Once considered a niche concern, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria are now central to strategic decision-making. The introduction of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) allows companies to highlight their sustainability commitments.
The CSRD and its Benefits
Indeed, meeting CSRD requirements allows companies to visualize their non-financial impacts while also leveraging ESG criteria as genuine drivers of added value. By ensuring regulatory compliance, you strengthen your reputation and employer brand while facilitating access to responsible financing.
Similarly, you improve your risk management and encourage innovation. Reliable reporting can become a tool for social dialogue, reinforcing trust with your stakeholders.
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Beyond Sustainability, the CSRD Challenges Your Organization and Information Systems
Nevertheless, the complexity of the metrics and indicators required by the CSRD calls for IT solutions capable of collecting qualitative and quantitative data from all your company’s departments. CSRD compliance represents an organizational challenge in obtaining the data necessary for consolidating your sustainability reports.
At Althéa, we help our clients navigate the complexity of this compliance by supporting you with the selection and implementation of a reporting solution that enables you to collect the required data. We combine our expertise in CSRD and project management to offer you comprehensive, tailor-made support in your transformation.
How Does Althéa Support You in CSRD Compliance?
Althéa and its experts guide you through CSRD compliance and the automation of your sustainability reporting to ensure it is structured, reliable and optimized.
Our CSRD consultants have solid experience in both corporate and consulting environments, with strong expertise in European and international ESG regulations. Althéa’s threefold approach guarantees a deep understanding of business challenges, ensuring flexible and high-quality support across every function.
Our Methodology
Althéa and its experts support you at every stage of your CSRD project.
- Compliance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): we create your double materiality matrix following a study of your value chain and consultation with your internal and external stakeholders. This matrix allows us to select the sustainability matters covered by the ESRS to which you are subject and then perform a gap analysis, accompanied by roadmaps to close those gaps.
- Master Plan: our consultants define a precise strategic vision for processes and data processing, relying on a master plan to ensure the traceability and reliability of information. We then set specific objectives and develop detailed roadmaps to guide future development.
- Selection Support: after conducting a benchmark of solutions based on the identification of your challenges, we assist our clients in choosing the right solutions. Furthermore, we support the drafting of detailed specifications and facilitate calls for tenders, ensuring an informed choice aligned with transformation objectives.
- Project Management Assistance and Change Management: we lead the transformation projects of your information systems, design new processes with business teams, and guarantee the quality of the solutions. We facilitate adoption through documentation, training, and ongoing support to ensure smooth operation.
Key Figures
companies covered by the directive by 2028
from large groups to SMEs
general ESRS standards
sector-specific standards to come
required data points
objective of transparency and comparability
team of 10 consultants trained in CSRD challenges
Our References
For a French energy company and key player in renewable energy deployment | 5,000 employees, €4.2B in revenue
Ensuring compliance with CSRD requirements while strengthening the efficiency and transparency of non-financial reporting
Support for CSRD compliance and implementation of an EPM solution for the automation of extra-financial reporting.
Intervention:
- Value chain study and consultation of internal and external stakeholders
- Construction of a matrix for double materiality, with a clear definition of the extra-financial reporting scope
- Diagnostic of current ESG reporting practices, including the analysis of IT solutions, specific methods, and associated issues
- Development of a master plan to ensure the tracking of data flows within and between different internal ERPs
- Analysis of existing ERP solutions and processes and evaluation of their compatibility with CSRD requirements
Project management assistance for the implementation of an EPM solution integrating financial and extra-financial modules - Identification of gaps with CSRD requirements and corrective roadmaps
User Acceptance Testing (UAT):
- Validation of integration processes for financial and ESG data within the EPM solution
- Performance of compliance tests to guarantee the accuracy and reliability of the reports produced
Training:
- Team awareness building regarding the regulatory and strategic challenges of the CSRD
- Comprehensive user training on the use of the EPM solution for automated reporting
Stabilization:
- Post-implementation monitoring and adjustments to ensure the stability of automated processes
- Continuous assistance to optimize the use of the EPM solution in managing extra-financial performance
For a French organization dedicated to the employment inclusion and retention of people with disabilities | 900 employees, €150M in revenue
Compliance with CSRD requirements and improvement of ESG reporting efficiency
Intervention:
- Diagnostic of ESG reporting practices, analysis of IT solutions, reporting methods, and associated issues to optimize your compliance
- Construction of a materiality matrix to define an extra-financial reporting scope
- Development of a master plan to track data flows in internal ERPs
- Analysis of current ERP systems and evaluation of their compatibility with the CSRD
- Support for drafting specifications and selecting an EPM solution that meets CSRD requirements
- Implementation assistance for an EPM solution integrating financial and extra-financial data
User Acceptance Testing (UAT):
- Validation of integration processes for financial and ESG data within the EPM solution
- Performance of compliance tests to guarantee the accuracy and reliability of the reports produced
Training:
- Employee awareness building and comprehensive training for the CSR manager to ensure future autonomy on CSRD/ESG topics
Challenges
Compliance
Strategic Vision and Planning
Define the strategic sustainability vision, set objectives, integrate new technologies, and ensure compliance with the CSRD.
