The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a new regulation that requires companies to disclose their sustainability information in digital format, with the goal of improving the accessibility, reliability, and comparability of these data. To achieve this, the XBRL® taxonomy is applied within the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which will enable the first set of CSRD-compliant reports to be published in 2025.
XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) is a widely used standard for financial reporting. Under the CSRD, it is now also applied to sustainability information. XBRL enables data to be more easily interpreted, verified, and compared by regulators and investors, thanks to the use of standardized tags that minimize the need for customization and facilitate comparison across companies.
The draft XBRL taxonomy for the ESRS sets a high level of granularity, with more than 1,000 data points distributed across 12 standards. This structure is designed to limit the use of custom tags in order to facilitate the comparison of information between companies. However, in specific cases, organizations may create custom tags if the information is not covered by the ESRS.
The ultimate goal is to store all information in the European Single Access Point (ESAP), which will be available in 2027 to centralize financial and sustainability data within the EU, improving visibility for investors and funding sources.
Example of iXBRL (Inline XBRL): A variant that combines human readability with automated analysis by embedding XBRL data into HTML documents.
Dcycle, a technology platform focused on sustainability solutions, offers key advantages for adapting to the CSRD and the XBRL taxonomy:
Dcycle helps companies not only comply with regulations but also improve their reporting, enhancing transparency for investors and other stakeholders. This ensures an efficient transition towards more reliable and comparable reporting, optimizing operations and reducing costs.
Carbon footprint calculation analyzes all emissions generated throughout a product’s life cycle, including raw material extraction, production, transportation, usage, and disposal.
The most recognized methodologies are:
Digital tools like Dcycle simplify the process, providing accurate and actionable insights.
Some strategies require initial investment, but long-term benefits outweigh costs.
Investing in carbon reduction is not just an environmental action, it’s a smart business strategy.