A large multinational European financial services firm, with multiple entities spanning banking, investments, and market infrastructure, required comprehensive management of their Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) delivery initiative. The firm needed to navigate extensive and interrelated technical specifications defined in the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and integrate these requirements into their existing operations and reporting frameworks.
Our consultancy was engaged to manage the end-to-end delivery of the CSRD initiative. The approach and key activities undertaken included:
We developed an assessment methodology, and identified material topics and corresponding impacts, risks, and opportunities. We then scored and prioritized these topics. Eventually, we engaged and validated findings with internal and external parties across the value chain.
Our consultants started by assessing and prioritising data and disclosure sourcing. Next, we interpreted ESRS specifications to package and distribute requirements to contributing teams. We made sure we integrated data under governance/management frameworks.
The problem the firm had, was a lack of a coherent sustainability narrative. Our consultants went ahead and created a coherent narrative from multiple fragmented disclosures. To do this, we clustered data and disclosures and facilitated cross-departmental collaboration to streamline disclosures.
Obviously, we wanted to make sure the firm would be able to do the CSRD reporting themselves in the future. We implemented new tooling to enable CSRD reporting and integrated a SaaS tool into the existing architecture. To do so, we defined requirements and developed bespoke integrations and enhancements. To make sure the tooling worked for the firm, we conducted thorough testing and implementation.
We had to find a process to make sure the firm would have enough capacity and capability to conduct the CSRD reporting. We defined the necessary operating, governance, and control processes, and stablished procedures to implement the capability and ensure annual execution.
We collaborated with corporate secretariat and finance teams to develop a process to integrate CSRD into the existing annual reporting framework.
The work of our consultants resulted in significant outcomes and benefits. We delivered more than expected. The firm moved beyond mere compliance, leveraging CSRD as a catalyst to turn sustainability goals and aspirations into actionable impacts. The initiative reduced delivery complexity and increased efficiency, enabling the firm to quickly navigate and act on the extensive and interrelated technical specifications defined in ESRS. Not only that, an architecture and process platform was established, serving as a hub for building out sustainability initiatives that adhere to multiple standards.
Our consultants are ready to advice and help you with your CSRD challenges.
