"CSDDD Datahub reveals law covers fewer than 3,400 EU-based corporate groups," 21 January 2025

...SOMO is launching the CSDDD Datahub – a database containing the corporate groups, subsidiaries, home countries, and sectors of the companies that will need to comply with the CSDDD when it enters into force. Analysis by SOMO shows that only 3,400 corporate groups in the EU will be in the scope of the new law. The purpose of the Datahub is to break down an important barrier to access to information by making it possible for communities, workers, and trade unions across the globe to determine which companies will fall within the scope of the new law...

Data analysis by SOMO – based on companies’ most recent reported revenues and employee figures – shows that in practice, the CSDDD will cover only 4,280 corporate groups, of which just under 3,400 are based in the EU...

SOMO’s analysis... shows that claims about the CSDDD having an enormous impact on the EU economy simply do not match the reality of the extremely small number of companies that will be within the scope of the law. In February 2025, the European Commission is set to publish an omnibus legislative proposal to amend three key pillars of the European Green Deal: the CSDDD, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the Taxonomy Regulation. It is crucial that the Commission refrain from reinforcing false narratives about the supposed burdensome impact of the CSDDD on the EU economy...

The companies covered by the CSDDD mainly operate in the manufacturing (24.6%), services (19.1%), and wholesale and retail (16.2%) sectors. Notably, one out of every five companies that will have to comply with the CSDDD is a provider of financial services, though the holding companies of many corporate groups are included in this category. The CSDDD largely exempts financial institutions such as banks and insurers from the obligation to conduct due diligence on adverse impacts associated with their investments and financial services, which makes the total number of corporate groups directly affected by the CSDDD’s obligations even smaller in practice. 

...While SOMO has aimed to ensure the Datahub is as complete and accurate as possible, these data sources have their limitations. In particular with regard to non-EU companies, the list is incomplete. SOMO is planning to update the CSDDD Datahub on a regular basis...