Publishing a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or sustainability report has become a must for any organization—and even more so with the enhanced requirements of the European CSRD directive. Yet these reports often focus heavily on environmental and social issues, leaving the governance pillar overlooked. This is a missed opportunity to highlight major efforts around anti-corruption programs, a key strategic and reputational lever.
Highlighting your anti-corruption program demonstrates your commitment to preventing and detecting corruption risks, while creating a strong deterrent effect. Transparency about the existence and effectiveness of controls discourages risky behavior—employees and partners know that detection mechanisms are in place and active.
Providing concrete evidence of your anti-corruption practices is essential to meet regulatory expectations and reassure key stakeholders: clients, suppliers, investors, employees, and commercial partners.
Bringing visibility to compliance initiatives at the executive level through your sustainability report promotes a culture of integrity, engages teams around strong values, and elevates the strategic importance of anti-corruption initiatives.
Integrating your compliance strategy into your sustainability report helps differentiate your organization, reinforces your governance, and attracts high-integrity commercial partners.
Sonepar’s 2024 CSR report is a standout example of how to incorporate the French Sapin II law into corporate governance. In the section "Corporate culture and business conduct" (pages 112–123), the company highlights:
This structured approach turns a regulatory requirement into a powerful communication tool that showcases the maturity of their governance.
Beyond compliance, automated control tools like Eye2Scan offer a strong deterrent effect while providing tangible, auditable data. These solutions continuously analyze high-risk flows—accounting, purchasing, sales, logistics—to detect anomalies and potential fraud.
They enable:
This shift toward data-driven reporting aligns perfectly with the CSRD’s increased demands for transparency and traceability. In addition to giving you compliant assets to share with regulators.
Actively integrating your anti-corruption program into your sustainability report is more than a compliance exercise—it’s a strategic opportunity to strengthen governance, solidify your ESG approach, and build lasting trust with stakeholders.
Moreover, the structure of a strong anti-corruption program provides a solid foundation for CSRD-aligned reporting, especially in terms of governance, reliable indicators, auditability, and sustainable disclosures.
👉Want to go further with implementing an anti-corruption internal control system aligned with leading regulatory best practices? Read our article about anti-corruption controls.