A wave of ‘legislation lethargy’ has hit organisations across the UK as the volume and intensity of sustainability reporting has increased.

New data released by facility management and transformation firm, Mitie, shows almost two in five (38%) sustainability decision makers admit to not being clear about what they need to report on, while 20% admit to the prospect of greenwashing accusations keeping them awake at night.

Almost half (46%) of respondents now report to at least three different ESG frameworks, yet over a quarter (28%) say they are not sure they are equipped to comply if legislation becomes stricter.

Furthermore, just under 60% are worried about the impact that insufficient reporting might have on their company finances including facing fines, falling profits and potential loss of shareholders.

The survey found just 13% believe the current approach to reporting works, but the majority are not in favour of a shift to sector specific reporting frameworks, or a move to one single UK and EU-wide standard.

Mitie head of data science and energy, Catherine Wheatley said reporting frameworks have ‘intensified’ over the past few years and the ‘legislation labyrinth is here to stay’.

“For sustainability leaders, this means grappling with multiple reporting frameworks, stricter multi-jurisdictional regulation, and the intense scrutiny of stakeholders who expect to see reduction targets and their progress in the public domain,” she said.

“The upside is that from the work that goes into meeting stringent reporting requirements, we can gain a wealth of actionable knowledge that can supercharge a sustainability strategy.

“Undeniably, this can be daunting when there are large datasets to analyse, but with the emergence of tools that can automatically assimilate, absorb and analyse vast amounts of data, paired with the right people who ask the right questions, we can reverse legislation lethargy. With the right partners on board, reporting is an opportunity to empower organisations to make better decisions and improve transparency around their sustainability strategy.”

Data shows the frameworks most reported to are government standards, such as the Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) and Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), while emerging standards established outside of the UK closely followed.

Almost a fifth (17%) said they plan to report to both the recently introduced International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

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