ESRS 1 & 2 in Practice is a practical field guide to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards that form the foundation of sustainability reporting under the CSRD. It focuses on the two cross-cutting standards that every undertaking in scope must address: ESRS 1 General Requirements and ESRS 2 General Disclosures.
Rather than reproducing the Standards, this book translates their requirements into practical decisions, implementation processes and evidence that finance, sustainability and reporting teams can actually use. At its centre is double materiality: understanding how impact materiality and financial materiality must be assessed separately and documented before determining which topical disclosures apply.
The guide explains the **four ESRS 2 pillars-governance, strategy, impact/risk/opportunity management, and metrics and targets-**alongside value-chain considerations, datapoint-level reporting, connectivity with the financial statements, GHG boundaries, stakeholder engagement and assurance readiness.
Particular attention is given to the 2026 ESRS simplification and CSRD reforms, including changes to reporting scope, reduced mandatory datapoints, the top-down materiality approach, value-chain data-request limits and the transition to the simplified ESRS.
Through two realistic case studies, eleven practical workshops, decision checkpoints and implementation templates, readers learn how to move from scope assessment and double materiality to a controlled, traceable and assurance-ready sustainability statement.
Designed for sustainability reporting professionals, CFOs, finance and risk teams, sustainability managers, auditors and assurance providers, consultants, academics and advanced students, this guide provides a compact and practical route from understanding ESRS 1 and 2 to applying them in practice.
