03 December 2021

Irish Funds: Publication on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

This is essential for funds and asset managers seeking to integrate ESG considerations into their investment decisions and to comply with their obligations under the EU sustainable finance regime. CSRD is therefore foundational to the EU sustainable finance regime and the European Green Deal.

Irish Funds has published the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: An overview from a funds and asset manager perspective. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will create a new EU framework for sustainability reporting by companies. CSRD aims to provide greater transparency and more comparable and standardised information on how companies perform from a sustainability perspective. This information is essential for funds and asset managers seeking to integrate ESG considerations into their investment decisions and to comply with their obligations under the EU sustainable finance regime. CSRD is therefore foundational to the EU sustainable finance regime and the European Green Deal.

CSRD will replace the existing Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), significantly extending the scope of companies required to report and expanding the range of reporting requirements. Under the proposal, the changes will impact on the 2023 reporting period and companies in scope will be required to provide the broad range of new reporting requirements by 1 January 2024. Companies will be subject to an annual reporting requirement under the CSRD thereafter.

This publication provides an overview of CSRD and addresses:

• Scope and impact on asset managers and funds
• Proposed CSRD reporting requirements
• CSRD and the concept of ‘double materiality’
• EFRAG’s role as the new European sustainability reporting standard setter
• The role of ESMA and supervisory considerations
• Consolidated/group reporting
• Sustainable finance timeframe with deadlines
• Provision of assurance
• Digitalisation and the European Single Access Point (ESAP)
• Interaction with existing sustainability standards and international context

Irish Funds