On June 19, 2018, econsense and the German Global Compact Network presented their benchmark study, “A New Impulse for Sustainability Reporting? – A Study on the Implementation of the German CSR Directive Implementation Act (CSR-RUG),” to an audience of over 150 guests from the business, political, and civil society sectors in Berlin.

Following welcoming remarks and an introduction by Dr. Thomas Koenen (Managing Director, econsense) and Marcel Engel (Head of the Secretariat, DGCN), the study’s findings were presented by Dr. Carlo Drauth (econsense) and Sophie von Gagern (DGCN). The key finding of the study was that, in the first reporting cycle under the CSR-RUG, not only did the effort involved in sustainability reporting increase, but so did the attention paid to sustainability within companies, particularly among executive management and supervisory boards. There was also greater collaboration between sustainability and functional departments. Nevertheless, applying the legal requirements proved challenging for companies, particularly the identification of material topics and risks as well as the presentation of key performance indicators. Regarding reporting formats, companies implemented the rules quite differently, thereby utilizing the legal leeway regarding formats.

In an interview conducted by Dr. Steffen Schwartz-Höfler (thyssenkrupp), one of the co-authors, Thomas Wagner (akzente), then elaborated on the comprehensive study design, which included desk research, an online survey, and interviews. With this methodology, the study can be regarded as a benchmark study regarding the implementation of the CSR-RUG in companies.

In the subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Kai Michael Beckmann (Mazars), the study results were discussed from the perspectives of various stakeholders: standard-setters (Dr. Rüdiger Schmidt, DRSC), investors (Michael Schmidt, Deka Investment), civil society (Ingmar Streese, VZBV), as well as large corporations (Ute Menke, Bayer AG) and small and medium-sized enterprises (Jessica Paffen, BayWa AG). Among other things, the discussion focused on whether the sustainability data now reported under CSR-RUG meets the information needs of the respective stakeholder groups and how reporting should evolve in future reporting cycles.

Alain Deckers (European Commission) then explained current developments at the European level. He referred to the ongoing EU consultation process on reporting (Fitness Check on Public Reporting by Companies), which will serve as the information basis for potential follow-up actions by the European Commission in the area of reporting. Deckers also elaborated on the EU’s Sustainable Finance initiative, which overlaps with sustainability reporting in many respects.

To conclude, Thorsten Pinkepank (BASF), together with Dr. Thomas Koenen (Managing Director, econsense) and Marcel Engel (Head of the Secretariat, DGCN), provided a summary of key points from the event.