Sustainability reporting for SME (VSME)

Not covered by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive? Or looking to publish your first sustainability report? Our experts support you in developing a report aligned with VSME standards that meets your stakeholders' expectations.

Pragmatic

Flexible

Tailored to your business

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Sustainability reporting helps SMEs improve transparency, credibility, and competitiveness.

Documented strategy, invitiatives and impact on all ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) topics

Meet the VSME requirements and the expectations of your stakeholders

Get support from experts to ensure transparency and credibility of your reporting

Suitable for sharing with supply chain partners, customers, stakeholders, or for internal use.

A mockup of a calculation done by Hedgehog

Report sustainability information clearly and consistently, in line with EU standards.

Competitive

Gain a competitive advantage by reporting transparently on your sustainability efforts.

Flexible

Attract new investors, business partners, employees, and customers.

Simple

Make substantiated sustainability claims and avoid greenwashing.

Conform

Align with recognized framework and answer data requests from your stakeholders with ease.

Our sustainability experts provide practical, tailored guidance for your organisation.

Every organisation and product requires a unique approach. With experience across a wide range of sectors, we are quick to adapt. Our extensive sustainability expertise ensures that we can offer the right solution for your organisation.

Whether you are a large or small business, a start-up or a company with a long history, offering a product, process, or service, we respond swiftly and support you in taking your next step.

From strategy to success: real-world applications

Testimonial client

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- Lead name, Company
Wieger Deknatel
Trust

"The insights in the CO2 impact in parts of our products caused a paradigm shift. The LCA hotspot analyses of Hedgehog open a new set of options to reduce our footprint and offer more sustainable products. We appreciate their knowledge, openness, and ease to implement recommendations."

Erik Langerak
Eurofins

"It was very pleasant to work with Hedgehog and to map the environmental impact of the most commonly used packaging in the environmental testing market. The experts of Hedgehog thought along well and were very flexible and accurate in carrying out the assignment."

Rebecca Wörner
PMT

"We experienced Hedgehog to be very accessible, co-operative and flexible in its approach to our collaboration. Hedgehog’s knowledge and experience regarding carbon footprint assessment and analysis will definitely help us reaching our net-zero targets for the future!"

Chris van Eldijk
Barista Company

"The events sector is a sector with a significant environmental impact. And Barista Company serves more than a million cups of coffee each year; just think how much coffee and ingredients are needed for that. And how much waste is generated. That's why we wanted to know what our impact is, so we can

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out our FAQs or ask us anything that is not fully covered by sending us a message.

The VSME stands for Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for Non-Listed Micro-, Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises. It is a voluntary reporting framework developed to support organisations that are not subject to CSRD requirements. It provides a standardised approach to ESG reporting, allowing companies to disclose relevant environmental, social, and governance information without the complexity of larger frameworks.

The CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) requires large companies to report on sustainability using detailed standards called ESRS. VSME is a voluntary standard developed by the same organisation (EFRAG) in alignment with the CSRD, allowing small businesses to mirror key sustainability expectations in a more proportional and resource-efficient way.

The VSME includes two modules: a Basic Module with 11 disclosures, designed for companies new to sustainability reporting with low stakeholder expectations, and a Comprehensive Module with 9 additional disclosures for those needing more detailed reporting to meet specific business partner or sector requirements.

No, the VSME standard is voluntary. It is not legally required but provides a structured approach for small businesses that want to meet increasing expectations from customers, financial institutions, or supply chain partners regarding sustainability performance.

VSME reporting focuses on a variety of sustainability topics, including your company structure GHG emissions, accidents, water withdrawal and waste. You can find all datapoints in the detailed VSME article on our website.

Data sources will depend per client and what you will voluntary want to report on. Some examples include policies, utility bills (energy, water), invoices and accounting records (purchases, waste handling, travel), payroll and HR records (employment, training, gender balance).

Many SMEs don’t have a dedicated sustainability manager. We offer pragmatic, flexible support tailored to your needs and availability whether you need strategic advice or hands-on help drafting documents. We focus on what matters most, without unnecessary complexity.

No, an audit is not required under the VSME standard. However, if you choose to have the report externally verified, it can be done on a voluntary basis.

The duration of a VSME project depends on your company’s ambition, stakeholder availability, and level of sustainability maturity. An average timeline is between 2 to 6 months for a first-year report.

François

Our expert on
Sustainability reporting

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Whether you are a large or small business, a start-up or a company with a long history, offering a product, process, or service, we respond swiftly and support you in taking your next step.