EU: Voluntary Reporting Standard for SMEs Launched
August 05, 2025
On July 30, 2025, the European Commission recommended a new Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for SMEs that are out of scope of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
The initiative is designed to help SMEs remain competitive within supply chains and improve access to green finance, without imposing the full compliance burden associated with more complex reporting frameworks.
Developed by the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), the standard provides a simplified framework to help SMEs meet growing demand for ESG data – particularly from larger companies and financial institutions subject to the CSRD. The recommendation is part of the broader Omnibus I simplification package and serves as a transitional measure to address market demands until a formal delegated act is adopted.
Although the new sustainability reporting standard is voluntary, SMEs that choose not to engage may face challenges in maintaining relationships with larger corporate partners, who require increasingly clear and consistent ESG data to meet their own regulatory obligations under frameworks like the CSRD.
The simplified standards offer a clearer structure for integrating sustainability data across supply chains, improving consistency and reducing reporting friction.
To prepare, businesses should:
- evaluate their current ESG data capabilities and identify gaps
- consider adopting the basic module of the voluntary reporting standard
- communicate with key partners about their ESG data needs
Latest Insights
Latest Events
- virtual | July 08, 2026Energy Transition Series - Project Financing BESS: Comparing the UK market to emerging debt structures in Continental Europe
- in-person | September 02, 2026A leadership conversation for Global GCs
- virtual | September 10, 2026UAE - Employment law in the Dubai International Financial Centre
- in-person | September 10, 2026Managing AI use in the workplace: what every UK HR team needs to know
legal updates
June 25, 2026
UK: FCA consults on changes to its penalty and decision-making policies
legal updates
June 24, 2026
Commercially connected - June 2026
legal updates
June 24, 2026
Legal Compass Switzerland: Corporate Law
legal updates
June 23, 2026
Implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive - The latest developmen...
virtual
Energy Transition Series - Project Financing BESS: Comparing the UK market ...
July 08, 2026
10:00 ET | 15:00 BST | 16:00 CET
in-person
A leadership conversation for Global GCs
September 02, 2026
17:30 - 19:30
MS Wädenswil, Bürkliplatz, Zurich Schiffstation
virtual
UAE - Employment law in the Dubai International Financial Centre
September 10, 2026
9.30am - 1.30pm (GMT)
Virtual
in-person
Managing AI use in the workplace: what every UK HR team needs to know
September 10, 2026
9.30am - 1.00pm (BST)
London, United Kingdom