All large companies in the EU will need to disclose data on the impact of their activities on people and the planet and any sustainability risks they are exposed to.

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), adopted today with 525 votes in favour, 60 votes against and 28 abstentions, will make businesses more publicly accountable by obliging them to regularly disclose information on their societal and environmental impact. This would end greenwashing, strengthen the EU’s social market economy and lay the groundwork for sustainability reporting standards at global level.

New EU sustainability standards

These rules address shortcomings in existing legislation on the disclosure of non-financial information (NFRD), perceived as largely insufficient and unreliable. The CSRD introduces more detailed reporting requirements on companies’ impact on the environment, human rights and social standards, based on common criteria in line with EU’s climate goals. The Commission will adopt the first set of standards by June 2023...

Extending the scope

The new EU sustainability reporting requirements will apply to all large companies, whether listed on stock markets or not. Non-EU companies with substantial activity in the EU (with a turnover over €150 million euro in the EU) will also have to comply. Listed SMEs will also be covered, but they will have more time to adapt to the new rules.

For nearly 50 000 companies in the EU, collecting and sharing sustainability information will become the norm, compared to about 11 700 companies covered by the current rules...

Next steps

The Council is expected to adopt the proposal on 28 November, after which it will be signed and published in the EU Official Journal. The directive will enter into force 20 days after publication. The rules will start applying between 2024 and 2028...