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string(4949) "The debate about the role of companies and financial institutions in the transformation process towards a more sustainable economy includes the discussion of sustainability reporting standards for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The various sustainability information needs of different business partners and stakeholders of SMEs need to be taken into account here (the DRSC/RNE pilot group recently published an overview of the information needs of different stakeholders with regard to sustainability of SMEs).
The Principal Adverse Impact Indicators (PAIs) are of central importance in this debate on sustainability reporting standards for SMEs. According to the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, PAIs are the basis for information provided by financial market participants on their investments in order to highlight potential adverse impacts on sustainability. The indicators are intended to provide information on potential adverse impacts of business activities on, for example, biodiversity, gender diversity and equality, respect for human rights and energy consumption. According to the recently published proposals by the European standard setter EFRAG (Exposure Draft ESRS LSME and Exposure Draft ESRS VSME) SMEs should also provide more information on these PAIs.
By publishing this heat map, the DRSC/RNE pilot group aims to contribute to the discussion on the development of sustainability reporting standards for SMEs with regard to the PAI. The pilot group assessed the feasibility (difficulty of implementation) of the indicators as well as the demand and relevance for SMEs. The heat map illustrates this assessment and points out particular challenges for SMEs. The need for support for SMEs and the possible need to adapt indicators can be derived from this. The pilot group identified a need for action in particular with regard to the measurement of impacts on biodiversity, Scope 3 GHG emissions and the structures for monitoring compliance with the UNGC principles and OECD guidelines. To assess the indicators, the DRSC/RNE pilot group held expert discussions with representatives of other SMEs, financial institutions and large companies.
Prof Dr Alexander Bassen (University of Hamburg), chair of the DRSC/RNE pilot group, puts the work into perspective: "We were once again able to have insightful discussions with experts in this field for the preparation of the heat map. We are pleased to show where there is a specific need for action and to contribute to the debate on the development of sustainability reporting by SMEs".
Georg Lanfermann, President of the DRSC, adds: "The EFRAG proposals for mandatory and voluntary SME sustainability reporting extensively refer to the PAIs. The heat map is therefore not only highly topical, but also of central importance for the success of EFRAG's work."
[document id="98435"]
Background:
The paper presented is based on the Pilot Group “SME Reporting” initiated as part of the cooperation agreement between the DRSC and the RNE. This group is made up of experienced representatives from SMEs and various stakeholder groups in SME sustainability reporting. This paper is in line with previous publications on the development of sustainability reporting standards. In December 2022, for example, a paper on key elements for SME sustainability reporting standards was published; in August 2023, the pilot group presented an overview of various information demands for sustainability reporting. An overview of the composition as well as past and future activities of the DRSC/RNE pilot group can be found here. As part of the cooperation, companies are to be supported in the implementation of new legal reporting requirements."
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string(6231) "Having adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in January 2023, the EU is gradually expanding the cohort of businesses that will be obliged to report on their sustainability performance moving forward. In Germany alone, some 15,000 companies are directly affected by this expansion of the reporting requirement. “But many more companies are indirectly impacted, because the bigger ones that are obliged to report will need information from their suppliers and business partners in order to provide their own reports”, point out Stephanie Kopp and Florian Harrlandt, coordinators of the German Sustainability Code (DNK) at the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE). Even though the first companies will not have to report on the 2024 fiscal year until 2025, businesses are better advised to start preparing now rather than wait until nearer the time.
Low-threshold and free to use
Companies wishing to get ahead can avail themselves of a tried-and-tested tool that is free to use, in the form of the DNK. “The DNK is an established standard for structured publication of corporate sustainability performance. The various offerings of the DNK office are just as helpful for first-time users as they are for companies experienced in reporting”, says Dr Alexander Bassen, professor of business administration at the University of Hamburg, former RNE member and academic advisor on the DNK. Already 1,000 users are taking advantage of the DNK’s services, primarily attracted by the low-threshold access to the topic, according to surveys of participating companies. Another benefit of the Code is the impetus it provides for internal reflection and change – something that is also gaining ground among employees.
