The Missing Voice in the Omnibus Debate: Practitioners Speak Up

*** Join our next community event on March 6th to get your unbiased EU Omnibus update. *** As the EU Omnibus keeps making waves in sustainability discussions, one voice has been noticeably absent: that of the practitioner—the people who are actually getting their hands dirty with ESRS-aligned double materiality assessments, running data gap analysis, and aligning internal teams and stakeholders. 💪

Yesterday, we gathered nearly 100 participants from our 4,000-strong community of practice, all at different stages of implementing CSRD reporting. From those just starting out to those who’ve already published their first sustainability, there was a lot to unpack.

Many of our members feel disappointed and anxious, unsure about what’s next for sustainability reporting and due diligence changes. Some are hopeful, but they were definitely in the minority.

Above: Emotion chart from a breakout room with companies preparing for CSRD implementation.

That said, we were inspired by the resilience of the sustainability community! ✊ Despite the uncertainty, there’s still cautious optimism that regulatory changes won’t hinder overall sustainability efforts.

A large number of members expressed their determination to keep moving forward on CSRD implementation, with many continuing full steam ahead on their efforts. Even more telling, “Wait & See” was hardly mentioned, suggesting that most in our community are choosing action over passivity.

Unsurprisingly, there were plenty of questions. Here are just some that came up time and time again:

If the focus shifts to financial materiality, do we still need to worry about impact assessments? Is double materiality still relevant? How do we explain the benefits of going above and beyond when the rules seem to be getting weaker? How can we make our sustainability efforts meaningful for business strategy, instead of just ticking boxes? What happens when national and EU laws don’t align?

Above: A collection of questions and challenges shared, with green dots showing how many votes each one received.

Taken together, the questions expressed paint a picture of a community that feels both overwhelmed and uncertain. Several of our members expressed concern that a potential shift to financial materiality could narrow the scope of sustainability efforts.

Many members who’ve already invested significant time and resources into building comprehensive sustainability practices mentioned they feel frustrated by the potential watering down of the rules. They’ve worked hard to meet the comprehensive requirements of CSRD/ESRS, and the idea that these efforts might be undermined is understandably disheartening.

We also heard a strong desire for sustainability to be more than just a checkbox on a compliance list. Our members want to see things such as materiality assessments and due diligence fully integrated into their business strategies, not just something they do to meet requirements.

Looking ahead, our members highlighted the need for reliable ways to stay updated on the evolving regulatory landscape (If that’s on your mind too, check out our EU Omnibus FAQ!). Many also requested a messaging toolkit to support internal conversations about regulatory uncertainty, how to navigate it, and strategies for mitigating potential risks. Finally, there was a strong desire for more opportunities to connect with peers at similar stages of CSRD implementation.

In the end, it seems all practitioners want is more clarity, support, and practical tools to confidently move sustainability forward — a completely reasonable ask.

We hope you're listening, European Commission! 👂🏻 *** Join our next community event on March 6th to get your unbiased EU Omnibus update. ***