The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) has released two complementary reports designed to support the roll-out of the Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for SMEs (VSME).
The first report offers practical guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to disclose greenhouse gas emissions in line with VSME. It maps 100 digital tools, including emissions calculators and geolocation platforms, submitted in response to EFRAG’s call for interest. A comparative analysis of shortlisted GHG calculators that met pre-defined criteria is provided to help SMEs identify reliable resources for emissions reporting.
The second report reviews 223 platforms and initiatives for SME sustainability reporting. It compares the characteristics of those shortlisted platforms that completed a self-assessment grid to test alignment with VSME. This exercise highlights practical options available to SMEs looking to adopt the framework, particularly following the European Commission’s July recommendation encouraging uptake.
Patrick de Cambourg, Chair of the EFRAG Sustainability Reporting Board, said the findings offer “an initial step towards a much-needed pan-European ecosystem to empower SMEs in their sustainability journey.” He emphasised that while the reports capture only those tools and platforms responding to the call for interest, they nonetheless provide valuable insight into Europe’s evolving digital reporting landscape.
Chiara del Prete, Chair of the EFRAG Sustainability Reporting Technical Expert Group, added that the resources identified will ease adoption: “This is part of EFRAG’s effort to promote market acceptance of VSME and in this way contribute to reducing the reporting costs for SMEs.”
The publications form part of the broader VSME Ecosystem, an initiative aimed at strengthening market acceptance of the voluntary standard and ensuring SMEs can access cost-effective tools to advance their sustainability reporting.
