CSRD Software: A Complete Guide to Choosing the Best Solution in 2025

Analysis of double materiality, collection of a multitude of data, writing the sustainability report to be published each year, compliance with the CSRD represents a major challenge for a large number of companies.

To be effective and successfully comply, it is essential to have a CSRD software to support you in your sustainability reporting. But among all the existing offers on the market, it is difficult to find your way around and to know which tool is best suited to your needs, your structure and your organization.

How can you be sure to select the right CSRD platform to build your sustainability report? What elements should you particularly take into account to make a decision? What are the functionalities that we think are essential to move forward with this project calmly and effectively?

We go through all these questions in this article to allow you to choose the best tool for your business! ‍

Choose a CSRD software that has 10 essential features.

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A CSRD software that offers the possibility of collaborating with a consulting firm

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To develop your sustainability report, it is important to be supported by experts, at least at the beginning. In fact, this is the choice that the vast majority of businesses make.

If you are not yet supported, be aware that some CSRD platforms offer companies internal support from experienced CSR consultants. They can also sometimes provide you with a network of partner firms.

If you already work with an external consultant or consulting firm (or are considering using one), make sure that the CSRD platform publisher you choose allows these external consulting firms to work on the software.

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CSRD software that adapts to the structure and organization of your business.

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Above all, it is essential to check that your CSRD software adapts to the structure and organization of your company or group, even if they are “complex”.

To do this, make sure that the platform of your future CSRD software knows how to map the entire organizational structure of your company and build sustainability reports for complex groups. Concretely, this involves the possibility of creating on the platform a system of organizational units (subsidiaries, BU, sites, etc.) within the same workspace. In addition, it is important that the platform is in a position to store information from each of the organizational units.

Finally, so that your potential units located abroad can also use the platform, make sure that the software and integrated resources (including issue frameworks, stakeholder questionnaires and deliverables) are also available in English.

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A CSRD software that integrates the complete ESRS challenge framework.

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To draw up the list of potential sustainability issues to be taken into account, issues on which you will then base your double materiality analysis, you must start from the list of transversal issues provided in paragraph AR 16 of the ESRS 1 “General principles of standards”. This is a list of mandatory themes to be taken into consideration in the analysis of double materiality, which are divided into sub-themes and sub-sub-themes. It is therefore essential to ensure that the CSRD software you choose integrates this complete ESRS challenge repository with all themes, sub-themes and sub-sub-themes.

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This framework of basic issues is a starting point. You can then modify and complete it according to the specific and sectoral challenges that concern your company. That is why, you must check that the CSRD platform allows you to customize this repository by adding or modifying an issue and by attaching each issue to a standard.

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Finally, on this question of the repository, it may be wise to select a platform that integrates other standards in addition to that of the ESRS, in particular the ISO 26,000, GRI, ISSB standards, etc.

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A CSRD software that facilitates your analysis of double materiality.

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Dual materiality analysis is the cornerstone of the sustainability report. As a reminder, it is this double materiality analysis that will allow you to identify “material” sustainability issues and therefore the information that must be published in your sustainability report.

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Dual materiality analysis represents a big challenge for companies. It involves mapping and consulting your value chains and stakeholders. But also to rate dozens or even hundreds of impacts, risks and opportunities (IRO) and to deduce the data to be collected and then published in your sustainability report.

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Some concrete functionalities will allow you to gain in efficiency, precision and readability. This is why it is necessary to select software that can effectively support you in this essential step.

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Among the points of vigilance to keep in mind before choosing your CSRD tool:

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• Ensure that the platform can assist you in consulting your stakeholders (sending questionnaires, modifying or creating new models, weighing the influence of each stakeholder, etc.)

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• Verify that the software offers a complete series of functionalities relating to the description and scoring of IROs (possibility of adding new IROs for each challenge, platform that offers personalized IROs, software that makes it possible to carry out the scoring based on the evaluation criteria defined by the ESRS, existence of a space on the platform to justify the IROs rating etc.)

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• Make sure that the CSRD platform makes it possible to generate a double materiality matrix based on your IRO rating and your materiality threshold, and ensure that this matrix is exportable!

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A CSRD software that carries out your gap analysis.

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What is “gap analysis” (or gap analysis)? This is what will allow your company to compare the information it already has or has already published with the data points (or data points) that it will have to publish in its sustainability report. To find your way around and simplify the exercise, it is therefore essential that your CSRD software has a space devoted to this gap analysis. Thanks to this dedicated space, you will be able to see how much work you still have to do and more easily identify the information to prioritize.

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It is important to ensure that your CSRD software allows you to select the data points that apply to your business, but also to select the information you already have. This way you will be able to visualize at a glance all the data about which you do not yet have information and which you still need to collect.

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In addition, following your double materiality analysis, the platform must be able to automatically integrate the issues qualified as material as well as the list of data points required for each publication requirement (also called “Disclosure Requirement” or DR) that concerns you.

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CSRD software that helps you collect your data effectively.

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Data collection is an essential issue in building your sustainability report. You will have to set up an important network of contributors to collect this data, consolidate it and then validate it. Especially since these data can be qualitative as well as quantitative. In concrete terms, this step can be very time-consuming: depending on the result of your double materiality analysis, the collection can involve more than 1100 potential data points! Hence the interest in opting for software that makes your task easier...

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To make the most informed choice possible, we recommend that you choose a powerful and effective collection tool that can set up a network of contributors and verifiers within your company or group and allows you to import large volumes of data.

