The CEN & CENELEC brochure demonstrates how standards can be used as a support to an organization's goals related to environmental, social, and governance aspects.

Standards (CEN, ISO, CENELEC, IEC) addressing sustainability topics serve as a support for ESG reporting.

The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are divided into three categories^[1]:

·         Cross-cutting standards:

o   ESRS 1, General requirements

o   ESRS 2, General disclosures

·         Topical standards (Environmental, Social, and Governance standards) cover the following sustainability topics:

o   ESRS E1, Climate change

o   ESRS E2, Pollution

o   ESRS E3, Water and marine resources

o   ESRS E4, Biodiversity and ecosystems

o   ESRS E5, Resource use and circular economy

o   ESRS S1, Own workforce

o   ESRS S2, Workers in the value chain

o   ESRS S3, Affected communities

o   ESRS S4, Consumers and end-users

o   ESRS G1, Business conduct

·         Sector-specific standards.

„Cross-cutting standards and topical standards are sector-agnostic, meaning that they apply to all undertakings regardless of which sector or sectors the undertaking operates in.“^[2]

The translated brochure provides a tabular overview of the topical ESRS standards, as well as examples of topics covered by technical standards.

The division of ESG standards into environmental, social, and governance categories will help organizations to understand how to align their business operations with these standards as part of their corporate sustainability reporting.

As is well known, 2022/2464/EU Directive on Corporate Sustainability Reporting (CSRD) is currently in force.

“The first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on December 22, 2023, under the form of a delegated regulation.”^[3]

The reader will gain insight into how standards can assist organizations and the role they play in ESG reporting!

You can download the translated CEN & CENELEC brochure here.