Practitioners Call for Better EU Regulation and Implementation

European CSO Network to Present New Paper at European Sustainable Industry Summit in Mechelen, Belgium this June 2025.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, June 12, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The European Chief Sustainability Officers (CSO) Network, convened by CSR Europe, will unveil its latest paper, “Practitioners’ Views on Better Regulation for stronger Implementation”, at the upcoming European Sustainable Industry Summit, taking place on 24–25 June 2025 at the Lamot Conference Centre in Mechelen, Belgium.

The paper reflects the collective voice of senior sustainability leaders across Europe and puts forward actionable recommendations to improve the design, coherence, and implementation of EU sustainability regulation. Based on in-depth consultations, it offers a pragmatic view of what’s working—and what is not—on the ground.

“While regulations can be perceived by companies as real benefits to accelerate and materialise their Sustainability strategies, the many difficulties in their design, implementation and the lack of supporting incentives need to be urgently addressed. This will furthermore enhance acceptance by companies” said Stefan Crets, executive director at CSR Europe.

EU sustainability legislation plays a vital role in setting a long-term direction for companies, helping them strengthen risk management, improve supply chain transparency, and meet growing customer and investor expectations. However, these advantages risk being overshadowed by operational burdens and excessive complexity, if implementation gaps are not addressed.

From Compliance to Innovation and Incentives:

The paper calls for a shift away from fragmented, compliance-heavy policy towards a regulatory environment that enables business to lead. Sustainability professionals warn that growing complexity, overlapping requirements, and insufficient support mechanisms are undermining effective action—and draining critical resources that could be invested in innovation.

To respond, the European CSO Network proposes five guiding principles for smarter, more enabling EU-policy:

• Simplification – Streamline requirements to reduce regulatory fatigue and improve execution
• Alignment – Ensure coherence across EU frameworks and consistency with global standards
• Engagement – Institutionalise meaningful dialogue between policymakers and practitioners
• Incentives – Provide market-based drivers, fiscal levers, and recognition mechanisms
• Enabling Environment – Support capacity building and cross-sector collaboration

These principles are applied to concrete recommendations across key regulatory areas including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), EU Taxonomy, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Green Claims Directive, and Public Procurement.

“The integration of sustainability and economic performance is paramount”, said Filippo Bettini, Chair of the Board of Directors at CSR Europe “Sustainable practices must be understood as encompassing both rigorous compliance and substantial value generation. A failure to achieve this synergy will ultimately undermine the viability of sustainability efforts.”

The paper outlines the conditions needed to foster a co-learning culture between practitioners and policymakers, ensuring that legislation is grounded in real-world business experience and contribute to more effective, supportive environments for economic growth and societal well-being.

About the European CSO Network:

Launched by CSR Europe in July 2024, the European CSO Network brings together Chief Sustainability Officers from leading companies across sectors. It is the only pan-European platform focused on connecting corporate sustainability leaders with EU institutions to improve the practical implementation of EU legislation and co-develop forward-looking policy solutions.

The Practitioners’ Views on Better EU Regulation paper will be released publicly during the first day of the European Sustainable Industry Summit on 24 June 2025.

To request a copy of the paper or to schedule an interview, please contact:

• Morris Massarutto Project Manager – EU Affairs, CSR Europe - mm@csreurope.org
• Jan Noterdaeme Co-Founder & Senior Advisor, CSR Europe - jn@csreurope.org

Morris Massarutto
CSR Europe
mm@csreurope.org
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn