ESRS Changes 2025: What the “Quick Fix” Means for Companies Reporting Sustainability Under CSRD

ESRS “Quick Fix”: Less Burden, Same Obligation

The European Commission has introduced a set of updates to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) to ease the first reporting cycle—based on fiscal year 2024 (FY2024).
In practice, this means companies will report in 2025 on what happened in 2024.

The changes reduce initial workload, but do not eliminate the reporting obligation. Here's what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what companies in the first reporting group need to do.

‍

🎯 Need clarity on how to comply with the CSRD?
We’ve prepared a practical guide with structure, key concepts and deadlines to help you get started.
👉 Download the free CSRD Guide

‍

What Is the ESRS “Quick Fix”?

On July 12, 2025, the European Commission adopted a “quick fix” package to adjust the first set of ESRS. The goal: ease the reporting burden for companies applying the CSRD for the first time.

The changes:

• Extend certain transitional reliefs
• Remove voluntary disclosures
• Apply some phase-in measures to large companies, not just SMEs

It’s not a new directive—it’s a technical update to simplify year one.

‍

What Changed

1. Extra time to omit certain disclosures

Companies can postpone reporting on selected topics until 2026:

• Financial effects of climate risks
• Biodiversity impacts
• Workers in the value chain

2. Transitional measures extended to large companies

Originally, these phase-in options applied only to listed SMEs. Now they’re open to large companies—Wave One.

🧾 What is Wave One?
It refers to the first group of companies required to report under CSRD starting in 2025.
These are companies already subject to the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), including:
• Companies with over 500 employees
• Listed companies
• Public interest entities like banks and insurers

3. All “may disclose” items removed

Voluntary data points are gone.
The new focus: clarity and consistency.

4. A broader ESRS revision is coming in 2027

EFRAG is already working on a major simplification expected to cut required data points by 66%.

‍

What Didn’t Change

• CSRD is still in effect.
• Non-Financial Statements (NFS) are still mandatory until 2026, and regulators recommend aligning them with ESRS.
• Wave One companies still have to report in 2025, covering fiscal year 2024.
• Data traceability and consistency remain essential.

In short: the content is lighter, but the system is still running.

‍

What Should Companies Do Now?

This is not a pause—it’s a chance to get organized.

💡 Practical checklist:

• Confirm if you're in Wave One.
  If you have 500+ employees or were already subject to the NFRD, you are.
• Apply the reliefs available, but don’t delay building your internal structure.
• Set up data traceability from day one.
  Don’t reinvent the wheel every year.
• Break the silos.
  Sustainability data must connect with finance, procurement, HR and compliance.

‍

How We See It at Dcycle

This is not a delay. It's a chance to build smarter systems.
The goal isn’t to report more—it’s to control what you report.

With Dcycle, companies can:

• Centralize all ESG data in one place
• Automatically apply ESRS structure and logic
• Track every calculation and data source
• Reuse information for CSRD, NFS, CDP, clients or audits

📌 We’re not a consultancy. We’re your ESG data infrastructure.

‍