ESRS Compliance Framework
From Regulation to Action: Building the ESRS Compliance Hub
My role
User Research & Discovery
UX & Interaction Design
Collaboration & Dev Handoff
Testing & Iteration
Company
Because
Because
Team
Product Manager
Lead Designer (me)
Engineering Lead
Engineering Team
Sustainability experts
Year
2024
Background and problem
Imagine being a hotel sustainability manager.
The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) — part of the CSRD — will require large hotels to comply with structured ESG reporting by 2026. Most managers had little prior exposure to ESRS, and existing tools were fragmented spreadsheets and static templates.
Because.eco, a sustainability hub for the travel industry, needed to help hotels get ahead of regulations by integrating ESRS compliance directly into the platform.
The challenge? Designing a feature that let users customize topics, delegate tasks, and generate structured reports — all while making a complex regulatory framework approachable for first-time users.
IMPACT
Simplifying compliance for hospitality teams.
Hotels could now manage the entire compliance workflow in one place — from selecting ESRS topics, to assigning tasks across teams, to generating structured reports. This reduced confusion, replaced manual workarounds, and created clarity around responsibilities.
For the business, the ESRS feature positioned Because.eco as a trusted compliance partner, increased platform stickiness, and opened opportunities for enterprise-level adoption as deadlines approached.
PROCESS
Designing for clarity and adoption.
The biggest challenge was creating an MVP quickly, without overwhelming users who were new to ESRS. We worked in tight loops with PM, engineers, and early customers.
PROCESS
Designing for clarity and adoption.
The biggest challenge was creating an MVP quickly, without overwhelming users who were new to ESRS. We worked in tight loops with PM, engineers, and early customers.
To solve this, I:
Mapped user workflows → Interviewed sustainability managers to identify where compliance tasks broke down.
Created a guided flow → Users could select relevant ESRS topics and see what actions were required.
Designed task delegation → A simple assignment model so managers could involve finance, operations, and HR.
Iterated through testing → Ran usability sessions with early hotel groups and refined the navigation and reporting templates to reduce confusion.
Old interface: cluttered, rigid, and not built for growth
Old interface: cluttered, rigid, and not built for growth
solution
Building a foundation for scalable reporting.
The design moved away from one-off checklists and instead created a flexible structure where hotels could customize requirements, delegate across departments, and generate outputs aligned with ESRS standards.
Key solution highlights:
Customizable compliance topics → Hotels could choose only what was relevant to them.
Delegation model → Tasks could be assigned across departments with clear ownership.
Progress tracking dashboard → Visual status indicators made compliance transparent and less overwhelming.
Structured reporting export → Generated outputs aligned with ESRS requirements, reducing manual formatting.
Customization built in from the start
Customization built in from the start
Scalable design for evolving frameworks
Scalable design for evolving frameworks
Clear framework overview with a scalable UI
Clear framework overview with a scalable UI
Updated UI with delegation built into the framework page
Updated UI with delegation built into the framework page
Delegation workflow integrated into the framework for scalability
Delegation workflow integrated into the framework for scalability
Reporting integrated into the framework
Reporting integrated into the framework
Learnings
Building for adoption and scalability, not just compliance.
The biggest barrier wasn’t regulation — it was user unfamiliarity. Designing a guided, approachable flow was critical to adoption.
Early feedback loops with customers helped us define the “must-have” features, avoiding scope creep while staying compliant.
A clear MVP now creates a scalable foundation for long-term reporting, role-based access, and enterprise integrations.
My role
User Research & Discovery
UX & Interaction Design
Collaboration & Dev Handoff
Testing & Iteration
COMPANY
Because
Team
Product Manager
Lead Designer (me)
Engineering Team
Sustainability experts
Year
2024
ESRS Compliance Framework
From Regulation to Action: Building the ESRS Compliance Hub
PROCESS
Designing for clarity and adoption.
The biggest challenge was creating an MVP quickly, without overwhelming users who were new to ESRS. We worked in tight loops with PM, engineers, and early customers.
PROCESS
Designing for clarity and adoption.
The biggest challenge was creating an MVP quickly, without overwhelming users who were new to ESRS. We worked in tight loops with PM, engineers, and early customers.
IMPACT
Simplifying compliance for hospitality teams.
Hotels could now manage the entire compliance workflow in one place — from selecting ESRS topics, to assigning tasks across teams, to generating structured reports. This reduced confusion, replaced manual workarounds, and created clarity around responsibilities.
For the business, the ESRS feature positioned Because.eco as a trusted compliance partner, increased platform stickiness, and opened opportunities for enterprise-level adoption as deadlines approached.
solution
Building a foundation for scalable reporting.
The design moved away from one-off checklists and instead created a flexible structure where hotels could customize requirements, delegate across departments, and generate outputs aligned with ESRS standards.
Key solution highlights:
Customizable compliance topics → Hotels could choose only what was relevant to them.
Delegation model → Tasks could be assigned across departments with clear ownership.
Progress tracking dashboard → Visual status indicators made compliance transparent and less overwhelming.
Structured reporting export → Generated outputs aligned with ESRS requirements, reducing manual formatting.
Background and problem
Imagine being a hotel sustainability manager.
The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) — part of the CSRD — will require large hotels to comply with structured ESG reporting by 2026. Most managers had little prior exposure to ESRS, and existing tools were fragmented spreadsheets and static templates.
Because.eco, a sustainability hub for the travel industry, needed to help hotels get ahead of regulations by integrating ESRS compliance directly into the platform.
The challenge? Designing a feature that let users customize topics, delegate tasks, and generate structured reports — all while making a complex regulatory framework approachable for first-time users.
Old interface: cluttered, rigid, and not built for growth
Customization built in from the start
Scalable design for evolving frameworks
Learnings
Building for adoption and scalability, not just compliance.
The biggest barrier wasn’t regulation — it was user unfamiliarity. Designing a guided, approachable flow was critical to adoption.
Early feedback loops with customers helped us define the “must-have” features, avoiding scope creep while staying compliant.
A clear MVP now creates a scalable foundation for long-term reporting, role-based access, and enterprise integrations.
To solve this, I:
Mapped user workflows → Interviewed sustainability managers to identify where compliance tasks broke down.
Created a guided flow → Users could select relevant ESRS topics and see what actions were required.
Designed task delegation → A simple assignment model so managers could involve finance, operations, and HR.
Iterated through testing → Ran usability sessions with early hotel groups and refined the navigation and reporting templates to reduce confusion.
Clear framework overview with a scalable UI
Delegation workflow integrated into the framework for scalability
Reporting integrated into the framework
Updated UI with delegation built into the framework page