The Voluntary Standard (VS) keeps sustainability reporting simple for companies outside the CSRD. It is EU law, set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1560, and it replaced VSME on 24 September 2026. There is no double materiality assessment: the standard sets out what to report, disclosure by disclosure. It has two modules, the Basic Module and the Comprehensive Module.
Reporting options
- Option A: the Basic Module only.
- Option B: the Basic Module and the Comprehensive Module.
The Basic Module is the target approach for micro companies and the minimum for all others. The Comprehensive Module adds the datapoints that banks, investors and corporate customers are likely to ask for. In both cases, the report states which option it follows and that it complies with the VS.
We recommend reporting both modules, whatever the company's size. One report then covers most requests from customers and banks. Some datapoints are reported only in specific circumstances ("if applicable"), and companies with 10 employees or less may treat some datapoints as voluntary.
The Basic Module (B1–B11)
B1: Basis for preparation. The option you apply and a statement of compliance, any omitted information, whether the report is individual or consolidated, subsidiaries, basic company information including the geolocation of your sites, and sustainability certifications and labels.
B2: Practices, policies and future initiatives. Whether you have practices, policies or future initiatives for the transition to a more sustainable economy, whether your policies are public, and whether you have targets to monitor them.
B3: Energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Total energy consumption in MWh, split into renewable and non-renewable where you can obtain the information, and Scope 1 and location-based Scope 2 emissions following the GHG Protocol. GHG intensity is no longer required.
B4: Pollution of air, water and soil. If you already report pollutant emissions to authorities or under an environmental management system, you disclose the same information here or refer to where it is published.
B5: Biodiversity. The sites you have in or near biodiversity-sensitive areas, such as Natura 2000 sites, and the name of each area.
B6: Water. Total water withdrawal. Companies whose production processes consume water significantly also report water consumption, and separately the water consumed at sites in areas with water stress.
B7: Resource use, circular economy and waste management. Whether and how you apply circular economy principles, total waste split into hazardous and non-hazardous, and the share sent to recycling or preparation for reuse. Companies with significant material flows also report the annual mass of materials used.
B8: Workforce – general characteristics. Employees by contract type and gender, and by country if you operate in several countries.
B9: Workforce – health and safety. The number and rate of recordable work-related accidents, meaning those leading to death or more than three days of absence, and fatalities.
B10: Workforce – remuneration, collective bargaining and training. Whether employees earn at least the applicable minimum wage, collective bargaining coverage and average training hours per employee. The gender pay gap is reported if the law already requires it.
B11: Convictions and fines for corruption and bribery. The number of convictions and the total fines for breaching anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws.
The Comprehensive Module (C1–C9)
The Comprehensive Module builds on the Basic Module and cannot be used without it.
C1: Strategy. Your products and services, markets, main business relationships and the sustainability elements of your strategy.
C2: Description of practices, policies and future initiatives. A short description of what you reported in B2, whether it covers suppliers or clients, and the targets that monitor your policies.
C3: GHG reduction targets and climate transition. Your targets for Scope 1 and 2, and for significant Scope 3 if you have set them, with base and target years, values, coverage and main actions. Companies in high climate impact sectors without a transition plan say whether and when they will adopt one.
C4: Climate risks. Climate-related hazards and transition events, how you assessed them, their time horizons and your adaptation actions.
C5: Additional workforce characteristics. The employee turnover rate. Voluntarily, the female-to-male ratio at management level and the number of self-employed and agency workers.
C6: Human rights policies and processes. Whether you have a code of conduct or human rights policy for your own workforce, what it covers, and whether you have a complaints-handling mechanism.
C7: Human rights incidents. Confirmed incidents in your own workforce, and confirmed incidents you know of in your value chain.
C8: Revenues from certain activities. Revenue from prohibited weapons, tobacco, fossil fuels and chemicals production.
C9: Gender diversity ratio in the governance body. The ratio of women to men on your board or other governance body.
Want to know how Selko Report helps you report under the VS? .