The Gap Between ESG Data Collection and Disclosure and Why It Persists

For years, ESG reporting has been treated as a disclosure problem. Write the narrative. Publish the report. Tick the box. But behind the scenes, something else has been quietly breaking: ESG data collection.

In a recent edition of Tangelo Talks, Arthur Nederlof, CEO of Vanad Group, Tangelo’s parent company, sits down with Arko Vervark, Chief Commercial Officer, and Erwin Groenendal, Chief Product Officer, to discuss what they see daily across real ESG reporting projects and where current ESG data collection starts to break down. The same patterns appear again and again: fragmented data, spreadsheet driven workflows, tools that stop just before reporting actually begins, and a growing gap between what regulators expect and what current ESG tooling can realistically support. That gap is precisely what led Tangelo to build ESG Collect.

The first market signal: Fragmentation everywhere

When Tangelo speaks to clients, the same signal keeps coming back. ESG data is scattered across teams, suppliers, and partial systems. Carbon data often has tooling behind it, but everything else still lives in Excel, inboxes, and disconnected files. This creates more than inefficiency. It creates uncertainty. Teams do not know whether the data they collect today will still be usable when reporting standards tighten or audit requirements increase. 

Why existing tools are not solving It

There is no shortage of ESG tools. But they all solve different slices of the problem. Carbon platforms. Niche ESG solutions. Early stage tools with unclear roadmaps. Most importantly, many tools are not built around mandated standards. They collect data without knowing how that data must ultimately be disclosed, tagged, and audited. The result is confidence early in the process and chaos at the end.

The second market signal: Where solutions stop

The second signal is more subtle, but more damaging. ESG solutions often stop at disclosure level, not reporting. Providers increasingly ask for help when it becomes time to produce structured, tagged external reports. There is a clear gap between ESG data collection and regulatory filing. And as auditability becomes non negotiable, that gap becomes a risk.

Why Tangelo was able to solve this

This is where Tangelo starts from a different place. ESG Collect was not designed as a standalone upstream tool. It was designed as part of a continuous workflow. Because Tangelo already supports sustainability and ESG reporting, ESG Collect connects directly into the same environment. No handovers. No loss of context. No late stage rework. 

What is genuinely different about ESG Collect

The difference is architectural. ESG Collect starts from mandated standards like ESRS and ISSB. Full coverage, not selective metrics. The disclosure structure is embedded upfront. Tagging is brought forward instead of bolted on later. Auditability and traceability are preserved from the first data point to the final published report. This is not just better collection. It is disclosure grade data by design.

Why now is exactly the right moment

Some might argue ESG has been around for years. But the timing matters.

Regulation is becoming clearer, not lighter. CSRD timelines may shift, but expectations are rising. ISSB adoption is only just beginning globally. ESG reporting is moving from voluntary storytelling to structured mandatory reporting. Organizations already producing ESG reports cannot improvise their way forward. The foundation they choose now determines how painful the next reporting cycles will be.

ESG Collect exists because fragmented approaches will not scale. Control, auditability, and standards driven structure are no longer optional. The organizations that get this right now will not just comply. They will move faster, with more confidence and far less rework when the pressure increases.