Sustainability requirements and the associated Sustainability Services play an ever-greater role in aligning business activities.
Sustainability Requirements
Engaging in economic, ecological and social areas, dealing with a shortage of resources, climate change and job security, and observing human rights, in short Sustainability Services, have become an integral part of a company’s activities and the reporting thereon. Stakeholders increasingly expect reporting on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) factors. Legal requirements also focus on sustainability issues such as the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). In addition, the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and EU Taxonomy also influence corporate conduct.
In order to put these diverse sustainability reporting requirements into practice, frameworks such as the GRI Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative are used. It is to be highlighted that the German Council for Sustainable Development has established the German Sustainability Code (DNK), a framework for standardising sustainability reporting.
Sustainability Reporting
Until now only certain companies have had the duty to comply with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Guidelines Implementation Act and to prepare a non-financial statement. Many companies have, however, decided on reporting voluntarily. As of 2025, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will go into effect and the number of companies having the duty to do such reporting will increase. Along with the large companies of public interest and public limited companies in the EU, large companies not trading on capital markets and smaller and medium-sized capital market-oriented companies will have to publish information on their sustainable corporate performance.
In order to put these diverse sustainability reporting requirements into practice, frameworks such as the GRI Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative are used. It is to be highlighted that the German Council for Sustainable Development has established the German Sustainability Code (DNK), a framework for standardising sustainability reporting.
We can support you in getting started to report on sustainability. Along with the individual alignment in reporting on your company’s situation, it is also necessary to select the proper tools and to set up the proper processes. In addition, we can prepare a draft report in order to ensure that all regulatory requirements are met.
Assurance Reviews of Sustainability Reports
In terms of maintaining credibility, many companies have already decided on gaining assurance on their sustainability reports, even if they voluntarily publish non-financial information.
We can perform an assurance review of your sustainability reports, no matter if they have the duty to publish them or if they voluntarily want to publish them. We thereby examine both the processes for gathering sustainability data as well as for compliance with domestic and international standards.
Our Sustainability Services in detail
In the framework of our Sustainability Services our experts support you in identifying opportunities and risks, in developing strategic sustainability approaches and implementing them by:
- Preparing and performing assurance reviews of CSR reports
- Preparing non-financial (Group) statements and reportings in the (Group) management report
- Preparing sustainability reports
- Preparing integrated reporting in accordance with the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)
