News and changes
Changes to the standard, new emission factors and what customers and banks have started asking in practice — and what you need to do about it.
Calculating CO2 in the installation sector: where do you start?
A practical first step for installation companies that need to calculate their CO2 emissions: which invoices you need and how to account for your vehicle fleet, materials and on-site work.
Read more →What data must the installation sector provide to the bank?
Banks ask installation companies mainly about their vehicle fleet, the materials used, and work performed on-site at customer locations. This article shows which figures typically come up and where you already have them on file.
Read more →ESG questionnaire in the installation sector: what is being asked?
An overview of the questions that installation companies typically receive from customers, banks or insurers, with the vehicle fleet, materials and on-site work at the core.
Read more →Your first sustainability report in the metals and manufacturing industry: what goes in it?
A first sustainability report for a metals company focuses mainly on two things: the energy consumption of your processes and the source of your raw materials. We show you how to go from loose figures to a complete, shareable report.
Read more →Record waste in the metal and manufacturing industry: what does your processor provide?
An explanation of which waste data appears in a sustainability questionnaire, which documents your waste processor already maintains for you, and how those figures relate to energy use and the origin of metals.
Read more →What employee figures does an ESG questionnaire ask for in the metal and manufacturing industry?
An explanation of which numbers of employees, hours and absence figures appear in an ESG questionnaire, and how to obtain them from your payroll system without recording names.
Read more →Drawing up a sustainability policy for the metals and manufacturing industry: what do you put on paper?
A sustainability policy for a metals or manufacturing company describes how you handle energy-intensive processes and the origin of raw materials, and is not a legal document but a record of what you already do.
Read more →Scope 1 and 2 in the metals and manufacturing industry: which figures do you need?
For metal companies, scope 1 and 2 are the two categories that almost always belong in the ESG dossier: fuel that you burn yourself and electricity that you purchase. This article shows which documents you need for this and why the origin of raw materials is separate from it.
Read more →What may a client no longer ask from the metal and manufacturing industry?
For metal processors and manufacturing companies, the scope 3 supply chain requirement is sensitive on two topics: the energy consumption of casting, forging and welding, and the origin of steel, aluminium or other raw materials. This article shows where the VSME standard draws the line.
Read more →VSME for metal and manufacturing: what is and isn't covered?
The VSME standard determines what a customer may ask a metal or manufacturing company about energy consumption and raw materials — this article shows exactly where that boundary lies.
Read more →Calculate CO2 in metal and manufacturing: where do you start?
A metal or manufacturing company that needs to calculate its CO2 emissions starts with the energy bill and fuel receipts; energy-intensive processes and the origin of raw materials come next.
Read more →What sustainability data does a bank request from a metal processing company?
Banks and financiers focus on energy-intensive processes and the source of raw materials when assessing metal and manufacturing companies — this article explains why and what that means in practice.
Read more →ESG questionnaire in the metals and manufacturing industry: what is being asked?
An overview of the questions that customers, banks and insurers ask metal processing and manufacturing companies, with emphasis on energy consumption and the origin of raw materials.
Read more →Your first sustainability report in transport and logistics: what do you include?
An overview of what belongs in a first sustainability report for a transport or logistics company: fuel, vehicle fleet and outsourced transport as main components, built from documents you already have.
Read more →Record waste in transport and logistics: what does your processor provide?
For the sustainability reporting questionnaire you do not need to set up new waste administration: the weigh slip and invoice from your waste processor usually already provide enough to fill in the requested figures.
Read more →What personnel figures does an ESG questionnaire request in transport and logistics?
An overview of the personnel numbers that appear in an ESG questionnaire for transport and logistics, and how to retrieve them from your payroll records without recording names.
Read more →Draw up a sustainability policy for transport and logistics: what do you put on paper?
A sustainability policy for a transport or logistics company describes how you handle fuel, vehicle fleet, outsourced transport and staff mobility. This article shows what belongs in it and what you can base on data you already have.
Read more →Scope 1 and 2 in transport and logistics: which figures do you need?
For a transport company, scope 1 and 2 are the figures that must be tracked: fuel, own vehicle fleet and electricity consumption. This article shows which documents you already have in-house for this.
Read more →What may a client no longer ask a transport and logistics company?
Since March 2026, a client of a transport company with one thousand employees or fewer may not request more sustainability information than the VSME standard permits. This article explains what this concretely means for fuel, fleet composition and outsourced transport.
Read more →VSME for transport and logistics: what is included and what is not?
An overview of what the voluntary VSME standard does and does not require of a transport or logistics company concerning fuel, vehicle fleet and outsourced transport — and what falls outside its scope.
Read more →Calculating CO2 in transport and logistics: where do you start?
For most transport companies, CO2 calculation begins with fuel receipts and energy bills; what is transported by subcontractors falls into a separate category.
Read more →What sustainability data does the bank ask from a transport company?
