Regulations and Demand for Accountability Set the Tone for the Future of ESG Disclosures

Executive Summary

In recent years, increasing pressures from a variety of stakeholders have combined to drive companies toward more sustainable practices in their business operations, and greater transparency. The real game-changer, however, has been the proliferation of global environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting regulations, which require a level of reporting far above the voluntary disclosures many companies have been issuing to their stakeholder groups.

Two of the major regulations in play are the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) by the European Union adopted on January 5, 2023, and the climate rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States, adopted in March, 2024 — but there are others, as well. This white paper provides an overview of the current global ESG regulatory dynamic and outlines steps companies should take today to prepare to do business in the new regulatory paradigm.

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