Defined term

Definition

Accident prevention

Accident prevention refers to the policies and initiatives to prevent workplace accidents and ensure the safety and well-being of employees. This not only includes measures to reduce physical risks but also involves fostering a safe and inclusive work environment free from discrimination and harassment.

Actions

Actions refer to (i) actions and actions plans (including transition plans) that are undertaken to ensure that the undertaking delivers against targets set and through which the undertaking seeks to address material impacts, risks and opportunities; and (ii) decisions to support these with financial, human or technological resources.

Actions can be individual actions, taken only by the undertaking, or collective actions, that is, collaborative efforts by a group of stakeholders – such as undertakings, governments, civil society, or communities – to address shared challenges or achieve common goals, particularly when those goals cannot be effectively achieved by any single actor working alone.

Affected community

People or group(s) living or working in the same geographical area that have been or may be affected by a reporting undertaking’s operations or through its upstream and downstream value chain. Affected communities can range from those living adjacent to the undertaking’s operations (local communities) to those living at a distance. Affected communities include actually and potentially affected indigenous peoples.

Biodiversity-sensitive Area (BSA)

Biodiversity-sensitive areas are:

Bribery

Dishonestly persuading someone to act in your favour by giving them a gift of money or another inducement.

Child Labour

Work that deprives children of their childhood, potential, and dignity and harms their physical and mental development. It refers to work that either:

A child is defined as a person under the age of 18. Whether or not particular forms of ‘work’ can be called ‘child labour’ depends on the child’s age, the type and hours of work performed and the conditions under which it is performed. The answer varies from country to country, as well as among sectors within countries.

The minimum age of work should not be less than the minimum age of completion of compulsory schooling, and, in any case, should not be less than 15 years according to International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No 138 on Minimum Age. Exceptions can occur in certain countries where economies and educational facilities are insufficiently developed, and a minimum age of 14 years applies.

These countries of exception are specified by the ILO in response to a special application by the country concerned and in consultation with representative organisations of employers and workers.

National laws may permit the employment of persons aged 13 to 15 in light work as long as it is not likely to be harmful to their health or development and does not prejudice their attendance at school or participation in vocational or training programmes. The minimum age for admission into work, which by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out is likely to jeopardise the health, safety or morals of young persons, shall not be less than 18 years.

Circular economy principles

The circular economy principles are:

Classified information

As defined in Article 2, point (7), of Regulation (EU) 2023/2418 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1), classified information means information or material, in any form, the unauthorised disclosure of which could cause varying degrees of prejudice to the interests of the Union, or of one or more of the Member States, and which bears an EU classification marking or a corresponding classification marking, as established in the Agreement between the Member States of the European Union, meeting within the Council, regarding the protection of classified information exchanged in the interests of the European Union.

Climate change adaptation

The process of adjustment to actual and expected climate change and its impacts.

Climate change mitigation

The process of reducing GHG emissions and holding the increase in the global average temperature to 1,5 °C above pre-industrial levels, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Collective bargaining

All negotiations which take place between an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations, on the one hand, and one or more trade unions or, in their absence, the representatives of the workers duly elected and authorised by them in accordance with national laws and regulations, on the other, for: (i) determining working conditions and terms of employment; or (ii) regulating relations between employers and workers; and/or (iii) regulating relations between employers or their organisations and a workers’ organisation or workers’ organisations.

Consumers

Individuals who acquire, consume or use goods and services for personal use, either for themselves or for others, and not for resale, commercial or trade, business, craft or profession purposes.

Corruption

Abuse of entrusted power for private gain, which can be instigated by individuals or organisations. It includes practices such as facilitation payments, fraud, extortion, collusion, and money laundering. It also includes an offer or receipt of any gift, loan, fee, reward, or other advantage to or from any person as an inducement to do something that is dishonest, illegal, or a breach of trust in the conduct of the undertaking’s business. This can include cash or in-kind benefits, such as free goods, gifts, and holidays, or special personal services provided for the purpose of an improper advantage, or that can result in moral pressure to receive such an advantage.

Discrimination

Discrimination can occur directly or indirectly. Direct discrimination occurs when an individual is treated less favourably by comparison to how others, who are in a similar situation have been or would be treated, and the reason for this is a particular characteristic they hold, which falls under a ‘protected ground’. Indirect discrimination occurs when an apparently neutral rule disadvantages a person or a group sharing the same characteristics. It must be shown that a group is disadvantaged by a decision when compared to a comparator group.

