Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that originally prepared for sustainability reporting in accordance with the ESRS or a voluntary DNK report are currently facing a turning point: the new Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for SMEs (VSME) is a voluntary standard that provides for a significantly simplified procedure. A formal materiality analysis is no longer...Read More

The VSME standard (Voluntary ESRS for non-listed Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises) is becoming the central basis for voluntary sustainability reporting in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It sets a clear cap for sustainability information that companies subject to CSRD reporting requirements may demand in their upstream and downstream value chain. This makes the VSME standard relevant for all SMEs that voluntarily provide sustainability information...Read More

The dual materiality analysis is a central component of the CSRD reporting obligations and a challenge for many companies. In our consulting projects, we repeatedly encounter similar questions: How do we delineate the value chains in a meaningful way? How do we identify material impacts, risks and opportunities? Which stakeholders should we involve? To provide clarity, we have summarised the most frequently asked questions along the...Read More

Together with the municipal utility network ASEW (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für sparsame Energie- und Wasserverwendung), we supported over 60 municipal utilities in carrying out a double materiality analysis. Based on the individual double materiality analyses of the participating municipal utilities, combined industry results were compiled and more than 25 value chains in 9 clusters were analysed.Read More

Before reporting comes the double materiality analysis - Around 13,500 German companies are expected to have supplemented their traditional financial reporting with a sustainability report (non-financial reporting) by 2027. Comprehensive information on the topic of sustainability will thus become part of the management report subject to mandatory auditing. The reason for this is the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), as part of the "European Green Deal", which...Read More

For many companies, their stakeholders and the interested public, the 1920s will be remembered as a decade of greater transparency on corporate sustainability. The new European regulations on reporting obligations also place an obligation on small and medium-sized enterprises. The regulations with their more than 200-page annexes can quickly become overwhelming....Read More

Companies usually define KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for their strategies and associated goals. Sustainability KPIs or sustainability indicators are in turn important tools for monitoring and measuring a company's sustainability performance. In order to measure sustainability and use it effectively and efficiently on an ongoing basis for corporate and sustainability goals, we recommend six steps for companies, which we describe in this blog post. Content Determine key sustainability topics Develop sustainability goals for the company Define sustainability KPIs and...Read More

Sustainability KPIs (key performance indicators) are key figures and are suitable for monitoring corporate goals and the achievement of sustainability strategies and for measuring a company's sustainability performance. Sustainability KPIs are also known as sustainability ratios, sustainability indicators or performance indicators. But which sustainability KPIs are important and exciting for my company? How can I measure sustainability and compare myself with other market players and competitors?Read More

We want to provide a practical insight into the development of a materiality analysis and the preparation of a DNK report. To do this, we asked our customers, All for One Group SE and Unite Network SE, what experiences they have had in the process and what they would like to pass on to others. Among other things, it's about the benefits of a materiality analysis, surprises in...Read More

The materiality analysis is one of the basic instruments of sustainability reporting and offers an ideal starting point for a stakeholder dialogue. This is because it provides answers to the three important questions when determining material sustainability aspects (based on the definition of the German Sustainability Code): Stakeholder perspective: Which sustainability aspects are of particular relevance to the company's stakeholders? "Perspective from the company: Which company activities...Read More