ESG data remains a significant challenge in the sustainability journey of many companies.
The sheer scale of work involved, from identifying and measuring data points to collecting and verifying the information can leave enterprises overwhelmed.
At the Asia ESG Summit next month, experts will address these pain points in a panel titled “Bridging the Data Gap: Moving from Manual Spreadsheets to Automated ESG Tech Stacks”.
The session will explore how organisations can replace manual ESG tracking with automated systems and technology platforms to improve efficiency, accuracy and reporting confidence.
With a theme of “Driving Action to Measurable Impact”, the Asia ESG Summit, which is organised by Star Media Group, will be held on July 21 and 22 at Sunway Resort Hotel in Petaling Jaya.
The programme will be structured around three concurrent forums focusing on ESG Governance and Data Assurance, Green Climate and Energy, and Circular Economy.
The panel on data gap is part of the ESG Governance and Data Assurance forum.
One of the panellists, ESGpedia managing director Benjamin Soh, shared that many companies struggle with ESG data collection as the data may come from different sources, business units and countries.
This fragmentation, coupled with paper-based, non-digitised data, often results in data gaps and reporting errors, he said.
“Technology solutions automates ESG data collection by intelligently extracting information from documents, mapping data points to the relevant ESG categories and reporting fields and reducing the risk of missing data,” he said, adding that outlier detection can also be built to flag inconsistencies which may arise from errors.
While data collection will be vastly improved through technology, Soh said, ESG data still needs to reflect value insights for the management.
“That is where human expertise and experience remain essential in providing inputs to implement and oversee strategic sustainability plans,” he said.
Fellow panellist Khairull Hafiz Ismail, who is the principal ESG consultant at Environmental Management and Research Association of Malaysia, said from his consulting engagements, the challenge is rarely a willingness to start ESG data collection, but translating ESG ambition into operational data discipline.
“In 2026, the real competitive advantage is no longer who publishes the best sustainability report. It’s who can produce ESG data that is trusted, assured and decision-ready,” he said.
Noting that ESG has evolved beyond corporate social responsibility reporting, Khairull Hafiz emphasised that automation is not about adopting fancy software, but about building trust through data governance and data ownership.
He cautioned that the biggest risk for companies is accelerating reporting processes faster than their internal capabilities can mature. Without strong governance, ESG technology will still fail, he said.
Global Reporting Initiative country manager for Malaysia Dr Menaka Ganeson said before investing in ESG technology, companies should focus on the foundations – clear processes, assigned accountability and verifiable data.
“The key is not the tool itself, but the quality, reliability and governance of the data behind it.
“This is getting the people, process and data right first,” she said.
Transition to digital solutions will become smoother as reporting matures.
“Ultimately, whether using spreadsheets or advanced platforms, the priority should always be producing high-quality, decision-useful sustainability information.”
