The webinar “Navigating Europe’s Sustainability Regulatory Landscape,” held on June 10, 2026, brought together Natalie Hagewood of AFS Energy and Edwin van Leth of DiSPERSED to discuss how regulatory changes, geopolitical events and new carbon-accounting requirements are affecting European businesses.

A key message was that sustainability regulation is increasingly shaped by global events. The Russia-Ukraine War, the 2025 change in US climate policy and the 2026 US-Iran conflict have affected energysecurity, international supply chains and Scope 3 emissions. Companies must therefore consider sustainability not only as a compliance requirement, but also as an operational and strategic risk. The speakers also addressed recent changes to the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. EU Directive 2026/470 and the Omnibus Package have reduced the immediate reporting scope byapproximately 90% , largely to protect European competitiveness. However, the overall direction ofsustainability regulation remains unchanged.

Large companies with more than 1,000 employees or €450 million in turnover are expected to begin Wave 2 tracking in 2027, while qualifying non-EU parent companies will follow in 2028. Double materiality and independent auditing will remain central requirements, meaning companies must assess both their environmental impact and the financial risks created by sustainability issues. Updates to the GHG Protocol will also increase expectations around emissions data. Proposed changes include mandatory hourly matching for Scope 2 emissions by 2027, a new Scope 3 category for facilitated emissions and separate Physical GHG and Market-Based Inventories.

Scope 3 remains the greatest measurement challenge, accounting for an average of 84% of corporate emissions . These emissions are difficult to manage because they depend heavily on suppliers, transport providers and other external partners.
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The webinar polls confirmed that many organizations are still struggling with these issues. In the first poll, participants were mainly divided between two leading challenges: collecting fragmented sustainability data and turning reporting into strategic action. In the second poll, the vast majority saidthey were only somewhat confident in their sustainability data. Very few considered their information fully audit-ready, while a smaller group reported having little confidence in its quality. To address these challenges, the speakers proposed a five-step action plan: measure emissions, optimize decision-making, reduce emissions through tools such as biofuels, biomethane, energy attribute certificates and power purchase agreements, address unavoidable residual emissions and produce clear, audit-ready reports.

The webinar’s conclusion was clear: although reporting requirements may have been simplified, businesses should not delay action.
Companies that strengthen their data systems and integratecarbon metrics into procurement and strategy will be better prepared for future regulation, investor scrutiny and customer expectations.
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View the Webinar here: https://portal.afsenergy.nl/webinars/1ec05704-4cce-4ad0-a156-b69eb92528d8

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