Most explainers on this topic — including Google's own AI Overview — describe GRI, SASB, and TCFD as three parallel, currently-available reporting options. That's no longer accurate. TCFD was disbanded in 2023. SASB stopped operating as an independent standard-setter in 2022. And CSRD, the EU's mandatory regime, was cut by roughly 80% in scope and had its underlying standards rewritten as of mid-2026.
If you're choosing a framework — or trying to understand what your company is already required to report under — the status of each one matters as much as its definition. Here's where things actually stand.
Quick Reference
| Framework | Who it's for | What it measures | Reporting frequency | Who requires it | Status as of August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRI | Any organization, public or private, of any size | Broad economic, environmental, and social impacts | Annual | Voluntary globally; referenced by some national regulations | Active and independent |
| SASB | Public companies, industry-by-industry | Financially material ESG issues specific to each of 77 industries | Annual | Voluntary; incorporated into IFRS S1 industry guidance | Retired as a standalone body (2022) — absorbed into the ISSB |
| TCFD | Public companies and investors | Climate-related governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics | Annual | Formerly voluntary/quasi-mandatory in some jurisdictions (e.g., UK) | Disbanded (2023) — recommendations folded into IFRS S2 |
| CSRD | Large companies operating in the EU (1,000+ employees, €450M+ turnover) and qualifying non-EU groups | Full "double materiality" ESG impact and risk disclosure | Annual | Mandatory under EU law | Scope cut ~80% via the Omnibus I package; Wave 2 reporters pushed to FY2027 |
| ESRS | Any company in CSRD's scope | The detailed disclosure standards that CSRD reporting must follow | Annual | Mandatory alongside CSRD | Revised July 2026 — 61% fewer mandatory datapoints, effective FY2027 |
GRI — Global Reporting Initiative
What it is: The oldest and most widely adopted sustainability reporting standard, first published in 2000. GRI Standards are maintained by the independent Global Sustainability Standards Board.
Who it's for: Any organization — public, private, nonprofit, of any size or sector — that wants to report its impact on the economy, environment, and people.
What it measures: A broad "impact materiality" view: how the organization affects the world, not just how ESG issues affect its finances. Covers emissions, labor practices, human rights, anti-corruption, waste, and dozens of other topics through modular, industry-specific standards.
Reporting frequency: Annual.
Who requires it: Nobody, globally — GRI is voluntary. But it's the most commonly used framework in practice; several national disclosure rules (including parts of CSRD) reference GRI-compatible disclosures, and it remains the default choice for companies reporting for the first time.
Status: Active and independent. GRI has not been consolidated into any other body and continues to publish updated sector standards.
SASB — Sustainability Accounting Standards Board
What it is: Industry-specific standards, launched in 2011, focused narrowly on ESG issues that are financially material — i.e., likely to affect enterprise value — rather than GRI's broader impact lens.
Who it's for: Public companies communicating with investors, organized into 77 industry-specific standards.
What it measures: A tight set of metrics per industry (e.g., water use for beverage companies, data security for tech companies) rather than a universal checklist.
Reporting frequency: Annual, typically alongside financial filings.
Who requires it: Nobody directly, but SASB metrics are widely used as investor-facing supplements and are now embedded in ISSB guidance.
Status: SASB stopped operating as a standalone standard-setter in August 2022, when the IFRS Foundation completed its consolidation of the Value Reporting Foundation (which had merged SASB with the International Integrated Reporting Council). SASB Standards still exist and are actively used — but as industry-specific guidance under the ISSB's IFRS S1, not as an independently maintained framework.
TCFD — Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures
What it is: A 2017 framework from the Financial Stability Board recommending how companies disclose climate-related financial risk across governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics/targets.
Who it's for: Public companies and financial institutions, particularly those with investor pressure around climate risk.
What it measures: Climate risk exposure and governance — not broader ESG topics.
Reporting frequency: Annual.
Who requires it: Historically quasi-mandatory in some jurisdictions (the UK required TCFD-aligned reporting for large companies starting 2022). Its content now lives inside IFRS S2.
Status: TCFD was formally disbanded in October 2023. The Financial Stability Board declared its work complete after the ISSB's IFRS S2 fully incorporated its recommendations, and handed ongoing monitoring of companies' climate disclosures to the IFRS Foundation starting in 2024. Companies still describing their reporting as "TCFD-aligned" are, in practice, following what's now IFRS S2.