Transparent and comparable
The RNE launched the German Sustainability Code back in 2010. The idea for a transparency standard came about during the 2008 financial crisis, which had its origins in the inadequate assessment of credit risks. “It was the perfect moment to start including social and environmental aspects in the core analysis of credit and investment risks”, explains Yvonne Zwick, who was on the DNK development team from day one. The impetus came from the banking metropolis of Frankfurt. “The financial crisis revealed that looking at the financials alone was taking too narrow a view. Both the governance and the overall capital stock have to be examined as well if you want to assess how future-proof an investment is”, continues Zwick. To get an accurate picture of this, sustainability performance must be transparent and comparable. So this begged the question of how better management could make the capital market more sustainability-driven in practice.
The answer soon came: with academic support from Dr Bassen, the RNE adopted the DNK in October 2011. Based on a set of 20 criteria, the Code maps sustainability in the corporate context, allowing companies to report on issues such as climate change and compliance with labour law, but also existing targets and measures.
Since then, it has been constantly enhanced and adjusted to new requirements. Major revisions were carried out in 2014, 2017 and 2020, a database and pool of experts were set up, a training concept for partners was established and a series of industry guidelines on the DNK were published. The RNE office consistently monitors the Sustainability Code for coherence with other reporting frameworks and responds to current political developments as necessary.
“The DNK can offer a great deal of added value for companies now and in the future, by consolidating new European reporting requirements and making them easily accessible, for SMEs in particular. That will be a huge help with the implementation and funding of the transformation”, says Dr Bassen, emphasising: “The strategic anchoring of sustainability in companies along with transparent reporting are essential for competitive and future-proof positioning.”
Modular and voluntary
An important aim of the DNK is to turn sustainability into a market-relevant criterion, and the growing number of corporate users shows that this is indeed working. “The DNK is a success story. For over ten years now, large and small firms alike have been working towards the goal of sustainable business with the help of the DNK”, beams RNE Chair Reiner Hoffmann. “What sets the DNK apart is its modular approach. Though a voluntary code of practice, it also enables businesses to fulfil their reporting duties. And it will continue to help companies of any size realise different reporting obligations in the same format”, add Kopp and Harrlandt.
The last two years have seen the number of corporate users multiply. “That’s a clear sign of need for the support the DNK offers. Throughout Germany and beyond, companies are using the DNK to evidence their contribution towards achieving shared objectives like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals or the Paris climate targets. We are delighted to continue incentivising corporate responsibility with the DNK”, confirms Hoffmann.
Nor does the DNK’s success stop at Germany’s borders. International stakeholders too have long shown an interest in the DNK and the experiences of the RNE in this area. The first full national adaptation emerged in 2016 when the Greek NGO QualityNet Foundation produced the Greek Sustainability Code. An English version entitled “The Sustainability Code” was published in 2014 and further translations are available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Greek, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, Czech and Romanian.
The need for support as SMEs push on with their transformation will only accelerate. “The DNK has already established itself as an orientation guide, and we want to make sure we keep that up and preferably expand it”, add Kopp and Harrlandt. Having proved itself as a reliable companion for businesses, it would appear that the DNK is here to stay for the next ten years and no doubt beyond.
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string(366) "European companies are going sustainable – at least that’s the plan, as the EU aims to boost sustainability in business with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. The regulation presents challenges for many companies, but these can be overcome with the German Sustainability Code (DNK). So what is the secret to the transparency standard’s success?"
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Berlin, 31.10.2019 – The German Sustainability Code (DNK) has been awarded the ISAR Honours 2019 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The award ceremony took place on 30th October 2019 in Geneva at the annual session of ISAR (Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting).
This international award recognises initiatives that deliver an outstanding contribution to transparency regarding sustainability in businesses, particularly through enhancing the comparability and quality of companies’ reporting on sustainability issues. A Review Committee of distinguished international experts selects the award winners based on their effective encouragement and assistance for companies’ reporting on sustainability performance. The experts were impressed by the Sustainability Code’s user friendliness for both the reporting companies and the reports’ target audience. Readers can access and compare the reports by means of the Code’s free online database and external users can also conduct meta-analyses. A technical interface allows immediate usage of the published information in other evaluation systems. As an open source solution for ecological, social and governance (ESG) data, the Code therefore also contributes to Sustainable Finance.
