Article

ESRS - Automatic XBRL tagging

Requirements

‍

CSRD Digital Tagging Requirement
CSRD requires sustainability statements to be digitally tagged. A tag is a digital signifier of information, allowing the report to be machine-readable and specifying every data point with a unique signifier. EFRAG has released the tags to be used when tagging the reports.

  • There are 13,480 unique tags in the released taxonomy.
  • A tag is typically applied to multiple data points. On average, a tag appears 4.2 times in a report.
  • If all tags are used, a report will receive 57,096 digital tags.

‍

Example Tags
All data points on the transition plan need the following tag:

  • esrs:DisclosureOfTransitionPlanForClimateChangeMitigationExplanatory

Information on decarbonation efforts requires these tags:

  • esrs:DisclosureOfTransitionPlanForClimateChangeMitigationExplanatory
  • esrs:ExplanationOfDecarbonisationLeversIdentifiedAndKeyActionsPlannedExplanatory

Other examples of tags include:

  • esrs:ThirdpartyStandardOfConductUsedInPolicyEncouragesStepwiseApproachAndContinuousImprovementInStandardAndItsApplicationOfBetterManagementPracticesAndRequiresEstablishmentOfMeaningfulTargetsAndSpecificMilestonesToIndicateProgressAgainstPrinciplesAndCriteriaOverTime
  • esrs:DisclosureOfCurrentFinancialEffectsOfMaterialRisksAndOpportunitiesOnFinancialPositionFinancialPerformanceAndCashFlowsAndMaterialRisksAndOpportunitiesForWhichThereIsSignificantRiskOfMaterialAdjustmentWithinNextAnnualReportingPeriodToCarryingAmountsOfAssetsAndLiabilitiesReportedInRelatedFinancialStatementsExplanatory
  • esrs:DisclosureOfByWhomAndHowFrequentlyAdministrativeManagementAndSupervisoryBodiesAreInformedAboutMaterialImpactsRisksAndOpportunitiesImplementationOfDueDiligenceAndResultsAndEffectivenessOfPoliciesActionsMetricsAndTargetsAdoptedToAddressThemExplanatory

‍

Tagging Software Requirement
Reporting entities must acquire software for digital tagging. Authorities do not provide this software—it must be purchased.

‍

Types of Tagging Software

  1. Manual Tagging
    • Tags are added manually, one by one, after the report is finished.
    • Requires 500 hours of work.
  2. Automatic Tagging
    • Tags are applied automatically by a tagging tool in 5 seconds.
    • Automatic tagging is possible only if the entire report is created in software that includes all disclosure requirements from the ESRS standard and can dynamically adapt to the DMA result.

‍

Summary

  • Digital tagging is required by law.
  • Two options for tagging:
    • Manual tagging: Takes 500 hours.
    • Automatic tagging: Takes 5 seconds.

Which would you prefer?

Automatic tagging is feasible only if the report is created in software supporting automatic tagging and model documents covering all ESRS disclosure requirements.

‍

C-Tag Features

  • Offers automatic tagging and model documents covering all ESRS disclosure requirements.
  • Includes integrated functions for:
    • Data gathering
    • Project management
    • ESG data management
    • Auditing
    • Report creation

‍

Relevant Links

ESRS XBRL tags released by EFRAG

‍

Keep exploring our resources

 Create your compliance workflow

Book a demo
© 2026 Sustashift. All rights reserved.
Annankatu 16 B 44, 00120, Helsinki