ZIV publishes VSME guide for bicycle industry
The ZIV has published a new guide on how to apply the VSME Standard. It will help companies active in the bicycle industry to report on their sustainability strategies and activities.
Sustainability reporting has become increasingly important in recent years – not least due to new regulatory requirements. With this, the Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for SMEs (VSME) has become particularly interesting for companies active in the bicycle industry as many of them are not subject to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
The VSME is a standardised EU-wide framework that offers a practical and credible introduction to voluntary sustainability reporting.
Many of the companies active in the bicycle industry are keen to make their activities and challenges transparent even when they are a small or medium-sized enterprise that is not obliged to report on sustainability. The ZIV’s new guide aims to help companies apply the VSME Standard effectively.
The guide provides a practical introduction to sustainability reporting and the VSME framework, explains the key requirements, and gives industry-specific tips and examples for effective application of the VSME Standard. The goal is to provide guidance on sustainability reporting and to help establish voluntary sustainability reporting within the bicycle industry.
Anke Schäffner, responsible for policy and sustainability at the ZIV:
»The VSME offers particularly small and medium-sized enterprises an excellent opportunity to communicate their sustainability strategies and activities. Many of the companies active in the bicycle industry are keen to make their efforts transparent even when they are not subject to the CSRD. Financial institutions, investors and customers are also increasingly asking for sustainability reports. The VSME is a suitable standard for meeting these demands.«
During preparation of the VSME guide, the ZIV also updated its materiality analysis for the bicycle industry. Relevant issues are included in the guide. ZIV members can access further information and the full list of impacts, risks and opportunities (IRO) in the members’ area.
The ZIV once again collaborated with the sustainability agency sustainable natives on preparation of the guide. Industry-specific topics and recommendations developed with ZIV members during a series of workshops were incorporated in. We would like to thank the member companies for their valuable input.
Sustainability reporting has become increasingly important in recent years – not least due to new regulatory requirements. With this, the Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for SMEs (VSME) has become particularly interesting for companies active in the bicycle industry as many of them are not subject to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
The VSME is a standardised EU-wide framework that offers a practical and credible introduction to voluntary sustainability reporting.
Many of the companies active in the bicycle industry are keen to make their activities and challenges transparent even when they are a small or medium-sized enterprise that is not obliged to report on sustainability. The ZIV’s new guide aims to help companies apply the VSME Standard effectively.
The guide provides a practical introduction to sustainability reporting and the VSME framework, explains the key requirements, and gives industry-specific tips and examples for effective application of the VSME Standard. The goal is to provide guidance on sustainability reporting and to help establish voluntary sustainability reporting within the bicycle industry.
Anke Schäffner, responsible for policy and sustainability at the ZIV:
»The VSME offers particularly small and medium-sized enterprises an excellent opportunity to communicate their sustainability strategies and activities. Many of the companies active in the bicycle industry are keen to make their efforts transparent even when they are not subject to the CSRD. Financial institutions, investors and customers are also increasingly asking for sustainability reports. The VSME is a suitable standard for meeting these demands.«
During preparation of the VSME guide, the ZIV also updated its materiality analysis for the bicycle industry. Relevant issues are included in the guide. ZIV members can access further information and the full list of impacts, risks and opportunities (IRO) in the members’ area.
The ZIV once again collaborated with the sustainability agency sustainable natives on preparation of the guide. Industry-specific topics and recommendations developed with ZIV members during a series of workshops were incorporated in. We would like to thank the member companies for their valuable input.
Downloads
- Guide in German | Anwendung des VSME-Standards in der Fahrradindustrie
- Guide in English | Applying the VSME Standard in the Bicycle Industry