Employee

An individual who is in an employment relationship with the undertaking according to national law or practice.

End-users

Individuals who ultimately use or are intended to ultimately use a particular product or service.

Forced Labour

All work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily. The term encompasses all situations in which persons are coerced by any means to perform work and includes both traditional ‘slave-like’ practices and contemporary forms of coercion where labour exploitation is involved, which may include human trafficking and modern slavery.

Governance

The governance is the system of rules, practices and processes by which an undertaking is directed and controlled.

Greenhouse Gases (GHG)

The gases listed in Part 2 of Annex V to Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2). These include Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and Perfluorocarbons (PFCs).

Gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

Gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are total GHG emissions released by the undertaking into the atmosphere, without considering any deductions for carbon removals or other adjustments.

Hazardous waste

Waste which displays one or more of the hazardous properties listed in Annex III of Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (3).

Human trafficking

The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or reception of persons, including the exchange or transfer of control over those persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.

Incident

A legal action or complaint registered with the undertaking or competent authorities through a formal process, or an instance of non-compliance identified by the undertaking through established procedures. Established procedures to identify instances of non-compliance can include management system audits, formal monitoring programs, or grievance mechanisms.

Location-based Scope 2 emissions

Emissions from electricity, heat, steam and cooling purchased or acquired and consumed by the reporting undertaking, calculated using the location-based ‘allocating’ method, which allocates generator emissions to end-users. They reflect the average emissions intensity of grids on which the energy consumption occurs and uses mostly grid-average emission factor data. Typical sources of Scope 2 emissions relate to any equipment that consumes electricity (electrical engines, lights, buildings, etc.), heat (heating in industrial processes, buildings, etc.), steam (industrial processes) and cooling (industrial processes, buildings, etc.).

Near (Biodiversity-Sensitive Area)

Near, in the context of B5 – Biodiversity, shall refer to a site that is (partially) overlapping or adjacent to a biodiversity-sensitive area. If the undertakings’s site is outside but not adjacent to a biodiversity-sensitive area the undertaking may also determine if it is near such an area by defining the site’s area of influence. The area of influence can be determined by applying buffer distances specific to the undertaking’s type of activity following regulatory requirements, science-based recommendations and industry best practice.

Own workforce/own workers

Employees who are in an employment relationship with the undertaking (‘employees’) and non-employees who are either individual contractors supplying labour to the undertaking (‘self-employed people’) or people provided by undertakings primarily engaged in ‘employment activities’ (NACE Code O78).

Pay

The ordinary basic or minimum wage or salary and any other remuneration, whether in cash or in kind which the worker receives directly or indirectly (‘complementary or variable components’), in respect of his/her employment from his/her employer. ‘Pay level’ means gross annual pay and the corresponding gross hourly pay.

Policy (or policies)

A set or framework of general objectives and management principles that the undertaking uses for decision-making. A policy implements the undertaking’s strategy or management decisions related to a sustainability issue. Each policy is under the responsibility of defined person(s), specifies its perimeter of application, and includes one or more objectives (linked when applicable to measurable targets). A policy is implemented through actions or action plans.

Practices

One or more initiatives related to sustainability issues that the unertaking puts in place to transition towards a more sustainable economy. A set of practices often replaces policies for smaller undertakings.

Recordable work-related accident

A work-related accident is a discrete occurrence in the course of work which leads to physical or mental harm. Such an occurrence is recordable if it results in death or more than three days of absence from work.

Recordable work-related ill health

A case of work-related ill health is any illness caused or made worse by workplace factors or caused primarily by exposure at work to a physical, organisational, chemical or biological risk factor or to a combination of these factors. Such a case is recordable if it results in death or absence from work.

Recycling

Any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances whether for the original or other purposes. It includes the reprocessing of organic material but does not include energy recovery and the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or for backfilling operations (see Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and the Council).

Renewable Energy

Energy from renewable non-fossil sources, namely wind, solar (solar thermal and solar photovoltaic) and geothermal energy, ambient energy, tide, wave and other ocean energy, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas, and biogas (4).

Reuse (waste)

Any operation by which products or components of products that are not waste are used again for the same purpose for which they were conceived. This may involve cleaning or small adjustments, so it is ready for the next use without significant pre-processing.

