From Compliance to Communication: Closing the ESG Reporting Gap | Sustainable Business Stockholm '26

ESG reporting is producing more output than ever, and less understanding than ever. The fix is not more reporting. It is better communication, built on integrated systems. That was the core message of Erwin Groenendal’s keynote at Sustainable Business Stockholm 2026. And it lands because it names a problem most teams are quietly struggling with.

Over the past few years, ESG reporting has scaled rapidly. New regulations. New frameworks. More data points than ever before. On paper, this should lead to better transparency and stronger decision making.

In reality, it often does the opposite.

Reports have become longer, more complex, and harder to navigate. Data is collected across disconnected teams and systems, then stitched together at the end of the process. The result is fragmented output that satisfies compliance requirements but fails to deliver clarity to stakeholders.

What this reveals is a structural issue, not an effort problem.

Most organizations are still operating in a compliance driven model. Reporting is treated as an obligation. Communication is treated as a final step. Narrative comes after the data is already locked in.

But stakeholders do not need more disclosure. They need understanding.

That requires a shift. From reporting to communication.

In practice, this means moving away from fragmented workflows toward an integrated approach where data flows continuously from collection to output. It means prioritizing clarity over completeness, and designing narrative and data together rather than in sequence.

When ESG is treated as a connected system instead of a series of tasks, the outcome changes. Data becomes usable. Reports become understandable. And communication starts to build trust rather than simply fulfill requirements.

The opportunity is not to produce better reports. It is to close the gap between data and impact.

Organizations that make this shift will not just improve their reporting process. They will turn ESG into something far more valuable. A foundation for alignment, decision making, and credible communication with the people who matter.

Understand where your ESG process breaks today?

We have outlined the key building blocks of a scalable ESG setup, from scoping and data model to governance and reporting.