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Operational intelligence
Why ESG and operational data must converge to create a strategic advantage. By Chris Jones
For many brands, ESG has lived on the periphery, managed through periodic questionnaires, spreadsheets, and retrospective reports. That era is over. We are now witnessing a structural shift from reporting to evidence, and from isolated sustainability data to integrated operational capability. That separation is now a direct commercial risk. The brands with the best chance of navigating what comes next will be those that combine ESG and operational data into a single, trusted backbone that supports regulatory compliance, day-to-day decision-making, and emerging AI use cases simultaneously.
Evidence first, not reporting later
Across Europe, the UK, and the US, the direction of travel is clear: regulators are no longer interested in high-level declarations but instead want proof upfront.
Frameworks such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive( CSRD), the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation( ESPR), Digital Product Passports( DPPs), Extended Producer Responsibility( EPR), and emerging due-diligence requirements are converging on a common principle that claims must be verifiable at product, material, process or batch, and supplier or facility level.
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