From new Omnibus regulatory packages to heightened disclosure demands, sustainability across all industries is facing a decisive moment.

At the 2025 Footprint Leaders Conference in Munich, Kai Karolin Wunsch joined a main-stage panel with executives from CHG-MERIDIAN, PwC, Siemens, and others to unpack how “Compliance meets Corporate Sustainability” and why the organisations that get it right now will dominate the decade ahead.

In this short Q&A for The Re:Brief, Kai Karolin shares practical insights on emerging regulations, the leadership mindset shift, and the role of physical climate risk insights in staying ahead.

In the EU, the proposed Omnibus Directive consolidates and streamlines elements of key sustainability legislation – including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU Taxonomy Regulation, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and related measures – into a coordinated package aimed at reducing complexity and aligning requirements. The reforms have cross-cutting implications for legal, compliance, operations, and finance functions.

Rather than treating them as just another layer of bureaucracy, smart leaders use them to break down silos, unify ESG data, and align reporting processes across the business.

Both. Complexity, because requirements on climate-risk disclosure and supply chain due diligence for example, are becoming more detailed and widespread. As well, due to the limited experience of companies and auditors to fulfil new regulatory requirements such as the CSRD, the interpretation of the regulation is not fully clear yet.

Clarity, because standards like the new ISSB (IFRS S1 & S2) are aligning global frameworks and setting global standards. Digital tools and AI are speeding up audit readiness. Those who invest early can turn compliance from a cost into a competitive advantage.