Schemas

Canonical ESG provides formal, machine-readable schemas to support tooling, validation, and automation.

These schemas are optional.
They do not replace the human-readable specifications, nor do they remove the need for professional judgement.

Their purpose is to make Canonical ESG artefacts structurally precise, interoperable, and verifiable for teams that wish to integrate them into software systems, data pipelines, or automated workflows.

This page documents the machine-readable layer of Canonical ESG. Human-readable specifications remain the primary reference.

Why Schemas Exist

Canonical ESG is designed to be human-first, with clear conceptual models and transparent interpretation artefacts.

Schemas exist to additionally enable:

  • consistent implementation across tools and platforms,
  • automated validation of artefacts,
  • version-safe integration,
  • discoverability through registries,
  • long-term interoperability.

Schemas provide structural guarantees, not interpretive authority.

Who Schemas Are For

Schemas may be useful for:

  • software vendors building ESG platforms,
  • enterprise data and reporting teams,
  • internal tooling teams at consultancies,
  • assurance and validation tooling,
  • analytics and research platforms,
  • open-source contributors.

Schemas are not required to use Canonical ESG.
Many users—including auditors, consultants, and reviewers—will rely entirely on the human-readable specifications and artefacts.

What Schemas Do — and Do Not Do

Schemas Do

  • define expected structure of artefacts,
  • constrain required and optional fields,
  • enable automated validation,
  • support tooling and reuse,
  • make assumptions explicit at a structural level.

Schemas Do Not

  • define reporting obligations,
  • determine materiality,
  • assert compliance with any framework,
  • encode professional judgement,
  • replace narrative interpretation.

All interpretive meaning remains in the human-readable specifications and mapping artefacts.

CMP Schema and Registry

Canonical Mapping Packs (CMPs) are supported by two complementary machine-readable resources:

  • the CMP Schema, which defines the structural shape of CMP artefacts,
  • the CMP Registry, which provides a discoverable index of published CMPs.

Together, these enable tools to:

  • validate CMP files structurally,
  • discover available CMPs programmatically,
  • track CMP versions and status,
  • link human-readable and machine-readable representations.

View CMP Registry (JSON)

Available Schemas

Canonical Mapping Pack (CMP) Schema

The CMP schema defines the machine-readable structure of Canonical Mapping Packs.

It enables:

  • consistent representation of CMP metadata,
  • structured disclosure intent mappings,
  • framework reference tracking,
  • validation of CMP artefacts.

Status: v0.1 (Draft 2020-12)
Format: JSON Schema
Scope: Structural validation only

Download CMP JSON Schema

Relationship to Canonical ESG Layers

Schemas correspond directly to Canonical ESG layers:

  • CERM defines canonical sustainability data concepts,
  • CDI defines disclosure meaning and intent,
  • CMP documents framework-specific interpretation.

Schemas describe how artefacts from these layers may be represented structurally, without redefining their conceptual meaning.

Versioning and Stability

Schemas are versioned independently and follow conservative change principles:

  • backward compatibility within minor versions,
  • explicit version identifiers,
  • append-only evolution where possible,
  • clear deprecation paths.

Schema versions do not change the meaning of published artefacts.

Using Schemas Safely

Use schemas when you need:

  • validation,
  • automation,
  • registry integration,
  • or programmatic processing.

Do not use schemas to infer:

  • regulatory compliance,
  • disclosure sufficiency,
  • or framework endorsement.

Schemas are infrastructure, not guidance.

Licensing

All schemas are published under open licenses permitting use, adaptation, and redistribution.

Refer to the governance section for licensing details.

Summary

Schemas are an enabling layer of Canonical ESG.

They support tooling and interoperability while preserving the primacy of:

  • human interpretation,
  • professional judgement,
  • non-authoritative use.

Canonical ESG remains usable without schemas.
Schemas simply make it easier to build reliable systems around it.