Main takeaways from the Webinar: Highlights of CSRD DAY
By Impact Institute
On December 5th, we hosted the webinar Highlights of CSRD DAY. The webinar shared key insights from CSRD DAY 2024 and offered tips and tricks from one of the CSRD Award Winners, Schijvens Corporate Fashion, a well-versed expert on CSRD reporting. For self-starters and professionals needing more guidance, the webinar focused on the ‘how’ of CSRD reporting. Moderator Menno van Leeuwen, CSRD Lead at Impact Institute, highlighted the timeliness of CSRD for businesses as THE hot topic of today.
Michel Scholte, Co-Founder of Impact Institute, stated “The goal of CSRD DAY and CSRD Awards is to see CSRD as not just as a regulatory requirement, but as an opportunity to create positive impact.’’ He shared key highlights of the plenary program and thematic sessions of CSRD DAY:
- Recognising Excellence: The newly introduced CSRD Awards celebrated exemplary sustainability reporting practices. This initiative inspires businesses to innovate and excel in their reporting processes.
- Good Governance: Businesses were encouraged to balance financial goals with societal impact, with future leaders playing a pivotal role in shaping governance for sustainable growth. This includes supply chain governance: strategies to strengthen multi-tier supply chains while integrating CSRD requirements were explored. Lastly, long-term societal and environmental impact was linked to integrating the SDGs and water footprint reporting into governance frameworks, also known as future governance
- CSRD Auditing: Best practices for audit readiness and compliance with EFRAG guidelines were shared to prepare businesses for upcoming standards
- Data and Reporting Tools: Leveraging ESG data to make informed sustainability decisions and streamline reporting processes was a focal point. Software like the CSRD Suite Software will simplify the reporting process.
Best practices from CSRD Award winner Schijvens
Jeske van Korven, CSR Manager at Schijvens Corporate Fashion, winner of the first CSRD Awards, shared best reporting practices from the company. Schijvens produces professional uniforms for companies like Hema and KLM. “Schijvens is not mandatory to report under CSRD, but we’ve been reporting on our sustainability for over a decade.”
About CSRD DAY
The first edition of CSRD DAY was organised on 12 November 2024. CSRD DAY is a new annual event for both large companies and SMEs and focused on implementing the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the transition to a sustainable economy and sustainable business practices. CSRD DAY was co-organised by Impact Insitute, Van der Molen E.I.S and Smart Work Places (SWP).
Best practices shared by Jeske:
- Embracing CSRD: Schijvens views CSRD as an opportunity to identify new opportunities and improve client relationships. They plan to start reporting in 2024, focusing on ten high-risk topics in their supply chain, including living wages and gender equality.
- On-the-Ground Insights: By visiting facilities in person, Schijvens has been able to pinpoint areas for improvement and enact changes, such as promoting women’s work opportunities and addressing gender equality in Pakistan.
- Building Reliable Partnerships: Reliable data collection from the supply chain and transparent communication, even on sensitive topics like child labour, are central to Schijvens’ approach to sustainability.
Looking forward: Trends and regulatory developments
We looked at the year ahead, as Michel Scholte highlighted future regulatory shifts:
- Broader reporting scope: in number of companies, by 2026, 4,500 companies in the Netherlands will report under CSRD, with a demand for increased data granularity
- Third-party verification: External audits and verifications will become the norm
- Digitalisation: Reports will be digitalised, making them publicly accessible in machine-readable formats for real-time updates
- Voluntary European Sustainability Reporting Standard: this framework is designed for non-listed SMEs
- Omnibus directive and the Compatibility of standards: a key initiative aimed at streamlining regulatory and reporting requirements within the EU, particularly concerning the EU Taxonomy, CSRD and CSDDD. The Omnibus Simplification Package is expected to be published on February 26, 2025
Introducing the CSRD Suite Software
Towards the end of the webinar, Tim Jonkers, Tech Manager at the Impact Institute, showcased the CSRD Suite Software that simplifies the reporting process. By integrating recognised frameworks such as TNFD and ENCORE, the tool assist business in their Double Materiality Assessment, while generating tailored suggestions for IROs, enabling businesses to kickstart their reporting journey efficiently and collaboratively. Want a demo? Get in touch here.
Conclusion
The Highlights of CSRD DAY webinar provided actionable insights and tools for businesses to leverage CSRD as a pathway for creating lasting societal and environmental impact. With the CSRD Awards serving as inspiration for good practices, CSRD is not just seen as a regulatory requirement, but as an opportunity to create a positive impact.
Want to watch the recording of the webinar? Click here. Want to stay up to date about future webinars and events? Join CSRD Academy Platform to stay up-to-date.
