ESG reporting for family businesses and SMEs

Sustainability has become a strategic factor for many companies. Even if the EU's planned omnibus package weakens some ESG requirements, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) remains extremely important for many SMEs - with or without a formal reporting obligation. This is because pressure is increasingly coming not only from Brussels, but also from business partners, the supply chain and the market itself.

Our new white paper "Ready for the future? ESG in the SME sector" provides guidance. It shows how family businesses and German SMEs can see ESG as an opportunity - instead of just a regulatory issue.

The key tool for successful sustainability management is the dual materiality analysis. It helps to gain clarity about the actual risks, opportunities and stakeholder expectations. Those who think strategically about ESG not only recognise reporting obligations, but also potential: from energy efficiency and more resilient supply chains to better capital market viability.

The white paper provides

• an overview of the current regulatory situation,
• recommendations for action for ESG integration in SMEs,
• sector-specific deep dives for logistics, automotive, industrial manufacturing and retail, among others, and
• impulses for voluntary reporting.

The focus is particularly on companies below the new CSRD thresholds proposed by the omnibus. They too should now examine which ESG factors are becoming more important in their business practice - for example in customer contact, financing discussions or in the supply chain.