Evaluating Biodiversity Reporting Practices of EU-listed Companies

Biodiversity is facing a crisis, drawing attention to nature-related impacts caused by companies’ activities and increasing the demand for corporate accountability. This growing social pressure and new regulations are leading to a surge in biodiversity-related disclosures. A key development in this area is the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the consequent introduction of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which aim to improve and standardize sustainability reporting across EU member States. This study evaluates the readiness of 50 large EU-listed companies to comply with the biodiversity-specific ESRS E4, investigating the most used reporting frameworks and how sector and country of origin influence the level of disclosure. The findings indicate that while most companies recognize the importance of biodiversity including it in their sustainability reports, their disclosures often lack in detailed, measurable data needed to fully meet the ESRS E4 requirements.