Impact Transparency & Management: From Evidence to Message

Wed, Feb 25, 2026

Are we measuring what truly matters? Organic agriculture performs demonstrably better on climate, biodiversity, and health, yet new European reporting regulations (CSRD) threaten to disadvantage these frontrunners. While large corporations with deep pockets excel at ticking off KPIs, the holistic nature of organic farming often remains invisible in the data. The Robin Food Coalition is taking action: we are joining forces to make the true impact of organic both measurable and monetizable. Discover how we use data as leverage for a fairer market position.

Measuring What Matters: From KPIs to Real Impact

They say "measuring is knowing," but in truth, we already know enough: organic farming performs demonstrably better on climate, soil, biodiversity, water quality, health, and fair wealth distribution. Yet, a wave of company-specific reporting requirements is heading our way from Brussels. KPIs are stacking up, but the holistic nature of sustainable farming is not easily captured in mere numbers. Large corporations with deep pockets and armies of consultants excel at this game.

That is why the Robin Food Coalition is joining forces: we are making the impact advantages of organic farming collectively visible, strengthening the market position of frontrunners, and proving that small-scale success can scale up.

CSRD as an Opportunity for the Organic Movement

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is the new European regulation requiring companies to report extensively on their sustainability impact. Everything from emissions and water usage to biodiversity and social impact must soon be made transparent and comparable.

For the organic sector, this is an opportunity. Those who look closely will see that organic farming systems perform demonstrably better. By making this visible together, the CSRD can strengthen and accelerate the organic movement.

However, there are pitfalls. Many mandatory reporting indicators focus on efficiency per kilogram of product. This is precisely where conventional agriculture scores well, while its damage to soil, air, water, and biodiversity remains out of sight. Furthermore, the CSRD requires reduction pathways: companies must show how they are continuously lowering their negative impact. This sounds logical, but organic companies face a paradox: if you are already structurally performing better, it is difficult to show the same rate of reduction as companies starting from a much poorer baseline.

To address this, we organized workshops with our members in collaboration with Impact Institute. Together, we explored how organic companies can collect, analyze, and present their impact data—not to drown in paperwork, but to use data as leverage for a stronger story and a better market position.

Making the Organic Impact Visible

Following our initial workshops, we consolidated all insights into the position paper "Making the Organic Impact Visible." For the first time, we brought together the performance of organic farming systems in one comprehensive overview, based on a broad meta-analysis of international studies. The results are clear:

Climate: 43% less greenhouse gas emissions per hectare and significantly higher carbon sequestration in the soil.
Biodiversity: Up to 95% higher species richness and 35% more farmland birds on organic plots.
Soil Health: 3.5 tons of additional organic matter per hectare and up to 22% less erosion.
Water Quality: 94–100% better water retention and 39% less nitrate leaching.
Health: Up to a 35% lower risk of diabetes and a 25% lower chance of certain cancers with an organic diet, plus virtually no pesticide residues.

The paper also highlights where current reporting frameworks fall short, specifically recommending that EFRAG (the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group) adapt CSRD standards to:

Add bio-specific KPIs at the hectare and landscape level.
Develop baseline corrections for frontrunners with existing low emissions.
Standardize Scope 3 data to make organic performance comparable and financially rewardable.
Establish a voluntary CSRD "Bio-Addendum" to showcase broad societal value.

From KPI Development to Practice: ESG Trajectories

We are now moving from theory to validation. In pilots with industry frontrunners, we test which KPIs are most workable in practice. Parallel to this, we guide companies through full ESG trajectories, including:

Double Materiality Assessments: Understanding which themes are material to both the company and the environment.
Corporate Carbon Footprints (Scopes 1–3, including FLAG emissions): Baseline measurements and reduction pathways in line with SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative).
Data Maturity: Helping companies work with robust data so that impact is not just measured, but utilized for strategy and chain dialogues.

From Compliance to Competitive Advantage

What makes our approach unique is that we go beyond mere compliance. We use data as leverage for strategy and new business models. Companies learn to convert their societal value into a better position in the supply chain, such as:

Preferential procurement by retailers needing to meet their Scope 3 targets.
Impact premiums and payments for ecosystem services.
New financing models that reward sustainability.

The higher the data maturity, the stronger the competitive advantage. This program is an invitation to companies, policymakers, and partners who want to make the real value of agriculture visible. Join us, because only together can we ensure that impact pays off—for farmers, for businesses, and for us all.

Belangrijke terminologie voor je website:

Double Materiality: De officiële term voor "dubbele materialiteit."
FLAG emissions: Staat voor Forest, Land, and Agriculture—cruciaal voor agri-bedrijven binnen de CSRD/SBTi.
Carbon Sequestration: De juiste term voor "koolstofvastlegging."
Scope 3: De emissies in de keten (inkoop), waar voor bio-bedrijven de grootste kansen liggen.