ESRS (revised 2026) for DPOs
What does ESRS (revised 2026) require of a DPO?
The revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards that undertakings in the scope of the EU Accounting Directive apply from financial years beginning in 2027: how double materiality decides what is reported, how the sustainability statement is prepared, structured and connected to the accounts, the cross-cutting governance, strategy, materiality and policy, action, metric and target disclosures, and the disclosure requirements of the ten topical standards on climate, pollution, water, biodiversity, circular economy, own workforce, value chain workers, communities, consumers and business conduct. Under ESRS (revised 2026), which defines 98 controls, a DPO's work is deciding which controls you own outright, which you share and which belong to another team, then holding the evidence for the first group.
Which ESRS (revised 2026) controls land on the DPO
Data Protection Officers oversee privacy compliance, manage data subject rights requests, conduct privacy impact assessments, and serve as the point of contact with data protection authorities. The role is mandatory under GDPR for many organisations.
ESRS (revised 2026) defines 98 controls across 12 domains that directly affect the DPO role. Understanding which controls fall within your ownership, which are shared, and which are owned by other teams is the foundation of effective compliance management.
What a DPO is accountable for under ESRS (revised 2026)
Advising the organisation on data protection obligations and best practices
Managing data subject access requests (DSARs) and privacy complaints
Conducting data protection impact assessments (DPIAs) for new processing activities
Maintaining records of processing activities and data flow maps
Serving as the liaison with data protection supervisory authorities
Where DPOs lose time on ESRS (revised 2026)
These are the most common obstacles DPOs face when managing ESRS (revised 2026) compliance, and how to address them:
Challenge 1
Maintaining visibility over all personal data processing across the organisation
Challenge 2
Managing cross-border data transfer compliance (SCCs, adequacy decisions)
Challenge 3
Keeping privacy notices and consent mechanisms current across all channels
Challenge 4
Responding to DSARs within regulatory timeframes at scale
Challenge 5
Assessing privacy implications of AI and automated decision-making systems
A working order for a DPO starting on ESRS (revised 2026)
1. Readiness Assessment
Take a 5-minute readiness assessment to identify your organisation's current gap profile against ESRS (revised 2026). Get a prioritised action plan tailored to your specific situation.
2. Cross-Framework Mapping
Use our platform to map ESRS (revised 2026) controls against other frameworks you already comply with. Identify overlapping controls to reduce duplicate effort.
3. Build Your Toolkit
Equip yourself with ESRS (revised 2026) toolkits, self-assessments, and implementation guides from our store. Resources designed specifically for DPOs managing compliance programmes.
4. Continuous Monitoring
Establish ongoing compliance monitoring using our platform's gap analysis tools. Track your maturity over time and demonstrate progress to stakeholders.
ESRS (revised 2026) in your sector
Who else owns part of ESRS (revised 2026)
Questions DPOs ask about ESRS (revised 2026)
What does a DPO need to know about ESRS (revised 2026)?
How does ESRS (revised 2026) affect the DPO role?
What are the biggest ESRS (revised 2026) challenges for DPOs?
How should a DPO prepare for a ESRS (revised 2026) audit?
What tools help DPOs manage ESRS (revised 2026) compliance?
DPO: How ready is your organisation for ESRS (revised 2026)?
Answer 25 questions and get a professional readiness report with gap analysis, maturity scores, and prioritised action items. Results in 5 minutes.