ESG as a new dimension of corporate responsibility
The concept of ESG has gained particular importance over the last decade, becoming one of the key measures of organizational maturity. Companies are evaluated not only in terms of profits, but also in terms of their impact on the environment, their treatment of employees and local communities, and the transparency of their management. ESG reporting is no longer the exclusive domain of large corporations—it increasingly applies to medium-sized and smaller companies as well, particularly in the context of supply chains and financing.
In practice, this means collecting, processing, and presenting large amounts of data from various sources, including energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, employee turnover, management composition, and anti-corruption policy. Traditional spreadsheets prove insufficient for this task, hence the need to use tools such as Power BI.
Integrating ESG data into Power BI – the first challenge and a key step
The basis for effective monitoring of ESG indicators is the collection of data from many, often heterogeneous sources. These can include ERP systems, HR platforms, Excel files from environmental audits, data from energy meters, or employee surveys. Power BI enables you to integrate these sources using connectors and Power Query, allowing for automatic data retrieval and updates.
In practice, it is worth designing OneLake or another shared ESG data repository that Power BI will use as a reporting layer. This model allows for the standardization of measures and metrics, as well as quick response in the event of non-compliance or exceeding thresholds. What is more, the use of Dataflows enables preliminary data transformation and validation even before the visualization stage.
Building ESG dashboards – what, how, and to whom should you report?
ESG dashboards in Microsoft Power BI should be tailored to the needs of various stakeholders – from the board of directors, through operational managers, to investors and compliance departments. Key indicators worth monitoring include:
- environment (E) – energy consumption (kWh), greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3), waste volume, water consumption;
- society (S) – employee turnover, number of training hours, diversity index, occupational safety (LTI);
- corporate governance (G) – female representation on the board, anti-corruption policies, independence of the supervisory board, regulatory compliance.
Power BI allows you to display not only current values, but also trends, interdepartmental comparisons, forecasts, and alerts for exceedances. Thanks to DAX functions, you can easily calculate CO₂ emissions per unit of product, compare energy consumption with the previous year, or convert results to full-time equivalents – making the report more readable and comparable.
ESG and data storytelling – how to convince with more than just numbers?
An ESG report is not just a set of indicators, but above all a story about how a company is changing for the better. In Power BI, it is worth using storytelling elements such as infographics, narrative tooltips, ESG initiative schedules, and geographic visualizations. This allows complex data to be translated into understandable messages.
For example, a logistics company can show how it has reduced CO₂ emissions by optimizing routes, illustrating this with a route map, a decrease in emissions, and a graph of the ROI on investments in electric vehicles. Good practices also include adding analytical comments that explain changes in the data and their strategic significance. This approach increases the engagement of the report’s audience and builds trust in the organization.
Automation, alerts, and regulatory compliance
Microsoft Power BI allows you to set alerts and notifications when specific thresholds are exceeded, such as energy consumption, employee turnover, or the number of health and safety incidents. Thanks to integration with Microsoft Power Automate, it is possible to automatically send ESG reports to specific stakeholder groups or initiate corrective processes.
It is also worth remembering the regulatory aspects. From 2024, the CSRD Directive will come into force in the EU, significantly expanding the scope of ESG reporting and introducing the obligation to report in digital format (XHTML and ESEF). Power BI can support these processes by generating reports compliant with the ESEF structure, which can then be integrated with external publishing systems.
Monitoring ESG indicators in Power BI
Microsoft Power BI is a powerful tool for monitoring, analyzing, and communicating ESG indicators. Not only does it enable the integration of data from multiple sources and automate reporting processes, but above all, it allows you to build a transparent and understandable narrative about your company’s sustainability efforts. In an era of growing expectations from regulators and consumers, effective ESG management is becoming a competitive advantage, and Power BI is the foundation of that advantage.
Would you like to implement Power BI in the ESG area in your organization? Contact EBIS experts – we will help you build dashboards that not only meet your requirements but also truly support the transformation of your business.