For Yvonne Zwick, Deputy Secretary General and Head of the Sustainability Code Office, the Code’s users are a pillar of its success. “We are very grateful to accept the ISAR Honours 2019 Award on behalf of all the companies that comply with the Sustainability Code and thus promote standardised and focused sustainability reporting”, she commented. “We would like to thank the Review Committee for its positive evaluation of the Code. This award supports our ambition to establish the Code internationally – as a standard that is open to all and easy to use”, she added.
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string(7772) "Berlin, 15. November 2018 – The German federal government is seeking to establish the upholding of human rights in global supply and value chains with the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights (NAP). As the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights approaches its 70th anniversary, the Sustainability Code is enabling companies to incorporate the fourth core element of the NAP, namely reporting, in their Code declaration. The aim is for companies to assume greater responsibility for their human rights due diligence obligations and to report on their commitment to upholding human rights in a manner which is traceable. Between 2018 and 2020 the federal government will use scientific monitoring to gather data on whether companies have integrated the so-called core elements of human rights due diligence obligations into their processes. The federal government anticipates that at least half of the approximately 6,500 companies in Germany with more than 500 employees will have complied with this new reporting obligation by 2020.
This comprises
- a human rights policy statement,
- procedures for the identification of adverse impacts on human rights,
- measures to prevent negative impacts on human rights,
- reviews of the effectiveness of these measures,
- reporting and
- grievance mechanisms.
Depending on the outcome of the evaluation in 2020 the government is reserving the right to take further steps including legal measures should the target figure not be met.
“70 years after the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this topic is becoming more and more relevant. There is increasing pressure on companies to adopt a clear position regarding just how seriously they take the matter of human rights in reality and whether this is corroborated by appropriate processes and responsibility structures,” says Marlehn Thieme, Chairwoman of the RNE. “Reporting on human rights issues has been an integral part of the Sustainability Code since the outset. I am therefore delighted that we are now incorporating the parts relevant to reporting within the NAP, which was developed in the course of an in-depth stakeholder process, into the Code.” This allows companies that use the Code for NAP reporting to clearly signal to official bodies that they are committed to fulfilling their due diligence obligations.
Reporting on human rights with the Sustainability Code
Those who use the Code draw on 20 criteria to report on their strategic focus, their sustainability achievements and the opportunities that arise from considering sustainability issues. Organisations were already able to report on how they handled human rights within criterion 17. This criterion has now been expanded to incorporate questions appropriate to the NAP. Companies wishing to provide a detailed account of their commitment to protecting human rights can select an option within the database that allows them to use the Code plus the NAP reporting points. The additional points are then displayed and are critically reviewed for formal completeness by the Sustainability Code Office. Responsibility for the content nevertheless still lies with the reporting organisations.
With this incorporation, the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) hopes to accommodate companies in the area of reporting on human rights, thereby playing a part in implementation of the NAP. “Companies, be they seasoned reporters or only just starting out with reporting, have to navigate a plethora of reporting options and standards. The Code offers organisations pragmatic assistance in meeting both statutory and voluntary requirements such as the NAP in a single well-organised report,” concludes Marlehn Thieme.
Political background
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations on 10 December 1948. This year sees the 70th anniversary of this historic moment. Globalisation, climate change and the fight against terror present the enforcement of human rights with new challenges. For example, access to clean drinking water was declared a new human right in 2010. As human rights due diligence obligations do not lie with individual countries alone, the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously adopted the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011. The aim of these principles is to improve the human rights situation throughout supply and value chains. With the 2030 Agenda in mind, the German federal cabinet adopted the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights in 2016 with a view to implementing the UN Guiding Principles. In so doing, the German federal government has enshrined this topic not only at the political level, but also at the corporate one. www.wirtschaft-menschenrechte.de
The Sustainability Code promotes corporate and social responsibility. Using 20 criteria and supplementary performance indicators, it presents the sustainability performance of national and international organisations and companies regardless of their size and legal structure. Since the beginning of 2017 capital-market-oriented companies with more than 500 employees have been required to report on their sustainability activities. The European Commission and the German federal government have praised the Code as a suitable standard for fulfilling the reporting obligation. Its area of focus and uncomplicated handling also make the Code an ideal tool for small and medium-sized enterprises. www.sustainabilitycode.org
The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) was first called into being in April 2001 by the German government of that time under Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. RNE comprises 15 public figures. Its tasks are to generate contributions for implementing the National Sustainability Strategy, to specify concrete fields of activity and projects and also to make sustainability a public issue of vital importance. RNE independently chooses its array of topics and actions. Examples of the outcomes of its current work include the Sustainability Code, statements on the Sustainable Development Goals, on climate policy, raw material policy and fiscal sustainability as well as on organic farming. It also includes the civil society initiatives of the sustainability project, the strategy dialogue with lord mayors on sustainable urban development, impulses from youths and young adults for municipal sustainability and German sustainability policy as well as RNE’s contributions towards the green economy.
