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Navigating ESG Regulations: A Guide for SMEs

2024-1-DE02-KA210-VET-0002463642024Small-scale partnerships in vocational education and trainingfinalized
Countries: DE|HR · Grant: €60,000
Enterprise, industry, SMEs and entrepreneurshipCooperation between educational institutions and businessOvercoming skills mismatch and addressing the needs of the labour market

Objectives

The main objective of the ESG-REG project was to raise awareness and build capacity among SMEs, trainers, and consultants in the field of sustainability reporting and ESG compliance. We aimed to simplify complex EU corporate sustainability regulations and provide practical guidance through the development of the ESG-REG Guide and complementary training activities. Specifically, we aimed to: - Support SMEs in understanding and applying ESG and CSRD-related requirements in their operations; - Equip CVET providers, trainers, and consultants with tools and content to integrate ESG topics into their services; - Strengthen the skills of project partners in training content development and design, stakeholder engagement, and transnational collaboration; - Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange across sectors and countries to promote sustainable business transformation.

Background

We applied for this project to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and management-related CVET providers (including trainers and consultants) in understanding and responding to the growing complexity of EU corporate sustainability regulations, particularly the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and related ESG frameworks. Many SMEs lack the capacity, resources, and accessible tools to navigate the emerging and constantly evolving sustainability-related regulatory landscape. At the same time, trainers and consultants often require up-to-date content and practical methodologies to effectively support these businesses. The ESG-REG project addressed these gaps through its activities and outputs. The project also aimed to strengthen the institutional capacity of the partner organizations by facilitating knowledge and expertise exchange between more experienced partners and newcomers - both in terms of transnational project management and the thematic area of corporate sustainability regulations.

Project partners (3)