As Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) regulations tighten and evolve, companies across sectors are scrambling to build the digital infrastructure needed to remain compliant, reduce risk, and communicate progress credibly. The pressing question many face is this: should we build our own ESG solution in-house, or buy a ready-made one like Briink?
At first glance, building a custom ESG solution may seem like the ideal path to tailor workflows, control data, and retain flexibility. But this perceived control comes at a steep cost in time, talent, compliance risk, and scale. With increasing demands from frameworks like CSRD, SFDR, and EcoVadis, the case for buying an ESG solution built for this moment is stronger than ever.
Let’s dive into the key factors that ESG leaders should weigh when considering build vs buy, and why Briink offers a faster, safer, and more cost-effective alternative.
Regulatory deadlines wait for no one. CSRD Phase 2 comes into effect in January 2025, bringing with it mandatory sustainability assurance for nearly 50,000 EU companies. Building an in-house solution from scratch could take months, even years. Meanwhile, Briink is live and ready to scale with your data needs now.
Briink ingests and processes large volumes of unstructured ESG data — including PDFs, web content, and supplier documentation — in seconds. What takes internal teams weeks or months to analyze can now be done in minutes.
Generic large language models (LLMs) aren’t equipped for the intricacies of ESG disclosure. Briink’s models are trained specifically on ESG frameworks, delivering up to 30% higher accuracy than off-the-shelf AI tools. They are aligned with current regulatory requirements (e.g., CSRD, ESRS, SFDR, TCFD) and continuously updated as those frameworks evolve.
An internal build would require access to regulatory experts, machine learning engineers, and training datasets — a daunting and costly endeavor. Briink has already done this heavy lifting.
Briink doesn’t just generate answers — it cites sources directly from your uploaded documents, enabling transparency and traceability. This is crucial in an era of heightened scrutiny over greenwashing and ESG assurance.
In-house tools often lack this level of defensibility, which puts compliance teams at risk when facing auditors or regulators.
Briink is SOC 2 certified, GDPR-compliant, and a certified B Corp. Our platform supports secure enterprise-grade deployments, with robust data protection protocols that exceed what most in-house tools can guarantee without significant investment.
We also align with the EU AI Act’s transparency and safety principles, giving compliance teams peace of mind.
Building a custom ESG solution may seem cheaper upfront, but hidden costs quickly accumulate:
Briink’s platform costs roughly half that of large ESG data providers, while offering a ready-made, battle-tested experience.
Briink is not static. Backed by a recent €3.85M investment, we are building the next generation of ESG AI agents designed to scale regulatory reviews and data classification. As a user, you benefit from ongoing feature updates, model improvements, and access to emerging ESG frameworks.
With an in-house solution, every upgrade becomes another project.
Briink is trusted by sustainability teams at Holtara, Continental AG, and Lightrock, among over 40 enterprise clients. These organizations rely on us to automate ESG data reviews, streamline supplier assessments, and prepare disclosure-aligned reports.
Why build when the best teams already buy?
Unlike some ESG solutions that are opaque or overly rigid, Briink allows teams to:
This ensures the right balance between efficiency and oversight.
In today’s ESG climate, speed, transparency, and compliance are everything. Building an in-house ESG AI solution may give the illusion of control, but it rarely delivers the efficiency, accuracy, or assurance modern ESG teams require.
Briink is purpose-built for this regulatory moment. We help teams scale up faster, report with confidence, and free up resources to focus on what matters most: improving your company’s impact.
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