CSRD — Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
What it is: The EU's binding sustainability reporting law (Directive (EU) 2022/2464), which replaced the earlier Non-Financial Reporting Directive and dramatically expanded the number of companies required to report.
Who it's for: Large companies operating in the EU and non-EU groups with significant EU revenue.
What it measures: "Double materiality" — both how sustainability issues affect the company financially, and how the company affects people and the environment — reported against the ESRS standards below.
Reporting frequency: Annual.
Who requires it: Mandatory under EU law for companies in scope.
Status: Significantly narrowed in 2026. The "Omnibus I" simplification package was adopted by the EU Council on 24 February 2026, published in the Official Journal as Directive (EU) 2026/470, and entered into force on 18 March 2026. It raised the qualifying threshold to 1,000+ employees and €450M+ net turnover — cutting the number of in-scope companies by an estimated 80% — and delayed "Wave 2" companies' first reports by two years, to cover FY2027 (due 2028). Member states may also grant temporary exemptions through 2026 for companies that fall out of scope under the new thresholds.
ESRS — European Sustainability Reporting Standards
What it is: The detailed disclosure standards that give CSRD its actual reporting requirements — comparable to how ESRS is to CSRD what specific line items are to a tax code.
Who it's for: Every company within CSRD's scope.
What it measures: Cross-cutting and topical standards covering climate, pollution, water, biodiversity, workforce, communities, consumers, and business conduct, originally set out in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772.
Reporting frequency: Annual, aligned with CSRD.
Who requires it: Mandatory for any company reporting under CSRD.
Status: Substantially revised in 2026. Following EFRAG's exposure drafts (July 2025) and final technical advice (December 2025), the European Commission published a draft delegated act in May 2026 and adopted the revised ESRS on 3 July 2026. The rewrite cuts mandatory datapoints by 61% and adds new relief and phase-in mechanisms. Companies in CSRD's scope must apply the revised ESRS for financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2027; early adoption in 2026 is permitted.
What Changed in 2026, in One Paragraph
The EU spent early-to-mid 2026 substantially shrinking its sustainability reporting regime: fewer companies are in scope (roughly 1,000+ employees and €450M+ turnover, down from far lower thresholds), the companies still in scope have two extra years before their first report is due, and the standards they'll eventually report against require 61% fewer mandatory datapoints than the original 2023 version. Meanwhile, two of the "big three" voluntary frameworks that dominate older comparison content — SASB and TCFD — no longer exist as independent bodies; both were absorbed into the ISSB's IFRS S1/S2 standards between 2022 and 2024. GRI is the only framework on this list that's both voluntary and unchanged in structure.
Which One Actually Applies to You
- You're a large EU company or a non-EU company with significant EU revenue: CSRD is likely mandatory, reported against the (revised) ESRS. Confirm your employee count and turnover against the new 1,000/€450M thresholds — you may have just fallen out of scope.
- You're a US or globally listed public company with investor pressure: Voluntary disclosure aligned with IFRS S1/S2 (which absorbed SASB and TCFD) is the current default, not standalone SASB or TCFD reporting.
- You're a private company or reporting for the first time: GRI remains the broadest, most widely adopted starting point and isn't tied to a specific jurisdiction's mandate.
- You're already reporting under an older framework: If your disclosures still reference "SASB" or "TCFD" by name, note internally that you're actually following ISSB-consolidated guidance — the source documents changed even if the metrics look similar.
Sources
- IFRS Foundation — Foundation welcomes culmination of TCFD work and transfer of monitoring responsibilities
- IFRS Foundation — ISSB and TCFD
- Proskauer — TCFD Is Dead, Long Live ISSB
- financialregulations.eu — EU Omnibus Package 2026: CSRD Scope Reduced by 80%
- Coolset — CSRD under Omnibus: updated scope, timelines, and what companies should do in 2026
- Deloitte Heads Up — European Sustainability Reporting: Omnibus Legislative Developments and Revised ESRS
- Generation Impact Global — Revised ESRS 2026: draft delegated act for simplified sustainability reporting
- TechTarget — 10 Top ESG Reporting Frameworks Explained and Compared
Salish Sea Consulting helps organizations navigate ESG disclosure requirements — from choosing the right framework to building reporting systems that hold up under scrutiny. If you're trying to figure out what applies to you, let's talk.