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In today's world, societal values are reshaping business norms, making ESG crucial for companies aiming to meet global sustainability and ethical standards. ESG is now a key tool for responsible value creation, helping companies chart their progress towards a sustainable society.

Although financial data is well-established, non-financial data is still evolving and harder to compare. The importance of ESG is driven by the increasing demands for corporate responsibility and new EU regulations. Effective sustainable transformation requires clear communication and thorough documentation.

We are looking at ways to numerically represent the company's sustainability efforts through a key performance indicator table. This approach is necessary because while sustainability can be quantified, broader responsibilities involve several areas that need varied measures, such as CO2 emissions, workplace accidents, employee well-being, and corporate governance.

This network will promote and strengthen the conversation about and reporting of ESG. Because while it is management that drives sustainable change in companies, it is metrics that ensure that the desired change occurs.

The network will assess the development and significance of the environmental, social, and governance dimensions of ESG in various sectors for businesses of all sizes and explore future directions for ESG.

At the network meetings we will cover topics such as:

EU's ambitious ESG-package: 

• An overview of the EU's latest sustainable finance and sustainability reporting regulations and how they've been incorporated into Belgian law.
• Analysis of the impact of these regulations on Belgian businesses.
• Discussion on how sustainability reporting is linked to the EU's energy and climate policies.

ESG regulations in practice: 

• Practical strategies for adapting to regulatory changes, including:
  • Implementing the EU's taxonomy for sustainability
  • Complying to the EU's sustainability reporting directive
  • Complying with the EU's due diligence assessment directive (CSDD, CS3D and CSRD)
  • Identifying upcoming requirements and prioritizing tasks
• Steps to conduct a materiality analysis.
• Methods for establishing science-based targets.

EU's Due Diligence Directive: 

• Practical steps for businesses to comply with these regulations.
• Examination of the effects on business purchasing behaviors and supplier monitoring.
• Evaluation of how prepared businesses are to meet the EU's new due diligence rules in their operations and supply chains.

Target Group

The Network is designed for anyone involved with ESG, including ESG advisors, sustainability and CSR officers, CFOs, compliance and financial managers, lawyers, legal experts, managers, and investors in the field.

By engaging in collaborative activities and discussions, members gain:

• Insight into how other businesses work with the development of sustainability and ESG reporting.
• Inspiration to tackle difficult elements in reporting, such as the level of ambition, risk assessments, prioritization, and materiality.
• Inspiration for organizing the reporting work (roles and responsibilities).