European Union (EU) has formally committed in 2015, along with other UN member nations, to the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, featuring the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In pursuit of the objective, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) implemented in EU from FY2024, explicitly references these UN SDGs and strengthens expectations around sustainability disclosures. This study tests the narratives in CSRD from EU’s top 500 (by revenue) firms on their alignment with the UN SDGs. Through an analysis of FY2024 annual reports and sustainability reports across 25 sectors, we compare SDG alignment by report type, examine sectoral heterogeneity, and assess consistency between financial and sustainability narratives.We find financial metrics to be weak predictors of SDG disclosure intensity. Sustainability reports significantly outperform annual reports on 16 of 17 SDGs (largest gaps being in environmental goals), with annual reports only marginally stronger on SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure). Sector effects are pronounced, yet climate action (SDG 13) has become an across-the-board disclosure priority. Correlation analysis reveals coherent environmental and social/governance SDG clusters, alongside some inverse relationships that appear driven by sectoral specialisation in disclosure priorities. We draw on several lenses including neo-institutional theory, stakeholder salience, legitimacy signalling, double materiality and integrated reporting, and information economics to explain why firms prioritise certain SDGs and why sustainability and annual reports diverge so sharply in their narrative emphasis. We further show how CSRD’s double materiality framework, by requiring firms to identify outward impact and financially material KPIs, provides a mechanism for reducing these venue-based gaps over time. The findings offer practical insights for preparers, assurers, audit committees, regulators, and standard setters seeking to interpret early CSRD practices and assess how effectively corporate reporting aligns with the EU’s commitments to the individual SDGs.