Leveraging Corporate Sustainability Reporting for Circular Transformation

This white paper—Leveraging corporate sustainability reporting for circular transformation: A starter guide—shares insights from the latest research endeavour by the Coalition Circular Accounting (CCA). The Coalition assessed the implications of European Sustainability Reporting Standard (ESRS) E5, Resource use and the circular economy, alongside Danish paint manufacturer Hempel.

Hempel was selected as a partner for this process as it provides a particularly illustrative case study for the task. A business evidently concerned with its impact on the environment in an industry where circularity is key for fulfilling sustainability ambitions—but one that needs to take significant steps to comply with the new reporting requirement.

The analysis of the Hempel case seeks to do two things. First, shine a light on the specific requirements of ESRS E5—providing a step-by-step guide for businesses to prepare themselves to report on circular economy topics. Second, to reframe compliance with ESRS E5 from being viewed as a laborious distraction into a unique opportunity to kickstart businesses’ circular economy transitions.