Software solutions for ESG reporting using the example of Lucanet

published on 24 March 2025 | reading time approx. 4 minutes

The pending national implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in Germany and the publication of the first Omnibus package are currently leading to a certain degree of legal uncertainty. Irrespective of this, the increasing regulatory requirements in the areas of “environmental”, “social” and “governance” (ESG) require the systematic and structured collection and preparation of sustainability-related data. The associated challenges, in particular the complexity of data collection and processing, make the use of software solutions increasingly indispensable.

The European Union (EU) introduced the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) back in 2014 to strengthen sustainability reporting. To ensure comprehensive and comparable sus-tainability reporting, the NFRD was replaced in 2023 by the CSRD with clearly defined dis-closure requirements. Starting with the 2024 reporting period, a growing number of compa-nies will be required to prepare sustainability reports under current legislation. This report-ing requirements and the associated extensive and complex data collection and processing suggest the use of specialized software solutions - especially in the area of ESG reporting.

Software solutions as support for complex ESG data collection

Reporting software solutions offer valuable support by helping companies to efficiently collect, analyze and transparently disclose large volumes of (ESG) data.

The general benefits and functionalities of the software solutions include:

Automated data collection, processing and aggregation, reducing manual errors;
Uniform and standardized data formats to ensure comparability;
Integration of reporting standards and regulatory requirements;
Simplification of materiality analysis through structured processes;
Support for the calculation of ESG key figures, such as CO2 emissions;
Option to connect source systems and import data from various formats

Lucanet ESG module

Lucanet is an experienced provider of software solutions for financial reporting and control-ling and has developed its ESG module specifically to support sustainability reporting. With years of experience in financial reporting, Lucanet offers a reliable and efficient solution for companies that now also have to face the challenges of ESG reporting.

The Lucanet ESG module is characterized by the following functionalities:

Complete mapping of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) data points (qualitative/quantitative) with exclusion function for data points that are not considered material
Calculation module for CO2 emissions (Scope 1-3)
Compliance with legal regulations through regular updates in accordance with global and national requirements
Simplification of data collection and processing through automation
Data collection and aggregation for different organizational structures and legal entities within the company
Support for ESEF/XBRL tagging
Data import from other file formats (e.g. Excel)
Report export to PDF, Word, Excel
Option to connect source systems
Option to transfer data to the next reporting year (roll-forward function)
Comment function
User-friendly interface for simplified handling

The combination of comprehensive functions, ease of use and high flexibility makes the Lucanet ESG module an efficient solution for corporate ESG reporting.

Conclusion

The increasing requirements of the CSRD make structured and efficient ESG reporting essential. Companies are faced with the challenge of collecting, processing and transparently presenting complex ESG data. A suitable software solution such as the Lucanet ESG module can make a significant contribution to simplification and automation. In order to meet the growing regulatory requirements and establish sustainable reporting processes in the long term, companies should also rely on a specialized ESG software solution for reasons of efficiency.