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Dr Ross KurinkoLinkedIn
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15+ years on FTSE 100 & Fortune Global 500 disclosures
Canary Wharf, London
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ESRS E2: Pollution·Disclosure Requirement E2-4
Pollution of air, water and soil
Practical guidance for preparing this disclosure. Use this card to identify the information to prepare, verify claims and organise supporting evidence. For exact requirements, always refer to the official European Commission source.
Published passport
Last reviewed 2026-07-24
Reviewed by
Dr Ross KurinkoLinkedIn
Strategic ESG Advisor · IFRS S1 & S2 / GRI / ESRS expert
GRI Certified Global Trainer · PhD, University of Cambridge · ESG-AI expert
15+ years on FTSE 100 & Fortune Global 500 disclosures
Canary Wharf, London
LRA educational guidance · Not issued or endorsed by European Commission
Standard
ESRS E2: Pollution
Disclosure Requirement E2-4 · 2026-5010-final
Last reviewed
2026-07-24
LRA educational guidance · Not issued or endorsed by European Commission
To prepare this disclosure
Disclosure focus
E2-4 reports amounts of material pollutant emissions to air, water and soil from own operations during the reporting period, including emissions caused by environmental accidents where applicable.
It also reports primary microplastics manufactured or used in products and the amounts directly released into the environment. Microplastics are part of E2-4 but not part of its official title.
Material pollutants are determined through managerial assessment that considers the undertaking's activities, sector, applicable E-PRTR and IEPR pollutants and other pollutants measured or monitored. A regulatory threshold is not automatically the reporting cut-off.
This LRA educational guidance supports disclosure preparation. For the exact requirements, always refer to the official European Commission source.
Before you start
Before you start
A quick mental checklist before you prepare this disclosure — tick each as you settle it.
Preparation
Key information to prepare
| Preparation field | What to capture | Evidence hint | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material pollutant | Identify each material pollutant and the managerial-assessment basis for inclusion. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting material pollutant. | Environment / Sustainability reporting |
| Receiving medium | Identify whether the emission is to air, water or soil. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting receiving medium. | Environment / Sustainability reporting |
| Amount emitted | Report the amount emitted during the reporting period in the relevant mass unit. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting amount emitted. | Environment / Sustainability reporting |
| Environmental accidents | Include emissions resulting from environmental accidents where applicable. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting environmental accidents. | Environment / Sustainability reporting |
| Primary microplastics manufactured | Report the amount of primary microplastics manufactured. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting primary microplastics manufactured. | Environment / Sustainability reporting |
| Primary microplastics used in products | Report the amount of primary microplastics used in products. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting primary microplastics used in products. | Environment / Sustainability reporting |
| Microplastics released | Report the amount of microplastics directly released into the environment. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting microplastics released. | Environment / Sustainability reporting |
| Metric and unit | State the metric and unit of measurement. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting metric and unit. | Sustainability reporting |
| Relationship to material matters | Explain the metric's relationship to material impacts, risks or opportunities and to policies, actions or targets where relevant. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting relationship to material matters. | Sustainability reporting |
| Methodology and sources | Describe the measurement or calculation methodology, source data and significant assumptions. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting methodology and sources. | Sustainability reporting |
| Scope and boundary | State the reporting boundary, scope limitations and any applicable ESRS 1 relief. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting scope and boundary. | Sustainability reporting |
| Validation | State whether and how the metric was validated by an external body other than the assurance provider. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting validation. | Sustainability reporting |
| Comparatives and changes | Provide required comparative information and explain changes in definitions or methodologies where applicable. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting comparatives and changes. | Sustainability reporting |
＋ Show E2-4 sub-elements (LRA working checklist)
Identify each material pollutant and the managerial-assessment basis for inclusion.
Identify whether the emission is to air, water or soil.
Report the amount emitted during the reporting period in the relevant mass unit.
Include emissions resulting from environmental accidents where applicable.
