CSRD: A telco burden or opportunity?

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) rollout is set to reshape the sustainability landscape for EU businesses. We explore the main challenges and opportunities it presents for telcos.

Welcome to our ‘Coffee break reading’. These pieces are designed to be short and easy to read, presenting our opinion on a hot topic and challenging you to think about it too.

In this edition, we focus on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), introduced by the European Union (EU), which marks a significant shift in how companies report on environmental and social responsibility. We examine what the initiative means for telcos, outlining both the key challenges and the opportunities it presents.

While meeting the new requirements may seem complex and resource-intensive, telecom operators are not only in a strong position to meet their own reporting obligations but also to help enterprise customers achieve their requirements. Telcos’ advantage stems from relatively lower emissions profiles, extensive data assets and a readiness to deploy emerging technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) to enable scope 3 reporting dashboards.

Download now to get our take in a 10-minute read.

Our insight covers the following key points:

• What is the CSRD?
• Core elements of the CSRD
• CSRD in a broader context
• Key challenges facing telcos under the CSRD
• Key opportunities for telcos under the CSRD
• What next?

Related research

• AI: Good or bad for sustainability?
• The sustainability scorecard
• Can telcos square the sustainability circle for consumers?

Krsna Singh

Krsna Singh

Research Analyst

Krsna supports analysis of key trends and developments across the telecoms industry, with a focus on private networks and sustainability. Krsna holds an MSc in Economics & Strategy for Business from Imperial College London.