Sustainability management for SMEs

Sustainability & ESG in SMEs – Current Framework

• What ESG Specifically Means for SMEs Today: Requirements from Supply Chains, Banks, Rating Agencies, and Public Contracts.
• Current Framework Conditions: UN SDGs, OECD Guidelines, EU Regulations, and Recent Changes—Which of These Are Truly Relevant for SMEs?
• VSME as an appropriate reporting standard for SMEs and its role in the supply chain of companies subject to CSRD requirements.

Management Systems & Process Managementas a Foundation

• Why Use a Systematic Approach to Management? PDCA Logic for Sustainability and ESG in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
• Integrating ESG and sustainability with ISO management systems (9001, 14001, 45001, 37301, etc.)—with a look ahead to ISO 53001 as an SDG management system.
• Real-World Examples from SMEs: What Really Works When Resources Are Limited?

Development and Integration of the Sustainability Management System

• PDCA as a Foundation: Context, Roles, Objectives, Actions, Metrics, Reviews.
• Roles and Responsibilities: Executive Management, Functional Departments, ESG Coordination, and Interfaces with Existing Management Systems.
• Leveraging Existing ISO Systems: How SMEs Can Integrate ESG Without Additional Certification.

ESG Tools from a Process Perspective

• SDG Mapping: Aligning Sustainability Goals with Corporate Goals.
• Stakeholder management and materiality analysis as the basis for ESG priorities.
• Opportunity and Risk Analysis with an ESG Focus.
• Sustainable procurement and supplier management, including typical questionnaires and ratings.

Sustainability Communication with VSME & Ratings

• Typical ESG requirements from ratings and questionnaires (e.g., EcoVadis, NQC/SAQ, banks, customers) and how to address them effectively.
• VSME – the voluntary sustainability standard for SMEs: Basic Concept, Structure, and Connection to the ESRS Framework.
• The Path to Streamlined Sustainability Communication: From Internal Documentation to a VSME-Compliant Report
• Use of the VSME report for customer communications, the website, offers, and meetings with banks.