Scope 1 GHG emissions

Direct GHG emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the undertaking.

Scope 2 GHG emissions (or scope 2 emissions)

Indirect emissions are a consequence of the operations of the undertaking but occur at sources owned or controlled by another undertaking. Scope 2 GHG emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased or acquired electricity, steam and heat, or cooling consumed by the undertaking.

Scope 3 GHG emissions (or scope 3 emissions)

All indirect GHG emissions (not included in Scope 2 GHG emissions) that occur in the value chain of the reporting undertaking, including both upstream and downstream emissions. Scope 3 GHG emissions can be broken down into Scope 3 categories.

Site (or sites)

In the context of the voluntary standard, a site is a physical location where the undertaking operates. Examples include factories, farms, mines, offices or service centres, infrastructure or facilities. Sites can be also shared with other organisations (e.g. the undertaking may share office premises with other undertakings).

Sustainability related impact (or impact)

The effect the undertaking has or could have on the environment and people, including effects on their human rights, connected with its own operations and upstream and downstream value chain, including through its products and services, as well as through its business relationships. The impacts can be actual or potential, negative or positive, intended or unintended, and reversible or irreversible. They can arise over the short, medium, or long term. Impacts indicate the undertaking’s contribution, negative or positive, to sustainable development.

Targets

Measurable, outcome-oriented and time-bound goals that the undertaking aims to achieve in relation to sustainability issues. They may be set voluntarily by the undertaking or derive from legal requirements on the undertaking. A target can encompass not only improvements but also the maintenance of achieved results or the preservation of consistent performance levels.

Time horizons

When preparing its sustainability report, the undertaking shall adopt the following time horizons:

Trade secret

As defined in Article 2, point (1), of Directive (EU) 2016/943 (Trade Secrets Directive (5)), a trade secret is an information which meets all of the following requirements:

Training

Initiatives put in place by the undertaking aimed at the maintenance and/or improvement of skills and knowledge of its own workforce. It can include different methodologies, such as on-site training, and online training.

Value Chain

The full range of activities, resources and relationships related to the undertaking’s business model and the external environment in which it operates. A value chain encompasses the activities, resources and relationships the undertaking uses and relies on to create its products or services from conception to delivery, consumption and end-of-life. Relevant activities, resources and relationships include: (a) those in the undertaking’s own operations, such as human resources; (b) those along its supply, marketing and distribution channels, such as materials and service sourcing and product and service sale and delivery; and (c) the financing, geographical, geopolitical and regulatory environments in which the undertaking operates. Value chain includes actors upstream and downstream from the undertaking. Actors upstream from the undertaking (e.g. suppliers) provide products or services that are used in the development of the undertaking’s products or services. Entities downstream from the undertaking (e.g. distributors, customers) receive products or services from the undertaking.

Wage

Gross wage, excluding variable components such as overtime and incentive pay, and excluding allowances unless they are guaranteed.

Waste

Any substance or object which the holder discards, intends to discard, or is required to discard (see Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on waste).

Water consumption

The amount of water drawn into the boundaries of the undertaking and not discharged back to the water environment or a third party over the course of the reporting period.

Water discharge

The sum of effluents and other water leaving the boundaries of the undertaking and released to surface water, groundwater, or third parties over the course of the reporting period.

Water stress

The ability, or lack thereof, to meet the human and ecological demand for water. Water stress is an inclusive concept that considers several physical aspects related to water resources, including water availability, water quality, and the accessibility of water (i.e. whether people are able to make use of physically available water supplies), which is often a function of the sufficiency of infrastructure and the affordability of water, among other things.

Water withdrawal

The sum of all water drawn into the boundaries of the undertaking from all sources for any use over the course of the reporting period.

Worker in the value chain

An individual performing work in the value chain of the undertaking, regardless of the existence or nature of any contractual relationship with the undertaking. In the voluntary standard, the scope of workers in the value chain include all workers in the undertaking’s upstream and downstream value chain who are or can be materially impacted by the undertaking. This includes impacts that are connected to the undertaking’s own operations, and value chain, including through its products or services, as well as through its business relationships. This includes all workers who are not in the scope of ‘Own Workforce’ (‘Own Workforce’ includes people who are in an employment relationship with the undertaking (‘employees’) and non-employees who are either individual contractors supplying labour to the undertaking (‘self-employed people’) or people provided by undertakings primarily engaged in employment activities (NACE Code O78).

