The European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) represents a significant shift in the landscape of sustainability reporting on a global scale due to its ex-traterritorial scope. The extensive set of datapoints required by the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), combined with the mandatory limited assurance require-ments, among other requirements, mark a major turning point from previous practices in this domain.
This master’s thesis examines the possible impacts of the CSRD on Swiss companies, con-tributing to the sociology of organizations’ literature. Through a review of the literature and the conduct of 20 semi-structured interviews among consultants and persons working within Swiss companies affected by the directive, insights were gained into the challenges faced and opportunities offered by the CSRD implementation within companies. Data col-lection and management, as well as resources, tend to be considered the main challenges, followed by legal requirements and value chain challenges. The interviews revealed a diver-gence of opinion about the potential benefits of the directive. Some view the directive as an opportunity to enhance their legitimacy by improving or reinforcing their reputation. Others, however, perceive it as a potential reputational risk.
The analysis of the interviews demonstrates a potentially transformative impact of the CSRD, as it encourages certain Swiss companies to implement internal changes and alter internal dynamics. In the case of sustainability reporting, the findings of this master’s thesis demonstrate that legal frameworks can significantly influence the evolution of companies’ practices and internal dynamics. As highlighted by the interviews, the directive has the po-tential to alter internal power dynamics within certain Swiss companies, facilitating sustain-ability reporting and simplifying decision-making processes relating to ESG reporting.
Through the lens of the neo-institutional and legitimacy theory, the findings of this research indicate that Swiss companies display a range of responses to institutional pressure. The interviews revealed that the way Swiss firms implement the directive varies according to their available resources, the disparate pressures exerted by economic and social stakehold-ers, and the willingness to strengthen their license to operate.
