for addressing various ESG issues. Many companies align their sustainability strategies with the SDGs.

• Focus: The 17 goals cover a broad range of social, environmental, and economic issues.

6. Integrated Reporting (IR)

• Overview: IR is a framework that combines financial and non-financial information to provide a holistic view of an organization’s performance and value creation.

• Focus: It emphasizes the connectivity between ESG factors and financial performance.

7. ISO Standards

• ISO 14001: Focuses on environmental management systems.

• ISO 45001: Focuses on occupational health and safety.

• ISO 26000: Provides guidance on social responsibility.

8. Corporate Governance Codes

• Many Fortune 500 companies adhere to corporate governance codes specific to their country or region, which often include ESG-related provisions. For example, the UK Corporate Governance Code and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the U.S. set standards for governance practices.

9. Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

• Overview: SBTi provides guidance on setting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in line with climate science.

• Focus: It is particularly focused on helping companies align their strategies with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

11. World Economic Forum (WEF) Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics

• Overview: Developed by the WEF in collaboration with the Big Four accounting firms, these metrics provide a common set of disclosures that Fortune 500 companies can use to report on ESG performance.

• Focus: The metrics align with the UN SDGs and focus on areas such as governance, planet, people, and prosperity.

Overlapping Requirements Across ESG Regulations:

Environmental Requirements:

1. Carbon Emissions Reporting (Scopes 1, 2, and 3)

   • GRI, CDP, TCFD, SASB, EU Taxonomy, SFDR: Require or encourage reporting of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Climate-related Risks and Opportunities

   • GRI, TCFD, CDP: Require identification and disclosure of risks and opportunities related to climate change.

3. Environmental Targets and Performance Metrics

   • GRI, CDP, TCFD: Require disclosure of specific targets for reducing environmental impact and tracking performance.

4. Energy Consumption and Efficiency

   • GRI, SASB, CDP: Include requirements for reporting on energy use, energy efficiency measures, and renewable energy adoption.

5. Water Usage and Management

   • GRI, SASB, CDP: Require disclosure of water withdrawal, usage, and management practices, particularly in water-intensive industries.

6. Waste Management and Circular Economy

   • GRI, SASB: Require reporting on waste generation, reduction, recycling, and circular economy initiatives.

7. Biodiversity and Land Use

   • GRI, SASB: Require disclosure of impacts on biodiversity and land use, including conservation efforts.

Social Requirements:

1. Labor Practices and Decent Work

   • GRI, UN Global Compact, SASB: Require reporting on labor conditions, employee well-being, fair wages, and safe working conditions.

2. Human Rights

   • GRI, UN Global Compact, SASB: Require reporting on human rights policies and practices, including measures to prevent human rights abuses in the supply chain.

3. Diversity and Inclusion

   • GRI, SASB, SEC ESG Disclosure: Include requirements for reporting on diversity and inclusion initiatives, workforce composition, and gender pay equity.

4. Community Engagement and Social Impact

   • GRI, SASB: Require disclosure of community engagement initiatives, social contributions, and the impact on local communities.

5. Product Responsibility and Customer Health and Safety

   • GRI, SASB: Include requirements for reporting on product safety, customer health and safety measures, and responsible marketing practices.

6. Supply Chain Management

   • GRI, SASB: Require disclosure of supply chain policies, including sustainable sourcing and supplier standards.

The benefits of Standardization:

With multiple ESG frameworks in play, companies must find ways to harmonize their reporting and compliance efforts. Standardization offers several benefits:

• Efficiency: Standardizing ESG data collection and reporting processes reduces redundancy and streamlines operations.

• Consistency: A standardized approach ensures that all reports and disclosures are consistent, improving stakeholder trust.

• Risk Management: By standardizing compliance across frameworks, companies can better manage regulatory risks and avoid potential penalties.

• Streamlined Reporting: By aligning ESG practices across different frameworks, companies can simplify their reporting processes. This not only reduces the administrative burden but also ensures consistency in the information provided to stakeholders.

• Enhanced Compliance: A standardized approach ensures that companies meet the diverse requirements of various ESG frameworks, minimizing the risk of non-compliance and the associated penalties.

