Sustainability

CSRD Benchmark Study 2025: Status quo in the DAX, MDAX and SDAX

Date
27/05/2025

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) has placed sustainability reporting for companies in Europe on a new footing. Even though national implementation in Germany is still pending, it is already apparent: The majority of listed companies are making an advance effort - and providing their first sustainability reports in accordance with ESRS, which could serve as a blueprint. But where do DAX, MDAX and SDAX companies really stand? What best practices are emerging - and where is there still some catching up to do?

135 reports in focus: the CSRD benchmark from RYZE

 

RYZE Digital's latest CSRD benchmark study is the first to comprehensively analyse how companies are responding to the new requirements. The study analysed 135 sustainability reports from listed companies, published by 30 April 2025, whose financial year runs from 1 January to 31 December - from the DAX (35), MDAX (46) and SDAX (54) indices. The result: a well-founded picture of the status quo - and a valuable guide for anyone who wants to prepare their reporting strategy for CSRD requirements.

 

CSRD benchmark 2025

CSRD, ESRS and the transition phase: How are DAX, MDAX and SDAX companies already reporting today? Download the CSRD benchmark study now free of charge.

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The most important findings at a glance

This was analysed

Which framework was used?

Company-specific information: which topics are in focus?

Example: Representation of the IROs in two display modes

1 ESRS as a new standard - already a reality today

One of the key questions: How many companies are already implementing the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS)? The answer: many.

 

89% of the companies analysed already base their reporting on the ESRS - either in full or at least to a large extent. In the DAX in particular, the rate is even higher. GRI, on the other hand, is only used by 6%.

 

This shows that The new standard is accepted - in some cases even with a great willingness to change. Companies that will have to fulfil the obligation for the first time in 2027 due to the Stop-the-Clock will then be able to draw on a valuable pool of examples and experience.

2 Sustainability becomes part of the management report

The CSRD stipulates that the sustainability report will be anchored as a separate chapter in the management report in future. Many companies are already implementing this - especially in the DAX. Overall, almost two thirds of the companies analysed report in this way. The rest are divided between independent sustainability reports or integration as a chapter in the annual report outside of the management report.

 

For many SMEs and SDAX companies, this integration represents a significant change - in terms of content, technology and processes. This requires clear structures, harmonised editorial processes and tools that make the complexity manageable. RYZE provides support with disclosure management systems such as Workiva and automated editorial workflows.

3 IROs: mandatory field with strategic depth

At the heart of the ESRS are the so-called IROs - i.e. the impact of a company on the environment and society and, conversely, the financial opportunities and risks of sustainability issues for the company itself.

 

What we see in the reports: Many companies already show an astonishingly high degree of differentiation here. At the same time, it is clear that the weighting between positive and negative impacts varies greatly - sometimes in a strikingly one-sided manner. If you want to communicate strategically here, you need clarity about your own interdependencies and a solid materiality analysis.

4. material ESRS topic standards: between obligation and positioning

While climate change, employee standards and corporate governance (E1, S1, G1) are represented in almost all reports, topics such as biodiversity or affected communities remain marginalised.

 

Around a third of companies also make company-specific disclosures, e.g. on cybersecurity, product responsibility or supply chain governance. Companies that report precisely and comprehensibly here are sending out a strong signal.

 

In the webinar, our sustainability expert Jannis Benezeder exclusively presented the results of the CSRD Benchmark 2025 with many best practices and learnings. Watch the recording now and get more insights.

To the webinar recording

 

Conclusion: Reporting becomes a test of maturity

The evaluation of the first CSRD reports shows: The standard has been set, but due to a lack of a legal basis in Germany and also due to the planned omnibus regulation, the approach to the reporting obligation remains varied. The benchmark makes it clear where companies are already reporting in accordance with CSRD - for example in the application of the ESRS, integration into the management report format or the clear disclosure of IROs - and where there is uncertainty, for example in the weighting of positive versus negative impacts or the selection of relevant topics.

 

For companies reporting for the first time in 2027 in particular, this opens up an opportunity: now is the right time to align your own processes, content and formats with the best practices of the first reports. This requires a structured approach, a solid understanding of the regulatory requirements - and a clear plan on how to turn a reporting obligation into a credible, differentiating communication tool in feasible steps.

 

Our recommendation: Think of sustainability reporting as a strategic project - not as an annual to-do. RYZE supports you in this: from materiality analysis to content and design realisation through to digital, interactive report formats.

 

As a multi-award-winning reporting agency with over 25 years of experience, we know that strong reports are created where strategy, substance and story come together.

More on the topic:
Whitepaper "Strategic sustainability communication"

Many DAX 40 companies supplement their mandatory reports with independent publications that specifically address stakeholders.
Download the whitepaper now and find out more.

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