EFRAG has released revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) Exposure Drafts, cutting mandatory data points by over half and launching a 60-day public consultation to gather stakeholder feedback across the EU corporate reporting ecosystem.
The update, published on 31 July 2025, responds to the European Commission’s Omnibus initiative and a formal March 2025 request to streamline ESRS adopted in 2023. The goal is to make sustainability reporting under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) more practical while retaining its alignment with the European Green Deal.
The revision follows extensive industry feedback, including over 800 survey responses, and focuses on reducing complexity, improving usability, and clarifying reporting requirements. The changes include streamlining the double materiality assessment, cutting overlaps between standards, removing all voluntary disclosures, and introducing relief mechanisms where reporting would cause undue cost or effort.
In total, mandatory data points (if material) have been reduced by 57%, while the total set of disclosures has been cut by 68%. The standards’ length has been shortened by more than 55%, making them more accessible for companies entering CSRD scope beyond the 2024 reporting year.
Public Consultation Now Open
Stakeholders—including preparers, auditors, civil society, investors, and national authorities—are invited to submit feedback between 31 July and 29 September 2025. EFRAG will also host outreach events in September and October to gather additional views ahead of its final technical advice to the European Commission, due 30 November 2025.
EFRAG Chair Patrick de Cambourg stated that the revisions are about delivering “a more focused, more usable sustainability reporting system that remains ambitious but does not overburden companies,” supporting resilience, investment, and long-term value creation. Chiara Del Prete, Chair of the EFRAG Sustainability Reporting Technical Expert Group, emphasised that the changes are based on “lessons learnt” from early application and targeted at the most pressing issues within the short timeframe available.
Implications for Industry and Stakeholders
For professionals across manufacturing, supply chains, and related sectors, these revisions could significantly reduce the administrative burden of CSRD compliance. By removing voluntary disclosures and clarifying requirements, the new drafts aim to help companies focus resources on material issues, potentially improving the quality of sustainability data while lowering compliance costs.
This development is relevant not only to large listed companies but also to SMEs and suppliers who may be indirectly affected by CSRD-driven data requests from customers. The consultation offers an opportunity for these stakeholders to shape final requirements that balance transparency with operational feasibility.
