No-regret moves: Five key lessons from the first round of CSRD reporting

One of the most common bottlenecks in the first reporting round was the late completion of narrative sections.

This led to rushed reviews, inconsistencies, and limited time for assurance, ultimately compromising report quality.

Recommendation: Start drafting narrative disclosures early to allow sufficient time for alignment, review, and refinement across teams.

Many companies lacked clear responsibilities, structured workflows, and internal controls. Much of the work remains manual, with limited use of enabling software.

These gaps caused delays, last-minute corrections, and assurance challenges, increasing the risk of errors and inefficiencies.

Recommendation: Define roles and responsibilities, implement structured review processes, and strengthen internal controls. Invest in technology solutions to support more efficient workflows and reduce manual processes.

We noted that disclosures sometimes lacked clarity, consistency, and sufficient detail during the assurance process. Definitions and data sources were unclear, and the tone varied across sections in the report.

This led to restatements of comparative quantitative figures and increased the assurance burden. It also made the report harder for stakeholders to understand.

Recommendation: : Strengthen data governance and validation by establishing robust processes and controls to ensure reliable data that supports management decisions and reporting. Write the report clearly, at the right level of detail, and ensure it is well structured, and consistent in tone. Refer to insights from our Fast50 report for further recommendations.

Limited engagement from senior leadership weakened internal alignment and strategic integration.

This caused sustainability reporting risks to become siloed and disconnected from core business priorities.

Recommendation: Engage senior leaders early to elevate the importance of CSRD, drive cross-functional collaboration, and embed sustainability into strategic decision-making.

In their first year of CSRD reporting, many companies focused on achieving compliance - overlooking its potential to communicate real impact. For example, many disclosed net-zero targets as part of their transition plan but did not fully disclose current or future investments to support that transition. This may undermine the credibility of their plans, reduce the strategic value of reporting, and limit opportunities to build trust.

Recommendation: Reassess what is truly material and focus on areas where the company can make a real impact. Use CSRD as a strategic communication tool. Refer to insights from our AI screening publication to identify opportunities to beyond compliance and demonstrate meaningful progress.