Analysis of Challenges in Collecting and Harmonizing Sustainability Data Within Multinational Groups: An Accounting Perspective under the CSRD/ESRS Framework

Abstract

This study examines the technical challenges involved in collecting and consolidating ESG data to ensure an “accurate representation.” The project is vital because harmonizing information from subsidiaries is essential to provide investors with comparable and relevant data on group risks and opportunities, in accordance with IFRS S1 and ESRS standards. The study is based on the concept of “linked information” between financial and sustainability reporting. It refers to recent studies confirming that ESG aspects can be directly tracked in financial statements as Key Audit Matters (KAMs), demonstrating the need to transform the CFO’s role into that of a guarantor of non-financial data quality. A comparative case study was conducted on the consolidated sustainability reports for the year 2024. The analysis focused on methods for estimating value chain data (Scope 3) and their integration into ERP systems to ensure verifiability. The study highlights major gaps in data quality and the complexity of reporting for counterparties outside the consolidation perimeter. The results demonstrate that the success of harmonisation depends on the standardization of calculations and the non-financial chart of accounts. Implications: The paper provides researchers with a model for analyzing financial materiality, and group administrators with a strategy for aligning internal controls with a view to certifying reporting by auditors. The originality lies in the technical-accounting approach to the harmonisation process under the OMF regime no. 85/2024, demonstrating how group structures transform heterogeneous data into audited financial information, essential for decisions on the allocation of external resources.