Topics

Sub-topics

Climate Change

Climate change mitigation

Climate change adaptation

Energy

Pollution

Pollution of air

Pollution of water

Pollution of soil

Substances of concern, including substances of very high concern

Microplastics

Water

Water use, including withdrawal, consumption, discharges and storage

Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem change (including terrestrial and marine habitat change, invasive species)

State of species

The extent and condition of terrestrial and marine ecosystems

Ecosystem services

Circular Economy and Resource Use

Resource inflows

Resource outflows related to products and services

Resource outflows (waste)

Own Workforce and Workers in the Value Chain

Working conditions (including adequate wages, work-life balance, working time, secure employment) and social protection

Social dialogue, freedom of association, works councils, participation rights of workers, and collective bargaining

Health and safety

Training and skills development

Diversity and equal treatment (including gender equality, equal pay for work of equal value, employment and inclusion of people with disabilities, non-discrimination, anti-harassment, measures against violence)

Other labour-related human rights topics (including child labour, forced labour,

privacy and adequate housing, water and sanitation

Affected Communities

Communities’ economic, social and cultural rights (including land-related impacts, security-related impacts, adequate housing and food, water and sanitation)

Communities’ civil and political rights (including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, impacts on human rights defenders)

Rights of indigenous peoples (including free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), self-determination, cultural rights)

Consumers and End-users

Information-related impacts for consumers or users (including privacy, access to information, freedom of expression)

Personal safety of consumers or end-users (including health and safety, protection of children, security of a person)

Social inclusion of consumers or end-users (including, access to products and services, responsible marketing practices, non-discrimination)

Business Conduct

Corporate culture, including anti-corruption and bribery, the protection of whistle-blowers and animal welfare

Political influence, including lobbying activities

Management of relationships with suppliers, including

payment practices especially late payment to small and medium-sized undertakings (SMEs)

Topic: Environment / Social /Governance

DR number and Title

SFDR Table 1

and/or

EBA Pillar 3

and/or

Benchmark Regulation

Basic Module

General information

B1 – Basis for preparation

The undertaking shall disclose:

EBA Pillar 3  (1)

Environment

B3 – Energy and greenhouse gas emissions

The undertaking shall disclose its total energy consumption in MWh, with a breakdown as per the table below, if it can obtain the necessary information to provide such a breakdown:

SFDR  (2)

Renewable energy

Non-renewable energy

Total

Electricity (as reflected in utility billings)

Fuels

Environment

B3 – Energy and greenhouse gas emissions

The undertaking shall disclose its estimated absolute gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated during the reporting period in metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2eq) considering the content of the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (2004), including:

SFDR  (3)

Benchmark  (4)

Environment

B4 – Pollution of air, water and soil

If the undertaking is already required by law or other national regulations to report to competent authorities its emissions of pollutants, or if it voluntarily reports on them according to an Environmental Management System, it shall disclose the emissions of pollutants to air, water and soil in its own operations. If this information is already publicly available, the undertaking may alternatively refer to the document where it is reported, for example, by providing the relevant URL link or embedding a hyperlink.

SFDR  (5)

Environment

B5 – Biodiversity

If the undertaking has sites or locations in or near a biodiversity-sensitive area (BSA), it shall disclose them, and the name of the BSA.

SFDR  (6)

Environment

B7 – Resource use, circular economy and waste management

The undertaking shall disclose:

SFDR  (7)

Social

B9 – Workforce – Health and safety

The undertaking shall disclose the following information regarding its employees:

SFDR  (8)

Benchmark  (9)

Social

B10 – Workforce – Remuneration, collective bargaining and training

The undertaking shall disclose:

SFDR  (11)

Benchmark  (12)

Governance

B11 – Convictions and fines for corruption and bribery

In case of convictions and fines in the reporting period, the undertaking shall disclose the number of convictions, and the total amount of fines incurred for the violation of anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws.

