04.2024 - 04.2026

FfE sustainability reporting network

Data and key figures for a targeted transformation

Sustainability reporting is a highly topical and burning issue for many companies. Due to new regulations – in particular the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) – companies are faced with the challenge of creating a sustainability report that complies with the guidelines. The FfE Sustainability Reporting Network accompanies eight companies on their way to a sustainability report and supports them with specialist lectures by experts and regular exchanges with other companies.

Motivation

As part of the European Green Deal, the EU has adopted the CSRD on non-financial reporting of European companies to make sustainability reporting more transparent and comparable. The CSRD significantly expands existing regulations on non-financial reporting. In addition, the information for the CSRD must be integrated into the management report. For the 2025 financial year, all companies that fulfill two of the following three criteria are affected:

  • Balance sheet total > 25 Million Euros
  • Net sales > 50 Million Euros
  • Number of employees > 250.

It is estimated that more than 49,000 companies in the EU are obliged to report on sustainability, 15,000 of them in Germany.

Project objective

To master the challenges of preparing a CSRD-compliant management report, the FfE is launching and organizing the Sustainability Reporting Network. The aim of the network is to prepare efficiently for the new sustainability reporting obligations by building up expertise through an intensive exchange with other companies and experts.

Figure 1: Kick-off event of the FfE sustainability reporting network

Building knowledge and expertise in the network

The official launch of the FfE sustainability reporting network took place in April 2024 with eight companies from various sectors, ranging from the metal industry to furniture production. The network will run for a period of two years, during which the participants will meet at regular intervals for joint workshops. As part of a kick-off event for getting to know each other, initial insights into the reporting obligation were provided and common topics and goals were formulated. The content of the workshops includes the latest regulatory news, keynote speeches by experts, an exchange of experiences and interactive workshops. The aim of the workshops is always to show as practically as possible what tasks companies will face and to tackle these using specific examples. The FfE provides participants with materials and tools that can be used to help with implementation. An important component is the exchange of best practices and the discussion of current topics that the participating companies are dealing with during implementation.

The first workshops had a focus on the basics of sustainability reporting such as data basis, stakeholder and materiality analysis as well as the possibilities of CSRD software solutions. In addition, the individual topic-specific ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards) environment, social and governance will be examined in detail in further deep dives. The sustainability reporting network thus offers comprehensive support for companies on their way to sustainability reporting and integrating sustainable corporate practices into their business strategy.

Figure 2: Exemplary structure of a sustainability reporting network meeting

Participating companies

  • Alpitronic – Charging station technology
  • Bauer Unternehmensgruppe – Mechanical engineering, commercial vehicle workshop & trade
  • Eisenwerk Martinlamitz – Iron foundry
  • Himolla – Upholstered furniture industry
  • Franken Guss GmbH & Co. KG – Foundry
  • Gunvor – Oil refinery
  • Schreiner Group – Printing and media / label printing
  • Südmetall – Wholesale and foreign trade

How can we support you?

Do you need support in preparing your first CSRD report? It is still possible to join the network. We are also happy to pass on the expertise and experience we have gained in supporting companies in preparing their CSRD report. Feel free to contact us, we offer projects for many different areas of sustainability reporting:

  • Workshops and training on materiality analysis
  • EU Taxonomy
  • Accounting for Scope 1-3 emissions
  • Measures and objectives