As more governments mandate sustainability reporting, organizations face growing pressure to improve how they track, manage, and communicate their sustainability targets, governance, strategy, and risk management.
The pressure is further compounded by investors’ increasing focus on companies’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance—85% of chief investment officers say they factor in organizations’ ESG performance when making investment decisions.
But navigating the regulatory landscape isn’t easy. Even experienced teams can find the process daunting when done manually. Purpose-built sustainability reporting compliance tools can ease the burden by automating gap analysis and disclosure benchmarking.
Here, we’ll explore common compliance challenges, how AI can help, and what to look for in the right platform.
Common sustainability reporting compliance challenges
To meet today’s sustainability regulatory requirements, sustainability consultants and in-house teams must stay aligned with evolving rules, consolidate data from multiple sources, determine whether the information meets their reporting frameworks’ obligations, and close any gaps. Oftentimes, this is a very manual, time-consuming and complex process that can overwhelm even the most experienced sustainability teams.
Here’s a closer look at these challenges and why they can create friction for organizations:
Keeping up with evolving sustainability reporting standards & regulations
Sustainability standards and regulations are constantly evolving as governments and industry stakeholders respond to shifting political, environmental, and social expectations. For organizations, especially those operating across jurisdictions, keeping up with what’s required can feel like a moving target, adding uncertainty to sustainability planning.
Falling behind doesn’t just risk non-compliance penalties. It can also mean missed funding or partnership opportunities as investors place more weight on sustainability performance.
Collecting and managing data
Sustainability compliance requires input from multiple departments: HR, logistics, supply chain operations, and external partnerships. But with data spread across so many systems and formats, collecting and standardizing is no small task.
This fragmentation makes it difficult to produce a clear, report-ready view of sustainability performance. It also increases the risk of inaccuracies or omissions, which can undermine reporting quality and expose organizations to greenwashing claims and reputational harm.
Time-consuming reporting processes
Manually compiling data from various departments and systems can take weeks or even months, especially when the required data can vary across reporting standards. This slows down compliance efforts while diverting attention away from higher-value, strategic work.
Manual processes are also prone to errors and inconsistencies, often resulting in incomplete or shallow reports that can negatively impact an organization’s credibility.
Fragmented sustainability frameworks
Organizations are often required to comply with multiple frameworks, from global standards like those issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) to region-specific regulations such as California’s Climate Laws (e.g. SB 261). While some requirements overlap, many demand different levels of detail, making it difficult to stay aligned, especially without automation.
How sustainability reporting compliance tools overcome these challenges
Sustainability compliance tools address these challenges by automating compliance checks, centralizing sustainability information and delivering actionable insights. They reduce the manual workload for sustainability teams and help minimize the risk of inaccuracies or reporting gaps—both of which are essential for strengthening sustainability efforts.
Analyzing sustainability reports
Sustainability compliance platforms evaluate company reports against ESG regulations and voluntary reporting standards). This eliminates the need for manual analyses, freeing ESG teams to focus on higher-value work.
Centralizing sustainability information
Sustainability platforms consolidate fragmented ESG data into a single, centralized repository, eliminating the need to navigate multiple systems and spreadsheets. This not only streamlines day-to-day work for sustainability teams but also reduces inconsistencies, simplifies analysis, and helps protect the credibility of an organization’s sustainability reports.
Automating framework mapping
Some reporting compliance tools include built-in framework mapping engines. For example, some use AI to tag sustainability information to required sustainability reporting datapoints. This makes it easy for organizations to align their sustainability efforts with different reporting requirements.
Conducting gap analysis
Sustainability tools help teams conduct gap analyses by comparing company data and existing disclosures against multiple sustainability standards and regulations. They surface missing information and can even recommend steps to bridge compliance gaps, saving time and reducing manual effort across the reporting process.
Benchmarking performance across peers and competitors
In competitive markets, organizations need clear ways to differentiate themselves. Benchmarking tools with sustainability compliance platforms support this by comparing current disclosures against peers, industry norms, or past performance.
These insights help teams set meaningful targets and track progress over time, driving more informed decision-making and supporting long-term sustainable development.
7 top sustainability compliance solutions
With so many sustainability compliance tools on the market, finding the right fit for your organization can take time. To help narrow your search, here are seven leading platforms worth considering:
1. Manifest Climate
Manifest Climate is an AI-powered sustainability intelligence platform built to streamline reporting compliance and sustainability research. It helps organizations assess disclosures, supply chains, and portfolios to identify risks, spot opportunities, and close compliance gaps—strengthening performance while meeting evolving stakeholder expectations.
The platform supports a wide range of industries. For example, a leading technology company used Manifest Climate to stay aligned with disclosure trends and build a climate action plan to support CSRD compliance. SCI, a funeral and death care provider, also used Manifest Climate to save time, stay on top of reporting changes, keep its team focused, and maintain effective communication with its stakeholders.
Features
- AI-driven gap analysis: Compares existing disclosures against leading frameworks, including CSRD and ISSB.
- Centralized data repository: Consolidates fragmented data across internal and public sources into one searchable location.
- Benchmarking tools: Evaluate disclosures and performance across 1,200+ ESG topics, past performance, and peer comparisons.
Manifest Climate stands out for its comprehensive coverage of both global and regional sustainability reporting standards. The platform combines enterprise-grade security, expert-vetted datasets, and strategic insights that go beyond compliance, helping organizations drive real impact.
