Duty as an opportunity

ESG and CSRD - what opportunities lie in sustainability reporting

Following the entry into force of the CSRD Directive, non-financial reporting will become mandatory for a large number of companies from 2024. An event organized by the Finance and Sustainability Committee aimed to discuss the topic more broadly - and in particular to highlight the opportunities that lie in this supposedly mandatory exercise. Sustainability, ESG & CSRD - what requirements do companies have to meet?

Moderator Prof. Dr. Anja Grothe, Professor of Sustainability Management at the Berlin School of Economics and Law until 2022, began by tracing the broader arc - from the beginnings of the sustainability debate to today's regulatory framework. In the central impulse, Ms. Yvonne Zwick, Chairwoman of B.A.U.M, the German Working Group for Environmentally Conscious Management, delved deeper into the topics. She once again presented the European timetable for regulation, in particular the staggered introduction of CSRD reporting obligations, as well as the EU Sustainable Finance Strategy. Her most important message was "There is no magic in reporting". Every company can take this topic into its own hands and set up simple and solid reporting that is both appropriate for the company and meets the requirements.

Maria Blume, Head of Sustainability at Getränke Hoffmann, provided proof of this in the following practical report. This is exactly how the company's current sustainability report was created in 2022.

Sabine Räbiger from the host VBKI Finance and Sustainability Committee thanked the moderators and the joint appeal: Start. Do it. Sustainable corporate management is a path, not a temporary project.