Report the amount of primary microplastics manufactured.
Report the amount of primary microplastics used in products.
Report the amount of microplastics directly released into the environment.
State the metric and unit of measurement.
Explain the metric's relationship to material impacts, risks or opportunities and to policies, actions or targets where relevant.
Describe the measurement or calculation methodology, source data and significant assumptions.
State the reporting boundary, scope limitations and any applicable ESRS 1 relief.
State whether and how the metric was validated by an external body other than the assurance provider.
Provide required comparative information and explain changes in definitions or methodologies where applicable.
How to prepare it
Use own operations and the applicable ESRS reporting boundary; do not substitute a policy or action narrative for emission amounts.
Collect and reconcile the records for: Material pollutant; Receiving medium; Amount emitted; Environmental accidents; Primary microplastics manufactured; Primary microplastics used in products; Microplastics released; Metric and unit; Relationship to material matters; Methodology and sources; Scope and boundary; Validation; Comparatives and changes.
Entity-specific pollutant context may be added where material, but pollution policies and actions belong to E2-1 and E2-2.
Draft the response using the defined terms shown in the disclosure focus; do not substitute broader internal labels.
Review the final wording against every requirement and the supporting governance or data records before sign-off.
Request the data
Request the disclosure evidence
Translate the disclosure into an internal business question — then adapt it to your organisation's own language.
Provide the pollutant inventory, managerial assessment, measured or calculated emission amounts by medium, accident records, microplastics data and GDR-M methodology evidence.
Use the organisation's own role and document names, but preserve the defined ESRS terms and the scope described above.
Better request
Provide the pollutant inventory, managerial assessment, measured or calculated emission amounts by medium, accident records, microplastics data and GDR-M methodology evidence.
Draft your disclosure
Notes that turn data into a disclosure
LRA training templates — adapt them to your organisation, and check the official source before sign-off.
Method note
Use consistent mass units, document estimation methods and include relevant pollutants even where a regulatory reporting threshold is not exceeded.
Context note
Explain estimation uncertainty, scope limitations and applicable reliefs without converting internal thresholds into ESRS requirements.
Download Centre
Preparation tools & forms
Professional preparation tools for E2-4 — free with an LRA Community membership. Register once (it's free) and every download unlocks, together with the Disclosure Library, templates and the LRA AI Assistant.
Assurance readiness
For each claim, check the evidence
| Claim | Risk | Evidence to check |
|---|---|---|
| Material pollutant is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates material pollutant. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting material pollutant. |
| Receiving medium is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates receiving medium. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting receiving medium. |
| Amount emitted is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates amount emitted. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting amount emitted. |
| Environmental accidents is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates environmental accidents. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting environmental accidents. |
| Primary microplastics manufactured is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates primary microplastics manufactured. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting primary microplastics manufactured. |
| Primary microplastics used in products is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates primary microplastics used in products. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting primary microplastics used in products. |
| Microplastics released is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates microplastics released. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting microplastics released. |
| Metric and unit is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates metric and unit. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting metric and unit. |
| Relationship to material matters is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates relationship to material matters. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting relationship to material matters. |
| Methodology and sources is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates methodology and sources. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting methodology and sources. |
| Scope and boundary is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates scope and boundary. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting scope and boundary. |
| Validation is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates validation. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting validation. |
| Comparatives and changes is reported accurately and completely. | The response omits, misclassifies or overstates comparatives and changes. | Dated source records, governance papers and approval evidence supporting comparatives and changes. |
Evidence pack to prepare
Common reporting gaps
Using a management narrative instead of amounts.
Putting microplastics in the official title.
Treating regulatory thresholds as the reporting rule.
Separating narrative fields as official datapoints.
Using unrelated pollution evidence from company reports.
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Framework references
Relevant ESRS requirements and related disclosures
Available framework references and nearby disclosures relevant to preparing this requirement.
ESRS
E2-4
within ESRS E2: Pollution
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