ESG – mastering
the new challenge

Mastering the challenge

Under this motto, I had the privilege of presenting with Arabelle Frey from Suva and Daniel Lucien Bühr from LALIVE last week about ESG communication in the future. Many thanks to EQS Group and Center for Corporate Reporting (CCR) for giving this topic such a platform and for having me. It was a pleasure to talk about our experience in this area. Thanks also to the speakers and participants for the engaging exchange, lively discussions from a legal, communication and corporate perspective.

ESG reporting will be a crucial differentiator for businesses. Even without regulatory requirements, either you get ready or you will be too late.

In this context, we also discussed the consultation on amending the Swiss Code of Obligations, which is currently underway. The Federal Council is orientating itself towards the EU guidelines to improve the transparency of sustainability reporting by Swiss companies. The proposed amendments will extend the reporting obligations to around 3’500 Swiss companies. Companies will be required to publish detailed reports on strategy, risk management, key figures and targets with a focus on environmental, social, human rights and governance aspects. The proposed change to the Swiss Code of Obligations would affect all Swiss companies and groups that exceed two of the three size criteria in two consecutive financial years:

• Balance sheet total of CHF 25 million
• Sales revenue of CHF 50 million
• 250 full-time employees on an annual average.

The consultation will continue until 17 October 2024. The obligation will certainly not come today or tomorrow. But there is definitely an urgency to prepare for the day after tomorrow.

#CorporateCommunications

#CorporateReporting #ESG #Sustainability

#IR #Greenwashing