Benchmark  (13)

SFDR  (14)

Comprehensive Module

Environment

Consideration when reporting on GHG emissions under B3 (Basic Module)

When reporting its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, if the undertaking discloses entity-specific information on its Scope 3 emissions, it shall present it together with the information specified under B3 – Energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

SFDR  (15)

Benchmark  (16)

Environment

C3 – GHG reduction targets and climate transition

If the undertaking has established GHG emission reduction targets, it shall disclose its targets in absolute values for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. In line with paragraphs 49 to 52 above and if it has set Scope 3 reduction targets, the undertaking shall also provide targets for significant Scope 3 emissions. In particular, it shall provide:

If the undertaking that operates in high climate impact sectors (17) has adopted a transition plan for climate change mitigation, it may provide information about it, including an explanation of how it is contributing to reduce GHG emissions.

In case the undertaking operates in high-climate impact sectors and does not have a transition plan for climate change mitigation in place, it shall indicate whether and, if so, when it will adopt such a transition plan.

SFDR  (18)

Benchmark  (19)

EBA Pillar 3  (20)

Benchmark  (21)

Environment

C4 – Climate risks

If the undertaking has identified climate-related hazards and climate-related transition events, creating climate-related risks for the undertaking, it shall:

The undertaking may disclose the potential adverse effects of climate risks that may affect its financial performance or business operations in the short, medium or long term, indicating whether it assesses the risks to be high, medium, low.

Benchmark  (22)

EBA Pillar 3  (23)

Social

C6 – Additional own workforce information – Human rights policies and processes

The undertaking shall disclose an answer to the following questions:

Does the undertaking have a complaints-handling mechanism for its own workforce? (YES/NO)

Benchmark  (24)

SFDR  (25)

Social

C7 – Human rights incidents

The undertaking shall disclose an answer to the following questions:

SFDR  (26)

Benchmark  (27)

Governance

C8 – Revenues from certain activities

If the undertaking is active in one or more of the following sectors, it shall disclose related revenues derived from activities in:

SFDR  (28)

Benchmark  (29)

EBA Pillar 3  (31)

Benchmark  (32)

SFDR  (34)

EBA Pillar 3  (35)

Benchmark  (36)

SFDR  (38)

EBA Pillar 3  (39)

Governance

C9 – Gender diversity ratio in governance body

If the undertaking has a governance body in place, the undertaking shall disclose the related gender diversity ratio.

SFDR  (40)

Benchmark  (41)

DR Number

Reference

Topic / datapoint

Value chain cap for undertakings with 10 employees or less

Value chain cap for undertakings with more than 10 employees

Basic Module

B1

Para 27, point (a), subpoints (i) and (ii)

Selected module option (basic and/or comprehensive)

X

X

B1

Para 27, point (c)

Choice of reporting basis (individual or consolidated)

X

X

B1

Para 27, point (e), subpoints from (i) to (vii)

General undertaking’s information

X

X

B3

Para 32, first sentence

Total energy consumption in MWh

X

B3

Para 33

Estimated absolute gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

X

B6

Para 36

Total water withdrawal

X

B7

Para 38, first sentence

Circular economy principles application

X

B7

Para 39, point (a)

Total weight of waste generated, with a breakdown between hazardous and non-hazardous waste

X

B7

Para 39, point (b)

Proportion of waste diverted to recycling or reuse

X

B8

Para 40, point (a)

Number of employees (in headcount or full-time equivalent) per type of employment contract

X

X

B8

Para 40, point (b)

Number of employees (in headcount or full-time equivalent) per gender

X

X

B9

Para 41, point (a)

Number and rate of recordable work-related accidents

X

X

B10

Para 42, point (a)

Whether the employees receive pay that is equal or above applicable minimum wage for the country it reports on

X

X

B10

Para 42, point (c)

Percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements

X

X

B10

Para 42, point (d)

Average number of annual training hours per employee

X

X

Comprehensive Module

C1

Para 46, point (a)

Description of significant groups of products and/or services offered

X

C1

Para 46, point (b)

Description of significant market(s) the undertaking operates in

X

C1

Para 46, point (c)

Description of main business relationships

X

C5

Para 58

Employee turnover rate

X

C6

Para 61, point (a)

Code of conduct or human rights policy

X

C6

Para 61, point (c)

Complaints-handling mechanism

X

C7

Para 62, point (a), subpoints from (i) to (v)

Confirmed incidents in its own workforce

X

C7

Para 62, point (c), first sentence

Confirmed incidents involving workers in the value chain, affected communities, consumers and end-users

X