Financiers of transport and logistics companies primarily ask about fuel consumption, vehicle fleet composition and outsourced transport — this article shows which documents you already have in house.
Read more →ESG questionnaire in transport and logistics: what is being asked?
Hauliers and logistics service providers frequently receive the same questions: fuel consumption, fleet composition and emissions from outsourced transport. This article sets out where these questions come from and how to identify them.
Read more →Your first sustainability report in construction: what do you include?
A construction company's first sustainability report does not need to contain everything that exists in terms of sustainability data — but it does need the figures your client actually asks for, supported by documents you already have.
Read more →Record waste in construction: what data do you already have?
For an ESG questionnaire on waste and materials, you don't need to keep anything new: weighing notes, waste removal documents and purchase data you already have together form the answer.
Read more →What personnel figures does an ESG questionnaire ask for in construction?
An ESG questionnaire often asks for numbers of employees, turnover and absenteeism, not names. This article shows which figures those are and how to extract them from your payroll system.
Read more →Sustainability policy for your construction firm: what should it include?
A client, bank or insurer increasingly asks for a written sustainability policy. This article sets out what should be in it for a construction firm, from material selection to transport to the building site.
Read more →Scope 1 and 2 in construction: what figures do you need?
An overview of the fuel and energy figures a construction company must provide under scope 1 and 2, and why material use and outsourced transport typically fall outside these.
Read more →What may a client no longer ask a construction company?
The supply chain obligation limits what a client in construction may ask about sustainability, specifically regarding material use and transport to the building site — this article explains where that boundary lies in practice.
Read more →VSME for construction: what is and isn't included?
An overview of what the VSME standard does ask about material use and transport to the construction site, and where a client's questions go beyond that.
Read more →Calculate CO2 in construction: where do you start?
For a construction company, a CO2 overview starts with fuel and electricity, not materials. This article shows which invoices you need first and how to then address material use and transport to the construction site.
Read more →What sustainability data does a bank request from a construction company?
Banks financing construction companies increasingly ask about material use, transport to the construction site, and the requirements that clients have already imposed. This article explains where these questions come from and which documents you can prepare in advance.
Read more →Sustainability questionnaire in construction: which questions come up repeatedly?
Construction companies often receive the same questions repeatedly: about material consumption, transport to the construction site, and the requirements of the client. This article lists them and shows where you can find them in your own documents.
Read more →An ESG questionnaire for the second time: why that takes just minutes
After the first time you don't have to search again: the file you built is ready, and a new questionnaire becomes mainly a matter of checking and submitting.
Read more →Does green electricity count in your CO2 figure?
Whether green electricity reduces your CO2 emissions depends on the type of evidence on your electricity bill and how your customer wants scope 2 calculated.
Read more →Is there an ESG certificate for SMEs?
There is no body that certifies or approves SME sustainability reporting. This article explains what you can show to a customer, bank or insurer instead.
Read more →Sustainability report for SMEs: what goes in it (and what doesn't)?
A sustainability report for an SME is an overview of data you already have, structured according to the VSME standard. This article shows what belongs in it, what it explicitly is not, and which claims you should better avoid.
Read more →Does my company need a code of conduct for the sustainability questionnaire?
A code of conduct is not a legal requirement for most SMEs, but the question appears in almost every sustainability questionnaire. This article explains what the VSME standard precisely means by it and what you can present if you do not yet have a formal document.
Read more →CSRD supply chain provision: what your customer can no longer ask
Since March 2026, a reporting undertaking may not request more sustainability information from a supplier with one thousand employees or fewer than the VSME Standard requires. This article explains what this means and how to identify and respond to a question that goes beyond this.
Read more →Does your company fall under the CSRD?
After the simplification of 2026, most SMEs are no longer directly subject to the CSRD, but through the questionnaire of a large customer, bank or insurer you often still have to deal with it.
Read more →How do you calculate CO2 emissions from your energy bill?
Your energy bill contains the basic data for a CO2 figure: consumption. The emissions themselves follow from an established emission factor, not from anything stated on the bill itself.
Read more →Scope 1, 2 and 3: which must you provide to your customer?
Of the three categories in a sustainability reporting questionnaire, you will almost always retrieve two directly from your own records; the third is not applicable to most SMEs.
Read more →ESRS for SMEs explained: what it covers and what it doesn't
The ESRS for SMEs is the voluntary EU standard for sustainability reporting by non-listed small and medium-sized enterprises. This article explains what the standard requires, what deliberately remains outside its scope, and why that boundary is not arbitrary.
Read more →What sustainability data do banks request for financing?
Banks increasingly ask about energy consumption, fuel use and CO2 emissions when you apply for financing. This article explains why, what is usually asked and how best to provide it.
Read more →ESG questionnaire from your largest customer: what do you really need to fill in?
A large buyer does not simply ask for everything: since March 2026 there is a clear limit to what a supplier with one thousand employees or fewer must provide. This article shows where that limit lies and how to politely refuse the excess.
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