Assessment and Selection of IT Solutions
Identify pain points in current financial processes and select solutions adapted to the challenges.
Implementation and Ongoing Support
Effectively manage projects, guarantee the quality of solutions, and facilitate adoption with training and continuous support.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions About CSRD Compliance
What are the CSRD compliance deadlines depending on the size of your company?
CSRD compliance is being phased in according to a specific schedule. For large listed companies and financial institutions with more than 500 employees and a balance sheet exceeding €25M or a turnover exceeding €50M, the obligation begins as of the 2024 financial year with a first publication in 2025.
For other large companies with more than 250 employees and exceeding either a €25M balance sheet or a €50M turnover, the obligation applies from the 2025 financial year with a first publication in 2026.
What does the cost of CSRD compliance include for a company?
The cost of CSRD compliance includes several elements: mandatory certification by a statutory auditor or an independent third-party assurance provider (ITP), the implementation of data collection systems, and the adaptation of internal processes. Companies must specifically plan for costs related to certification, which requires a 6-year mandate.
Compliance also involves team training costs, information system updates, and potentially external consulting for support in the process. Penalties for non-compliance can reach up to €75,000 in fines.
Which companies are covered by the CSRD reporting exemption?
Only unlisted companies are exempt when:
- Their sustainability information is included in that of a consolidating company that controls them.
- Their securities are not admitted to trading on a regulated market.
The management report of the exempted company must only mention:
- The name and registered office of the consolidating company.
- The link to the website where the group management report and its certification report are made available.
What format is required for publishing CSRD information?
The European Commission imposes specific reporting standards:
- Sustainability information must be integrated into a separate section of the management report, taking into account environmental and social issues.
- The XHTML electronic format is mandatory to enable a standardized data collection system.
- Information must follow European financial reporting with tagging compliant with the European Single Electronic Format (ESEF).
- The publication must include clear KPIs on climate impacts, the circular economy, and corporate social responsibility.
This technical approach aims to facilitate verification and regulatory support while ensuring awareness of sustainability issues.
How can a company prepare for CSRD?
To prepare your company for the CSRD, several key steps must be followed according to French regulations.
First, the company must verify if it is affected by this obligation. The criteria are precise: it must meet at least two of the following three conditions for two consecutive financial years: more than 250 employees, a balance sheet exceeding 25 million euros, or a turnover exceeding 50 million euros.
The application schedule is progressive. Large listed companies and financial institutions will have to publish their first information in 2025 for the 2024 financial year. Other large companies will follow with a first publication in 2026 for the 2025 financial year.
The implementation of processes constitutes a crucial step. The company must appoint either a statutory auditor or an independent third-party assurance provider (ITP) to certify its information. It must apply the twelve ESRS standards covering environmental, social, and governance aspects. Consultation with the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) on this information becomes mandatory.
The preparation of information requires rigorous organization. A separate section of the management report must present the company’s impact on the environment and society, as well as the influence of sustainability issues on its business. The information collection process must be clearly described.
The certification of information represents an important step. The statutory auditor or ITP will verify regulatory compliance, the collection process, and the tagging of information in the required XHTML electronic format.
Finally, the transmission of information follows a specific circuit. Listed companies transmit them to the AMF; all concerned companies must file them with the registry of the commercial court, communicate them to shareholders or partners, to the CSE, and make them available to the public.
To facilitate this process, support tools exist, notably the CSR Portal, which offers free assistance for the analysis and drafting of the sustainability statement. This methodical preparation ensures full compliance with the new CSRD requirements.
