If 2024–2025 was the period when businesses got acquainted with the concept of “sustainability reporting”, then 2026 is the year of the “multi-framework burnout crisis”.
As a global strategic partner of GRI, VietESG has seen many ESG departments at large companies fall into the same trap: staff working at 200% capacity just to “rework” one body of data into 3–4 different report versions to satisfy different parties: GRI for international customers, IFRS (ISSB) for financial institutions, and ESRS if they are part of a supply chain into Europe.
This situation not only wastes 50% of resources but also opens up the biggest risk of all: data inconsistency — a fatal gap that exposes businesses to accusations of “greenwashing”.
💡 A cautionary lesson: When data “clashes” across frameworks
Consider a real example that VietESG experts helped resolve for a large FDI textile and garment company in Vietnam:
When reporting under GRI 302 (Energy), the company proudly disclosed that it had cut electricity consumption by 15% by installing a rooftop solar ecosystem. This figure was entirely accurate from the impact-management perspective of GRI.
However, when its European partner asked for explanations under ESRS E1 (Climate Change) and IFRS S2, the company immediately “fell off its horse”. Why? IFRS and ESRS are very strict about financial materiality. They require the company to demonstrate: How does the investment cost of this solar system affect long-term cash flow? What are the financial risks if baseline electricity pricing policy changes?
Because the two teams (the ESG department working to GRI and the Finance department working to IFRS) operated independently, the figures for “abatement costs” in the two reports differed significantly due to different depreciation methods. The result: the company was flagged by an international audit firm, and the process of obtaining its “Green Passport” for export was put on hold.
Lesson learned: Multi-framework reporting is not about translating one report into several different standard “languages”. It is about building a “Central Data Pool” capable of breaking down data and simultaneously meeting the logic of each framework.
🔮 3 forecasts shaping the ESG market in the second half of 2026
From the expert perspective of VietESG, the ESG landscape in the coming months will pivot around 3 mandatory trends:
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The rise of Double Materiality: This concept is no longer optional. Businesses must report both their impacts on the environment (GRI) and the reverse impacts of the environment on their own finances (IFRS).
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The “extinction” of manual data reporting: The carbon tax (CBAM) and EU anti-deforestation regulations are tightening. Any data sitting in scattered Excel files, of unclear origin or without internal control procedures, will be flatly rejected by international audit firms.
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The hunger for “know-it-all” ESG professionals: The market no longer needs staff who can only read GRI documents translated into Vietnamese. Businesses are willing to pay very high remuneration for professionals who can design integrated data architectures (GRI + IFRS + ESRS).
🎯 Strategic recommendations from VietESG for Businesses & Professionals
To avoid being crushed in the 2026 multi-framework race, we recommend that you take the following 3 steps immediately:
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Step 1: Build a data interoperability map (Mapping): Before collecting data, place the GRI, IFRS S1/S2 and ESRS indicators on a single grid to find the “overlap zone”. For example, Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions are a core area required by all 3 frameworks — this is where you must standardise data first.
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Step 2: Shift from “collecting data” to “governing data”: Digitalise. Only an automated management system can help you synchronise data in real time and be ready to publish in any reporting format your partners require with just a few clicks.
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Step 3: Invest in your people’s hands-on capabilities: Do not send staff to purely theoretical courses. Certification from a GRI Global Partner such as VietESG guarantees that your staff are trained directly on real-world case studies and master the mindset of designing multi-framework data pools.
Closing words from VietESG Experts: Multiple standard frameworks are a source of pressure, but for businesses and professionals who get ahead of the curve, they are a natural filter that eliminates weaker competitors. Having a multi-framework mindset in 2026 means holding the master key to unlock every stream of international green capital.
