Beyond Compliance: Driving Sustainability With AI And Real Business Impact

Beyond Compliance: Driving Sustainability With AI And Real Business Impact

Sustainability is entering a new phase: one where AI, business value and integration take centre stage. In May 2025, Verdantix attended Workiva Amplify EMEA, where discussions among sustainability, finance and compliance leaders revealed how organizations are moving beyond compliance-driven approaches to sustainability. Here is what jumped out:

• Generative AI has the potential to reshape sustainability data governance and reporting.
  A key theme at the event was the transformative potential of GenAI in ESG reporting and sustainability data governance, as Workiva and its partners showcased how GenAI is enhancing sustainability management. This reflects a broader trend across the market, where vendors are increasingly leveraging GenAI to automate the creation of narrative disclosures, streamline alignment with evolving regulatory frameworks, and significantly reduce the time and effort required for report preparation. Beyond efficiency, GenAI enhances assurance readiness by identifying data anomalies, reducing manual errors and improving traceability across complex data sets. However, despite its promise, adoption remains uneven. Sustainability leaders at Workiva Amplify cited common barriers, including data security concerns, lack of internal AI expertise and uncertainty around governance frameworks for responsible AI use.

   

• Sustainability functions must prove business value, not just regulatory readiness.
  A recurring theme throughout the sessions was the imperative to shift sustainability from a compliance exercise to a core business strategy. Uncertainty surrounding the EU Omnibus Package, including proposed delays and scope reductions, has added complexity to the sustainability regulatory landscape. Leading firms are going further, positioning sustainability as a lever for risk management and long-term value creation. To keep securing budget, organizations must articulate a clear business case for sustainability, including quantifying the financial impact of sustainability initiatives, aligning sustainability KPIs with broader business objectives, and demonstrating how sustainability performance enhances investor confidence, operational efficiency and competitive positioning.

   

• Scaling carbon management is essential for integration across business units.
  Preliminary data from the 2025 Verdantix decarbonization global corporate survey highlights increasing engagement of the finance, risk and operational departments with decarbonization data, reviewing them at least every quarter. This trend underscores the need for integrated software solutions that can facilitate seamless data flow and collaboration across departments. During one of the sessions, greeting card business Moonpig, an early adopter of Workiva Carbon (Workiva’s carbon management solution) shared its implementation journey. It highlighted how it expanded from using Workiva for financial reporting to leveraging Workiva Carbon for emissions calculations and carbon data management. A key insight was that the platform allows teams from different departments to collaborate effectively, while maintaining a transparent audit trail of calculations. Looking ahead, customers indicated plans to expand their use of the platform as new capabilities are rolled out, reinforcing the solution’s potential to scale with evolving sustainability needs.

Workiva Amplify EMEA 2025 highlighted a new chapter in sustainability reporting, shaped by AI innovation, strategic integration and competitive differentiation. As sustainability becomes embedded across business functions, organizations that proactively leverage AI to foster cross-functional collaboration and ease the burden of data management and reporting will be best positioned to navigate the complexities of this rapidly evolving landscape and unlock long-term value.

To explore how organizations are harnessing AI to advance their sustainability goals – and how these use cases are rapidly evolving – take a look at: Strategic Focus: Incorporating Generative AI Into Sustainability Reporting And Data Management Decisions, Strategic Focus: Implications Of AI For The CSO and Market Insight: Nine Ways AI Will Drive Decarbonization. For more insights into the benefits and trade-offs of AI for sustainability, tune into our webinar AI For Sustainability: A Practical Guide For Leaders on June 24^th.