More information available at www.sustainabilitycouncil.de
Media Relations RNE:
Sustainability Code Office
c/o imug Beratungsgesellschaft
Telephone: +49 (0)30 33842 4888
E-Mail: team@sustainabilitycode.org
Katja Tamchina
German Council for Sustainable Development
Office c/o GIZ GmbH
Potsdamer Platz 10
D-10785 Berlin
Telephone: +49 (0)30 338424-233
E-Mail: katja.tamchina@nachhaltigkeitsrat.de"
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string(4949) "The debate about the role of companies and financial institutions in the transformation process towards a more sustainable economy includes the discussion of sustainability reporting standards for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The various sustainability information needs of different business partners and stakeholders of SMEs need to be taken into account here (the DRSC/RNE pilot group recently published an overview of the information needs of different stakeholders with regard to sustainability of SMEs).
The Principal Adverse Impact Indicators (PAIs) are of central importance in this debate on sustainability reporting standards for SMEs. According to the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, PAIs are the basis for information provided by financial market participants on their investments in order to highlight potential adverse impacts on sustainability. The indicators are intended to provide information on potential adverse impacts of business activities on, for example, biodiversity, gender diversity and equality, respect for human rights and energy consumption. According to the recently published proposals by the European standard setter EFRAG (Exposure Draft ESRS LSME and Exposure Draft ESRS VSME) SMEs should also provide more information on these PAIs.
By publishing this heat map, the DRSC/RNE pilot group aims to contribute to the discussion on the development of sustainability reporting standards for SMEs with regard to the PAI. The pilot group assessed the feasibility (difficulty of implementation) of the indicators as well as the demand and relevance for SMEs. The heat map illustrates this assessment and points out particular challenges for SMEs. The need for support for SMEs and the possible need to adapt indicators can be derived from this. The pilot group identified a need for action in particular with regard to the measurement of impacts on biodiversity, Scope 3 GHG emissions and the structures for monitoring compliance with the UNGC principles and OECD guidelines. To assess the indicators, the DRSC/RNE pilot group held expert discussions with representatives of other SMEs, financial institutions and large companies.
Prof Dr Alexander Bassen (University of Hamburg), chair of the DRSC/RNE pilot group, puts the work into perspective: "We were once again able to have insightful discussions with experts in this field for the preparation of the heat map. We are pleased to show where there is a specific need for action and to contribute to the debate on the development of sustainability reporting by SMEs".
Georg Lanfermann, President of the DRSC, adds: "The EFRAG proposals for mandatory and voluntary SME sustainability reporting extensively refer to the PAIs. The heat map is therefore not only highly topical, but also of central importance for the success of EFRAG's work."
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The paper presented is based on the Pilot Group “SME Reporting” initiated as part of the cooperation agreement between the DRSC and the RNE. This group is made up of experienced representatives from SMEs and various stakeholder groups in SME sustainability reporting. This paper is in line with previous publications on the development of sustainability reporting standards. In December 2022, for example, a paper on key elements for SME sustainability reporting standards was published; in August 2023, the pilot group presented an overview of various information demands for sustainability reporting. An overview of the composition as well as past and future activities of the DRSC/RNE pilot group can be found here. As part of the cooperation, companies are to be supported in the implementation of new legal reporting requirements."
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