Managing EU Taxonomy Compliance

When To Use

• Assessing whether an economic activity qualifies as Taxonomy-aligned under the EU Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation 2020/852)
• Evaluating substantial contribution to one or more of the six environmental objectives
• Applying Technical Screening Criteria (TSC) from the Climate Delegated Act or Environmental Delegated Act
• Conducting Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) analysis across non-target objectives
• Preparing Taxonomy alignment disclosures for SFDR Article 8/9 funds or CSRD/NFRD corporate reporting
• Reviewing Taxonomy eligibility vs. alignment distinctions for portfolio or entity-level reporting

Inputs To Gather

• Activity description: NACE code(s), revenue segments, and capex/opex breakdown for the economic activity under review
• Environmental objective: Which of the six objectives is claimed for substantial contribution (climate mitigation, climate adaptation, water, circular economy, pollution prevention, biodiversity) [VERIFY which Delegated Act applies]
• Technical data: Emissions intensity, energy performance certificates, resource consumption metrics, or other quantitative thresholds relevant to the applicable TSC
• DNSH evidence: Documentation or data addressing each of the remaining five objectives (e.g., climate risk assessments for adaptation DNSH, water management plans, waste hierarchy compliance)
• Minimum safeguards: Confirmation of alignment with OECD Guidelines, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, ILO core conventions, and the International Bill of Human Rights
• Reporting context: Whether disclosure is for fund-level (SFDR PAI/periodic reporting), corporate-level (CSRD/NFRD), or investor due diligence purposes

Workflow

1. Determine Taxonomy eligibility

   • Map the economic activity to the relevant NACE sector and Taxonomy activity description
   • Confirm the activity appears in the applicable Delegated Act (Climate or Environmental)
   • Distinguish between eligibility (activity is listed) and alignment (activity meets all criteria)

2. Identify the target environmental objective

   • Select the primary objective to which the activity claims substantial contribution
   • An activity can only count toward one objective to avoid double-counting in KPI calculations
   • Pull the specific TSC thresholds from the relevant Delegated Act annex [VERIFY current thresholds — these are periodically updated by the European Commission]

3. Assess substantial contribution

   • Compare the activity's quantitative performance against each TSC threshold (e.g., <100g CO2e/kWh for electricity generation under climate mitigation)
   • For transitional activities, verify the activity meets the "best available technology" or "lock-in avoidance" criteria
   • For enabling activities, confirm the activity enables substantial contribution in another activity without leading to lock-in of carbon-intensive assets
   • Document data sources, measurement methodologies, and any estimation approaches used

4. Conduct DNSH assessment across remaining objectives

   • For each non-target objective, apply the corresponding DNSH criteria from the Delegated Act:
     • Climate adaptation: Climate risk and vulnerability assessment conducted per Appendix A methodology
     • Climate mitigation: No significant GHG increase from the activity
     • Water: Environmental degradation risks addressed per Water Framework Directive requirements
     • Circular economy: Waste management aligned with waste hierarchy principles
     • Pollution prevention: Activity does not increase pollutant emissions beyond regulatory limits
     • Biodiversity: Environmental Impact Assessment completed where required; no degradation of protected areas
   • Flag any DNSH criterion lacking sufficient evidence as [VERIFY]

5. Verify minimum safeguards compliance

   • Confirm the entity has due diligence procedures aligned with OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
   • Check for grievance mechanisms consistent with UN Guiding Principles
   • Review for adverse human rights, labor, anti-corruption, or tax findings [VERIFY against entity's public disclosures and controversy screening]

6. Calculate and report Taxonomy KPIs

   • Compute Taxonomy-aligned revenue, capex, and opex ratios as applicable
   • For fund-level: aggregate across portfolio holdings weighted by investment proportion
   • For corporate-level: segment by activity and present numerator/denominator breakdowns
   • Apply the mandatory reporting templates per the Disclosures Delegated Act (Annex tables)

7. Document gaps and escalation items

   • List any TSC or DNSH criteria where data is insufficient or methodology is uncertain
   • Flag activities near threshold boundaries that may shift with updated data
   • Identify where third-party verification or assurance is required [VERIFY — limited vs. reasonable assurance requirements vary by reporting framework]

Output

• Taxonomy Alignment Assessment Report containing:
  • Activity-by-activity eligibility and alignment determination
  • Substantial contribution analysis with data points mapped to TSC thresholds
  • DNSH evaluation matrix (pass/fail/insufficient data per objective)
  • Minimum safeguards compliance summary
  • Taxonomy-aligned KPIs (revenue %, capex %, opex %) with calculation methodology
  • Gap register with recommended remediation actions and data collection priorities
  • Disclosure-ready tables formatted per applicable reporting templates

Quality Checks

• Every TSC threshold cited is cross-referenced against the current Delegated Act text [VERIFY — Delegated Acts are subject to amendment]
• DNSH analysis covers all five non-target objectives without omission
• Minimum safeguards assessment addresses all four pillars (human rights, labor, corruption, taxation)
• Eligibility and alignment are clearly distinguished — no eligible-but-unaligned activity is reported as aligned
• KPI calculations use consistent denominators and avoid double-counting across objectives
• All data gaps and estimation methods are transparently disclosed with [VERIFY] markers
• Output references the correct reporting framework (SFDR RTS, CSRD/ESRS, NFRD) for the intended audience