Guest article: Make sustainability reporting a tool supporting the sustainability work

Nitor built its first CSRD-aligned sustainability report in record time during spring 2025, despite the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive not yet requiring companies of this size to report. What made it possible to complete the report so quickly, when we typically allocate about six months for similar work? The foundation was a clear prioritisation of sustainability work and the ambition to be among the leaders in sustainability work.

The EU's CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) is a European Union directive aimed at improving corporate sustainability reporting and, above all, standardising it. The goal is to help companies evaluate the long-term sustainability of their operations more effectively. Currently, the directive requires publicly listed companies and groups with over 500 employees to report in accordance with its guidelines. From 2028 onwards, the reporting requirement is likely to expand to unlisted companies with more than 1,000 employees, although changes to EU regulations are still being finalised.

The starting point for sustainability reporting: what change does your company want to drive?

At the start of every sustainability reporting project, we work with our client to define the purpose of the report and the change they aim to drive as a company. Without a clear objective, a sustainability report can easily become just another document that doesn't actually influence your own or your stakeholders' actions after completion. At its best, reporting clarifies where your sustainability work stands and guides the prioritisation of initiatives for the years ahead.

At Nitor, sustainability work had been ongoing for some time. Among other things, they had completed a double materiality assessment in 2024, which helps identify the material sustainability issues that Nitor both impacts and is impacted by.

At the beginning of our collaboration, we created clear parameters for the project by defining the following:

1. We decided which goals the report would primarily serve. This also meant accepting that we couldn't accomplish everything at once.

2. Content and visualisations were designed to be reusable in internal communications, social media, and other channels. Meaning the final report wouldn't just be a single PDF document.

3. We reached consensus that completing the project on time was more important than perfecting every detail. The finished report was seen as an essential tool, making development areas visible. These insights would make it easier to prioritise the sustainability work in the following years.

Why report according to CSRD if the directive doesn't yet require it?

In Nitor's case, we found that their customers, for example, expect information structured according to CSRD. Some competitors are already within the reporting requirement, and many stakeholders, especially investors, are accustomed to receiving information in the format required by the directive.

On the other hand, voluntary reporting also brought freedoms. Nitor's report could include summary pages and communication highlights that serve different target audiences, thereby improving the final report's readability. The report was created in alignment with the CSRD directive, while leveraging the flexibility to serve Nitor's objectives best.

A tight timeline requires focused resources and a clear internal vision

Nitor's sustainability report was completed on an exceptionally tight schedule. This was possible because Nitor has complete trust in its sustainability professionals, allowing them to focus on creating the report throughout the entire process.

Nitor's professionals produced content on a weekly basis, while we at Kaskas provided feedback and edited the manuscript. Together, we also identified which sustainability highlights to feature on summary pages and how to transform the most essential takeaways into infographics. By concentrating resources on reporting, results came quickly. Nitor brought agile development principles into reporting: prioritising and focusing on one thing at a time to move work forward rapidly.

Additionally, ensuring a clear internal view of the report within the organisation is crucial for keeping work on schedule. If a shared vision isn't reached collectively, comment rounds can drag on in the final stretch.

Through our experience, we've found that the following things make the reporting process easier:

1. It's essential first to clarify internally what change you want to drive. Reporting focus areas are easier to identify when a company has a clear vision of its societal role.

2. Who is the report primarily for? If you attempt to serve investors, staff, job seekers, and customers equally in one document, the result may suffer. Choosing the most crucial audience makes the work easier and helps clarify the most essential content.

3. The report doesn't need to be perfect. Rather than thinking of the report as a permanent final product, view it as a continuously evolving snapshot of sustainability that increases transparency, helps prioritise sustainability work, and builds trust with various stakeholders.

4. It's important to give sustainability leaders full ownership of reporting. A consultant's role is to help and guide the reporting process, but ideally, the client produces the content themselves. This enables the company's own sustainability expertise to grow while creating the report.

The report also presents some uncomfortable facts

In voluntary reporting, there can be a temptation to leave out certain information, especially if it doesn't show what you'd hope. However, Nitor decided to include these aspects in their report as well, for example, showing how their leadership's gender distribution is heavily male-dominated. Sharing such information shouldn't be seen as a risk, but rather as an honest acknowledgement that we all still have work to do. For staff, it communicates that things are discussed openly and honestly. For investors, it signals openness and a commitment to consistently developing sustainability work.

Making reporting part of Everyday sustainability work

It is essential that sustainability reporting isn't viewed as a mandatory task done once a year. Reporting is the third step of a sustainability continuum: First, there must be a clear vision of the societal impact the company has, followed by actions based on the desire to influence society in some way. Sustainability reporting comes naturally as the third part of this continuum, where you share the current status of your sustainability work. Ideally, the sustainability report becomes an integral part of everyday work when it's used to manage sustainability priorities in the following years.

When starting reporting, keep at least these things in mind:

• Clear and shared internal view on why you're creating the report. The most important step is reaching a shared vision of what change you want the reporting to drive. This guides all choices related to the reporting process and makes it easier to set boundaries.

• Realistic coordination of resources and timeline is essential. Even with limited resources, a good report can be produced if the timeline is aligned and ownership is clear.
  There must be clear ownership for the development areas identified in the finished report. Once the numbers are on the table, who is responsible for improving them for the following report?

• Visualising results multiplies the report's usability. Without visualisation, the information contained in the report can be difficult for most people to understand. Visualisation also makes it easier to utilise results across different channels.

We can honestly say it was a pleasure to be involved in Nitor's sustainability reporting, because they have a clear commitment to sustainability work, and this dedication was evident in their willingness to address complex topics. As consultants, we don't consider ourselves authorities on sustainability, but rather equal partners who help our clients achieve their desired outcomes.