The revised ESRS 2026 entered into force on 10 November 2026. These simplified European Sustainability Reporting Standards apply to financial years starting on or after 1 January 2027, with transition options for financial years starting in 2026.
Fewer disclosure requirements do not remove the practical work. Reporting teams still need reliable information from departments and subsidiaries, with a clear owner and source for each figure.
This guide explains what changed and the decisions to make before your next reporting cycle.
What are the revised ESRS 2026?
The revised ESRS are set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1563. They simplify the standards used for mandatory reporting under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The regulation replaces the standards and the glossary in the annexes of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772.
The revision is part of the EU’s Omnibus I simplification package. Two questions stay separate: whether your company must report, and which version of the standards it uses. A change to the standards does not, by itself, decide your reporting obligation.
When do the revised ESRS apply?
The revised ESRS apply to financial years starting on or after 1 January 2027. A statement covering calendar year 2027 is published in 2028.
For financial years starting in 2026, companies already within the scope of the ESRS have three options:
- Apply the previous ESRS, as amended by the 2025 “quick fix”, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1416.
- Apply that version together with the specific reliefs listed in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2026/1563.
- Apply the revised ESRS in full.
The second option covers only the listed reliefs. It does not allow you to mix any requirements from the old and new standards.
Your sustainability statement must state which version you applied. Agree the choice with your advisers and discuss it with your assurance provider before you change any data requests.
What changes in the ESRS reporting requirements?
Fewer datapoints
According to the European Commission, the revised standards cut mandatory datapoints by more than 60% and total datapoints by more than 70%.
These figures describe the standards as a whole. Your own workload depends on what is material for your company, the reliefs you use and the data you already have. Check your current disclosure list against the new requirements before you send it to data owners, and record what you keep, remove or change.
A clearer double materiality assessment
Double materiality stays at the center. You still assess your impacts on people and the environment, and the financial risks and opportunities that sustainability matters create for your business.
The revised standards allow a top-down assessment based on your strategy, business model, sectors, locations and value chain. Where that analysis makes the answer clear, you can conclude without further work. Where it does not, you still need a specific assessment. The general disclosures in ESRS 2 still apply.
More flexibility and closer alignment with other frameworks
The revision adds reliefs and improves alignment with international reporting frameworks. If you report under several frameworks, check the actual requirements before you reuse information. Similar terms do not always mean the same boundaries, calculation methods or disclosures.
Keep a record of the reliefs you use and why. It helps reviewers and makes the next cycle easier.
Check your CSRD obligation separately
Directive (EU) 2026/470 narrows the CSRD scope to EU companies and groups with more than 1,000 employees and a net turnover above EUR 450 million. Groups use consolidated figures. Member States must transpose the changes by 19 March 2027.
First-wave companies below the new thresholds may still need to report for 2025 or 2026, unless their Member State grants the exemption. Certain non-EU groups follow a separate regime, with first reporting years starting on or after 1 January 2028.
Read our guide to CSRD scope after Omnibus I
What about voluntary reporting and data requests from customers or banks?
Companies outside mandatory CSRD reporting may still need sustainability information for customers, lenders, investors or a parent company.
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1560 sets out the EU Voluntary Standard in Annex I. It builds on the earlier VSME recommendation, but the two are not identical. It offers a basic and a comprehensive module.
From financial years starting on or after 1 January 2027, the value chain cap protects companies with an average of no more than 1,000 employees in the previous financial year. For their CSRD reporting, larger companies cannot require more from them than the datapoints in Annex II. Protected companies can decline requests beyond that. The cap does not cover requests made for other legal purposes.
For requests outside CSRD reporting, financial institutions are encouraged to limit what they ask from these companies to Annex I. This is guidance, not a binding cap.
Five decisions before collecting ESRS data
Agree these decisions before you ask departments and subsidiaries for information.
| Decision | What to record |
| Reporting obligation | Which company or group reports, the national rules and any exemptions |
| Period and standards | Financial year, standards version and reliefs used |
| Disclosures | Materiality conclusions, ESRS 2 requirements and relevant topical disclosures |
| Responsibilities | Who provides, calculates, reviews and approves each figure or text |
| Timeline | Data deadlines, review dates and time for corrections |
Then review last year’s collection template. Update what has changed, remove what no longer applies and keep what supports your reporting decisions.
A useful data request states the reporting period, entity, unit, source, calculation method and deadline. Link the evidence to the reported figure, so reviewers do not have to search through email.
Example: electricity use across a group
Three subsidiaries send electricity data: one in kWh, one in MWh and one as an invoice amount in euros.
The first two can be added after conversion to the same unit. The invoice amount does not show how much electricity was used. Ask for the consumption figure, or document an estimation method where it is allowed.
A unit check before consolidation catches the problem while there is still time to fix it with the data owner.
Test one metric from source to report
Use one metric, such as Scope 2 emissions, to test whether your process is traceable. This tests the process, not the emissions calculation itself.
Check that a reviewer can find:
- the reporting entity, period and source data;
- the boundary, calculation method, units and emission factors;
- who reviewed the calculation;
- any corrections, why they were made and which version went into the report.
Every missing answer is a gap to fix before you collect the full data set.
How ESG Platform supports the reporting process
ESG Platform brings sustainability data, responsibilities and supporting evidence into one workflow. Teams assign owners and deadlines, review information and keep a clear audit trail. Assurance providers get controlled access to reported data and evidence. Data is hosted in the EU.
Your company and its advisers decide what to report. The platform helps your team carry out those decisions and trace every figure back to its source.
Talk to our experts about your next reporting cycle.
Revised ESRS 2026: frequently asked questions
Do all reports published in 2027 have to use the revised ESRS?
No. The financial year decides, not the publication year. For financial years starting in 2026, companies can use the transition options in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2026/1563.
Can we combine the old and revised ESRS for 2026?
Only within the options in the regulation. You can keep the previous version with the specific reliefs listed in Article 2, or apply the revised standards in full. Record the version and reliefs you use.
Is double materiality still required?
Yes. Companies still assess both impact materiality and financial materiality. The top-down approach simplifies how you reach a conclusion. It does not remove the criteria.
Does ESG reporting software make a company CSRD compliant?
No. Compliance depends on your obligations, reporting decisions, disclosures and evidence. Software helps you organize the work and keep it traceable.
Are VSME and the EU Voluntary Standard the same?
No. The Voluntary Standard in Regulation (EU) 2026/1560 builds on the VSME recommendation but includes changes. Use the right document when you prepare disclosures or assess a data request.
Sources
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1563: revised ESRS, application dates and transition options.
- Directive (EU) 2026/470: revised CSRD scope and national transposition.
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1560: Voluntary Standard and value chain cap.
- European Commission announcement of 3 July 2026: summary of the changes and the reduction in datapoints.