A good one in four SMEs in Germany has already produced a sustainability report in recent years (28%). The figure is 23% for SMEs with 50 to 249 employees and as high as 53% for large companies with 250 to 1,000 employees. This was the result of a Forsa survey commissioned by the TÜV Association among 500 companies with 50 to 1,000 employees. According to the survey, industry is the pioneer in preparing reports, with a share of 41%.
Only 60% of companies publish their sustainability report. "Sustainability reports are an important tool for documenting, evaluating and initiating measures for environmental and climate protection," said Dr. Joachim Bühler, Managing Director of the TÜV Association, at the presentation of the survey. With the implementation of the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) adopted in November 2022 into national law, the preparation and external verification of sustainability reports will become mandatory for around 15,000 companies in Germany. "It is now important to create an open market for assurance services in order to avoid capacity bottlenecks and high costs for SMEs," said Bühler. In the survey, 80% of the companies questioned stated that the "widest possible range of independent auditing organizations" should be available. Associations also support this demand, such as the associations of the chemical industry (VCI), the mechanical and plant engineering industry (VDMA), the electrical and digital industry (ZVEI), the textile industry (General Association of the German Textile and Fashion Industry), the German Steel and Metal Processing Association (WSM) and the German Metals Association.
In a sustainability report, companies provide information on measures to improve environmental and climate protection as well as on social and economic aspects of their activities. The latter include, for example, working conditions within the company and at suppliers. According to the results of the survey, sustainability reports bring numerous benefits to companies: 75% cite an increase in energy efficiency, 66% a reduction in material consumption and 65% a reduction in waste. But "soft factors" also play an important role: improving image (88%), better integration of sustainability into corporate strategy (86%) or compliance with legal regulations (82%). 62% of respondents think it is good that sustainability reports are given a similar status to financial reporting.
