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RSM Ebner Stolz / Insights / Environmental Social Governance (ESG)

Environmental Social Governance (ESG)

Sustainable action in companies has long since ceased to be a niche topic. Increasingly, customers, suppliers, investors, employees and the public sector also have high expectations of medium-sized companies when it comes to incorporating sustainability aspects into business decisions. Sustainability is therefore not only important for companies from a risk management and compliance perspective. The transformation to a sustainable company also offers many opportunities and can be a competitive advantage.

The very term Environmental Social Governance, or ESG for short, makes it clear how comprehensively SMEs must approach the topic: In addition to environmental aspects, social components and criteria for responsible corporate management also come into focus.

The fields of action concern the entire business activity as well as the organization of companies and range from the environmentally and climate-friendly as well as energy-efficient alignment of products and business processes to transparent corporate management and control to compliance with human rights throughout the entire supply chain. The economic, legal and tax implications of these factors for the business activities of companies are equally complex. Finally, non-financial reporting and its auditing are also gaining relevance for more and more companies.

There are numerous challenges to overcome when implementing ESG requirements in a company. To achieve the best possible result, interdisciplinary and cross-thematic consulting and a credible audit are therefore required. At Ebner Stolz, you can rely on a team from auditing, tax consulting, legal consulting and management consulting that works hand in hand and develops suitable solutions together with you in all relevant sustainability topics. Together, we will make your company fit for a sustainable future.

Our services at a glance

  • Advice on corporate due diligence in supply chains
  • Sustainability reporting and auditing
  • Green bond assurance
  • Tax aspects related to sustainable business (Green Tax)
  • Legal sustainability aspects (Legal ESG)
  • Sustainable corporate management
  • Transformation or change

Current Insights

Government draft of a CSRD implementation law: What companies can expect in terms of sustainability reporting

According to the requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD for short), companies will in the future be required to report in detail on how they deal with social and environmental challenges together with their annual financial statements. To this end, on 24 July 2024, the German Federal Cabinet passed a draft law to implement the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (EU Directive 2022/2464), or CSRD Implementation Act for short, after the German Federal Ministry of Justice published a corresponding draft bill on 22 March 2024.

The European Supply Chain Due Diligence Act is coming

On 15 March 2024, a sufficient majority of EU member states in the Committee of Permanent Representatives, a subsidiary body of the Council of the European Union, agreed to the diluted draft of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). Germany abstained from the vote. The draft now adopted deviates from the preliminary political agreement originally reached in the trilogue. It must now be formally adopted by the EU Council and subsequently approved by the EU Parliament.

Whistleblower Protection Act: What companies must do

With the so-called Whistleblower Protection Act, the German legislator has implemented the EU's Whistleblower Directive into German law in May 2023. The Whistleblower Protection Act has been in force for larger companies with 250 or more employees since June 2023. Smaller companies with 50 or more employees must comply with the provisions of the Act since December 17, 2023.

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