Try Manifest Compliance today to streamline reporting and reduce your risk.
2. EcoVadis
EcoVadis is a sustainability ratings platform that also supports supply chain ESG assessments, helping businesses make informed, responsible sourcing decisions.
It’s well-suited for large organizations seeking insight into their suppliers’ ESG compliance to drive sourcing and procurement sustainability.
Features
- Comprehensive sustainability assessments: Offers scorecards across environment and carbon dioxide, ethics, labor and human rights, and sustainable procurement.
- Action plans: Recommends corrective measures to guide supplier improvements.
- Collaborative dashboard: Provides a centralized platform for suppliers and customers to exchange sustainability performance information.
3. Novisto
Novisto is an end-to-end ESG platform designed to streamline disclosures and help organizations make better decisions through investor-grade ESG data and performance analytics. It may be ideal for public companies and large private corporations seeking comprehensive ESG program management.
Features
- Centralized data: Provides a single data repository to streamline reporting and analysis.
- Collaborative workflows: Offers unlimited user seats and role-based access to support seamless ESG information-sharing across departments.
- Benchmark reporting: Delivers actionable peer comparisons.
- Regulatory monitoring: Works with ESG analysts to align its data taxonomy with evolving ESG disclosures.
4. Greenomy
Greenomy is an AI-powered ESG regulation compliance platform designed primarily for finance-focused organizations in the European market. It may be a strong fit for banks or asset managers that need to comply with European Union standards such as the EU Taxonomy and CSRD.
Features
- Real-time regulatory monitoring: Tracks regulation updates across the EU.
- AI-powered reporting assistance: Uses AI to break down complex frameworks for seamless reporting.
- ESG Data Library: Consolidates raw ESG data in a single centralized location.
- Expert ESG advisory: Offers professional sustainability reporting support through its in-house team.
5. Tracera
Tracera is an ESG and supply chain traceability platform designed to support carbon footprinting and chain of custody transparency. It may be an ideal solution for organizations seeking to monitor the sustainability of their supply chains.
Features
- Reporting support: Provides audit-ready reports for multiple sustainability disclosures, including CSRD and SASB.
- AI-powered data management: Automates data collection from various sources.
- Supplier portal: Streamlines the collection of supplier information through a dedicated portal.
- Emissions factors matching: Uses machine learning to match factors from EEIO and EcoInvent for improved data accuracy.
6. Ecodesk
Ecodesk is an open, cloud-based platform that helps companies centralize key non-financial metrics and provides tools to support supply chain analysis.
It may be well-suited for enterprises with large, complex supply chains that require scalable ESG data management, such as businesses in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries.
Features
- Central ESG data center: Serves as a single repository for ESG documents.
- Supplier scorecards: Offers self-assessment questionnaires to help suppliers submit ESG data.
- Visual dashboards: Streamlines the evaluation of supplier ESG performance.
7. Sweep
Sweep is a climate-focused sustainability data platform that helps with emissions tracking and scenario modeling. It may be a good fit for organizations prioritizing environmental sustainability or working toward emissions targets to help mitigate climate change.
Features
- Automated emissions tracking: Pulls data from multiple sources, including utilities and supplier reports, to support Scope 1, 2, and 3 tracking.
- Centralized data repository: Creates a single source of truth for all ESG data.
- Real-time dashboards: Displays live compliance progress reports.
- Scenario modeling tools: Helps organizations explore the potential outcomes of different sustainability initiatives.
How to compare sustainability reporting compliance solutions
Finding the right compliance solution starts with understanding your organization’s unique needs and matching those needs to the right set of features. For example, if you rely on multiple systems and struggle to compile ESG data, a centralized data repository should be a top priority.
Beyond feature checklists, keep these key evaluation criteria in mind:
- Specialization: Generic platforms often lack the automation and precision needed for sustainability reporting. Look for a dedicated tool built specifically for ESG compliance to reduce risk and uncover deeper insights.
- Ease of use: An intuitive interface encourages adoption across teams and simplifies reporting workflows.
- Framework coverage: Ensure the platform aligns with the ESG standards relevant to your organization.
- Scalability and future-readiness: Your tool should adapt to changing regulations and support your sustainability goals as they evolve.
- Automation: Choose a solution that minimizes manual effort and streamlines repetitive tasks.
- Data accuracy: Confirm that the tool pulls from reliable sources and consolidates data effectively.
- Data security and privacy: Look for enterprise-grade safeguards to protect sensitive information and your organization’s reputation.
- Integration capabilities: Make sure the platform works with your existing data sources and reporting systems.
- Value beyond sustainability reporting: The right tool should surface actionable risk and opportunity insights—not just compliance checkboxes—to help inform long-term planning.
Turn complexity into clarity with Manifest Climate
Compliance tools can significantly reduce manual work for ESG teams and help organizations stay aligned as sustainability standards evolve. But getting real value depends on choosing the right solution. Before making a decision, consider your organization’s specific needs, along with factors like framework coverage, automation capabilities, security, ease of use, and scalability.
Manifest Climate is a data-driven platform built by ESG experts to help enterprises navigate the complexities of sustainability compliance. By combining automated data collection, gap analysis, benchmarking, and expert insights, our solution streamlines ESG reporting and accelerates progress toward your sustainability goals.
Schedule a demo today to see how Manifest Climate AI can support your compliance journey!