• Improved Investor Confidence: Consistent ESG reporting builds trust with investors, who are increasingly prioritizing sustainable practices in their investment decisions. Standardization can enhance a company’s reputation and attract ESG-conscious investors.

• Operational Efficiency: Standardizing ESG practices can lead to more efficient operations by identifying synergies across different frameworks. This can result in cost savings and a more effective allocation of resources.

How to decide which frameworks to use

There are more than a dozen ESG reporting frameworks overall, each with its own metrics and reporting requirements. It can be confusing to try to sort out which one -- or combination of them -- will best suit your organization, especially with the field of ESG reporting undergoing rapid change due to the development of the IFRS standards and new regulatory requirements. If your company falls under mandatory regulations, such as CSRD, these should be your primary focus. Once you're meeting these requirements, you can leverage the same data to address other non-mandatory regulations that stakeholders may request.

One obvious factor to consider is the type of ESG information your organization is looking to report on, and which framework or frameworks will best support that, together with listening to your stakeholders. The following considerations can be used for choosing among ESG frameworks:

1. Look at your industry. Consider the frameworks that are most often used by companies that are in the same business as yours.

2. Look at what your competitors are using. This narrows it down even further to direct competitors. Using the same framework, they do can help in benchmarking against them

3. Consider your audience. Investors, customers, employees and other stakeholders often want to see different information about ESG initiatives. Your choice of framework can be guided by your primary audience and its information needs.

4. Look at emerging regulations. Regulatory mandates on climate-related disclosures and other types of ESG reporting can also influence framework choices.

5. Regions

How to Standardize Across ESG Frameworks:

1. Align with Common Principles

   • Despite the differences in requirements, many ESG frameworks share common principles, such as transparency, accountability, and materiality. Start by identifying these shared principles and aligning your ESG strategy with them. For instance, both the CSRD and GRI emphasize the importance of materiality in determining which issues are most relevant to report on.

2. Map Overlapping Requirements

   • Conduct a mapping exercise to identify overlapping requirements between frameworks like CSRD, GRI, SFDR, and the EU Taxonomy. For example, the CSRD’s requirement for reporting on sustainability risks and impacts overlaps with the SFDR’s mandate for financial disclosures on sustainability risks. By mapping these overlaps, you can streamline data collection and reporting processes.

3. Develop a Unified Reporting Framework

   • Create a unified reporting framework that consolidates the requirements of all relevant ESG frameworks. This might involve developing an internal sustainability reporting template that captures the key metrics and disclosures required by the CSRD, GRI, SFDR, and EU Taxonomy. This template should be flexible enough to accommodate updates in any of these frameworks.

4. Use Technology to Integrate Reporting

   • Leverage ESG reporting software to automate data collection, integration, and reporting. Advanced software solutions can help standardize data inputs across different frameworks, ensuring consistency in the information reported. Many tools offer functionalities to map data points across frameworks, making it easier to comply with multiple standards simultaneously.

5. Engage Stakeholders Regularly

   • Regular stakeholder engagement is crucial for refining and updating your standardized ESG approach. Engage with investors, regulators, customers, and other stakeholders to ensure that your ESG practices align with evolving expectations and regulations. This is particularly important given the dynamic nature of ESG regulations in Europe.

6. Conduct Regular Audits and Reviews

   • Implement a process for regular audits and reviews of your ESG reporting practices. This ensures that your standardization efforts remain effective and compliant with any changes in the regulatory landscape. Audits can also identify areas where further standardization might be necessary or beneficial.

Conclusion

For companies, standardizing ESG practices across different frameworks is not just about compliance—it is a strategic imperative. By adopting a standardized approach, companies can streamline their operations, enhance investor confidence, and ensure long-term success. Those companies that prioritize standardization in their ESG practices will be well-positioned to thrive in this dynamic and demanding market.

Embracing this challenge not only demonstrates a commitment to sustainability but also underscores a company's dedication to operating responsibly in a global marketplace where ESG criteria are increasingly pivotal to success.