Across institutions, ESG reporting challenges tend to surface in the same operational areas. These are not failures of intent, capability, or commitment; they are the points at which scale, variability, and fixed reporting deadlines collide.
Manager and issuer engagement is often the first area under strain. As portfolios expand across asset classes, strategies, and geographies, ESG teams must coordinate with an increasingly diverse set of counterparties. Even where standardised questionnaires and guidance are in place, responses arrive in different formats, on different timelines, and with differing interpretations. Tracking progress, managing follow-ups, and responding to clarifications quickly becomes a campaign-management exercise rather than a linear data request, particularly during peak reporting periods.