In advance:
There is currently some uncertainty in ESRS reporting as a result of the European Commission’s omnibus proposals. Nevertheless, it is worth staying on the sustainability ball – be it out of inner conviction, because of pressure from banks & customers or to be attractive to investors and talent on the labor market.
Regardless of what comes out of the omnibus, the basic content of this guide is still relevant, even if individual details have changed. The steps described will not be affected by the scope of the simplified ESRS, which is expected at the end of the year.
As always, you can rest assured that at Code Gaia we implement jurisdictional adjustments directly into our software to best support SMEs in their sustainability efforts.
The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are the framework for fulfilling the requirements of the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive).
With this list, we aim to untangle the complexity of the ESRS, leaving no important detail out. The following table is a comprehensive and organized list of sustainability aspects taken from AR 16, Appendix A of ESRS 1 General Requirements. The sustainability aspects play a significant role in the dual materiality assessment and we therefore recommend that you deal with the aspects.
Sustainability aspects Environment
| Â | Topic | Sub-topics | Sub-sub-topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESRS E1 | Climate change | – Adaptation to climate change – Climate protection – Energy | |
| ESRS E2 | Environmental pollution | – Air pollution – Water pollution – Soil pollution – Pollution of living organisms and food resources – Substances of concern – Substances of very high concern – Microplastics | |
| ESRS E3 | Water and marine resources | – Water – Marine resources | – Water consumption – Water withdrawal – Discharge of water – Discharge of water into the oceans – Extraction and use of marine resources |
| ESRS E4 | Biodiversity and ecosystems | – Direct causes of biodiversity loss | – Climate change – Land use change, Freshwater and Marine land use change – Direct exploitation – Invasive alien species – Environmental pollution – Other |
| – Effects on the status of the species | Examples: – Population size of species – Global extinction risk of species | ||
| – Effects on the extent and condition of ecosystems | Examples: – Land degradation – Desertification – Soil sealing | ||
| – Impacts and dependencies of ecosystem services | |||
| ESRS E5 | Circular economy | – Resource inflows, including resource use – Resource outflows related to products and services – Waste |
Sustainability aspects Social aspects
| Â | Topics | Sub-topics | Sub-sub-topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESRS S1 | Own workforce | – Working conditions | – Secure employment – Working hours – Fair pay – Social dialogue – Freedom of association, the existence of works councils – Collective bargaining – Work-life balance – Health and safety |
| – Equal treatment and equal opportunities for all | – Gender equality and equal pay for equal work – Training and skills development – Employment and inclusion of people with disabilities – Action against violence and harassment in the workplace – Diversity | ||
| – Other work-related rights | – Child labor – Forced labor – Adequate housing – Data protection | ||
| ESRS S2 | Employees in the value chain | – Working conditions | – Secure employment – Working hours – Fair pay – Social dialogue – Freedom of association, the existence of works councils – Collective bargaining – Work-life balance – Health and safety |
| – Equal treatment and equal opportunities for all | – Gender equality and equal pay for equal work – Training and skills development – Employment and inclusion of people with disabilities – Action against violence and harassment in the workplace – Diversity | ||
| – Other work-related rights | – Child labor – Forced labor – Adequate housing – Water and sanitation – Data protection | ||
| ESRS S3 | Affected Communities | – Economic, social and cultural rights of communities | – Adequate housing – Adequate food – Water and sanitation – Soil-related impacts – Safety-related impacts |
| – Civil and political rights of communities | – Freedom of expression – Freedom of assembly – Impact on human rights defenders | ||
| – Rights of indigenous peoples | – Voluntary and informed prior consent – Self-determination – Cultural rights | ||
| ESRS S4 | Consumers / end users | – Information-related effects for consumers and/or end users | – Data protection – Freedom of expression – Access to (high-quality) information |
| – Personal safety of consumers and/or end users | – Health and safety – Personal safety – Child protection | ||
| – Social inclusion of consumers and/or end users | – Non-discrimination – Access to products and services – Responsible marketing practices |
Sustainability aspects Governance
| Â | Topics | Sub-topics | Sub-sub-topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESRS G1 | Corporate policy | – Corporate culture – Protection of whistleblowers (Whistleblowers) – Animal welfare – Political engagement – Management of relationships with suppliers, including payment practices | |
| – Corruption and bribery | – Prevention and detection, including training – incidents |
Read our blog post to find out how best to proceed when reading the extensive ESRS.
Do you need help with the preparation of ESG reports? Our software solution not only offers you fast, AI-supported data analysis and reporting, but also comes with our sustainability experts, who will help you familiarize yourself with complex regulations and guidelines.