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The transparency and justification of the data collected is essential in the audit process. In order to meet these requirements, you must check that your CRSD platform can import and process XLS files, import data via an API and that contributors can justify the data entered on the platform, in particular on their source by importing the corresponding files.

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Other questions may be relevant: does the software provide for multiple collection systems? What format is planned for data processing? Does it include customizable quizzes? Is it possible to carry out a differentiated collection according to subsidiaries, sites, etc.? Does the software offer a dashboard for all users? Is it possible to name contributors and/or verifiers for each data to be collected? etc.

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CSRD software that makes it easy to write your sustainability report.

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When it comes to writing the sustainability report, it is important to analyze the various functionalities offered by the various CSRD platforms.

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For example:

• Is it possible to write the report directly on the platform?
• What assistance does the platform offer in writing the sustainability report?
• Is it possible to automatically insert the data collected for each data point into the sustainability report?
• Does the CSRD software have access to regulatory texts to allow you to verify disclosure requirements (DR) during writing?
• Can you find the history of all the versions of your editorial staff and restore a previous version?

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Among the functionalities, some platforms allow you to save precious time, especially on the “narrative” part. This can be done through AI, which automatically offers you content written for each DR based on the data collected. Some CSRD software also offers methodological guides, examples, and templates to help you write your report. That can be a real plus!

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A CSRD software capable of exporting your report in the correct iXBRL format

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In order for your sustainability report to be read by a machine, CSRD requires you to export it with XBRL digital markup. It is therefore important to check that the CSRD platform you are going to select provides for this export format. This will avoid equipping yourself with an additional digital tool capable of managing this specific format.

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CSRD software that makes it easy to audit your sustainability report.

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As a reminder, your sustainability report will be audited. Passing the sustainability report audit is a big challenge for companies: regulatory format to respect, the need for total transparency on the sourcing of your data and the processes that led you to publish this data, etc.

All this implies that you must be able to justify the presence, or not, of each of your data. For this, the platform can really facilitate your work. It will allow you to centralize in a single tool all the data reported and sources, your justifications etc.

Finally, on a more practical level, you must ensure that your CSRD software allows your auditor to audit you correctly. For this:

• The publisher of the platform must be able to give access to the platform to the auditor.
• The auditor must be able to visualize your entire project on the CSRS platform.
• The auditor must be able to have access to all the files imported when building your report, to the history of the collection of your data, to the history of the writing of the report.

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A CSRD software that meets the expectations of the ESRS E1 “Climate Change”

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The ESRS E1 is the ESRS that indicates to companies the quantitative and qualitative information that they will have to publish concerning the climate issue.

Among the many pieces of information expected under CSRD, a lot is carbon-related data or qualitative information related to the company's decarbonization strategy. For this reason in particular, it is important that the CSRD software that you choose to draw up your sustainability report also has a carbon module that can respond to the information expected in the ESRS E1. Among this information to be reported: calculation of emissions from scopes 1, 2 and 3, definition of objectives compatible with global warming limited to 1.5°C, construction of an action plan and decarbonization trajectories, compliance with the GHG Protocol, etc.

In addition, many companies are equipping themselves with carbon footprint software to also manage their carbon data. We therefore advise you to have one and the same tool, which will save you time and increase efficiency. If you choose a carbon software that is different from your CSRD software, make sure that it can automatically receive and integrate the data calculated by your carbon footprint software.

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Discover our guide: How to select your carbon solution at the time of CSRD

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Opt for a CSRD solution combining ease of use, support and training.

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Beyond the functionalities detailed above relating to the functionalities of the software itself, it should be remembered that a good CSRD platform is an easy platform to learn and use!

All the key stages of compliance, whether double materiality analysis, data collection, sustainability report writing or audit, will involve many contributors and stakeholders, within your company itself but also externally. This is why the CSRD platform you are going to choose must be simple to use: it is really a prerequisite for guaranteeing effective and reliable reporting.

To make sure of this, you can watch, in particular via demos, how the platform is built: does it allow you to get to the point? does it offer resources to support and guide you?

To use the tool well and gain autonomy, it is imperative that your teams can be trained in order to be able to take control of it. Before you start, check what is planned at this level. It may be interesting for the publisher to take care of the configuration of the CSRD software, this will ensure the proper functioning of the platform from the beginning and throughout the project! Some CSRD platforms offer expert training on the subject to increase skills on these subjects, it may be interesting to see what is offered.

It is also essential that assistance be set up by the software publisher to answer your questions. Finally, make sure that technical support is set up by the publisher and available at all times for your teams.

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Verify that your CSRD software guarantees the security of your data.

This is a very important element to consider when choosing CSRD software.

Many teams will be involved in the CSRD journey and the data collected is sometimes sensitive. It is crucial to find out what the platforms offer you in terms of possibilities and guarantees in terms of the use of the software for each user.

To find out what measures are in place to ensure the security of your data, it is a good idea to check the following:

• Does the software publisher have certain security certifications?
• Does the publisher respect the RGPD rules in force?
• Are the servers secure? Are they located in France or in the European Union?
• What is the password policy to access the platform?
• Is SSO configuration possible?

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Choosing a CSRD software at the right and advantageous price

Since sustainability reporting is a new and complex exercise, there is a good chance that you will choose to be supported by consultants, at least initially. If you are working with a consulting firm, check that the CSRD software price offers an advantageous and appropriate pricing model for them.

As seen earlier in the article, it is best for you to select an 'all in one' carbon/CSRD software capable of providing you with the numerous carbon data expected in the ESRS E1 “Climate Change”. In this case, check that the selected software offers an advantageous price model that allows you to benefit from both modules, CSRD and carbon.

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