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Overview

From VSME to VS

What changed when VSME became the EU's Voluntary Standard, and what it means for your next report.

In brief

The Commission kept the changes to a minimum, so most of VSME carries over to the VS. The structure, the two modules and most datapoints are the same. The main changes are a statement of compliance, wider rules for omitting information and a relief for companies with 10 employees or less. Some definitions changed, for example for accidents, water stress and biodiversity-sensitive areas, and a few datapoints were removed, such as GHG intensity. VSME reports already published remain valid.

Changes that affect the whole report

  • Legal status. VSME was an EFRAG standard, later recommended by the Commission. The VS is a Commission delegated regulation. EFRAG's guidance is published separately and is not binding.
  • Statement of compliance. The report must state which option it follows and that it complies with the VS.
  • Omitting information. Information can be left out on four grounds, wider than VSME's classified or sensitive information, and each omitted datapoint must be listed.
  • Relief for 10 employees or less. Some essential datapoints are voluntary for the smallest companies.
  • The Comprehensive Module has its own essential datapoints. VSME let companies treat every C1–C9 disclosure as "if applicable". In the VS, items such as the C1 business description, the C5 turnover rate and the core C6 and C7 questions are essential for companies with more than 10 employees.
  • Value chain cap. From financial years starting in 2027, the VS limits what CSRD companies may require from their value chain.
  • Definitions. Several definitions were added or changed, for example waste, water discharge, reuse, trade secret and practices. A target can now also mean maintaining a result.

What changed, disclosure by disclosure

DisclosureWhat changed
B1 Basis for preparationNew: a statement of compliance with the selected option, and a list of omitted datapoints. A site is now any location where the company operates, including offices and shared premises.
B2 Practices, policies and future initiativesAsked only if the company has them in place. Progress toward targets is no longer asked.
B3 Energy and GHG emissionsGHG intensity removed. The renewable and non-renewable split is asked only if the company can obtain it.
B4 PollutionNo change in substance.
B5 BiodiversityThe name of each sensitive area is now required. The number and area of sites and the land-use metrics were removed. Only natural World Heritage Sites count, and Ramsar sites, Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas and IUCN Red List areas are now named.
B6 WaterCompanies with significant water-consuming processes now report the water consumed at sites in areas with water stress. VSME asked every company for the water withdrawn at sites with high water stress.
B7 Circular economy and wasteThe share of waste sent to recycling or preparation for reuse replaces the mass diverted to recycling or reuse. The household-waste exemption is gone.
B8 Workforce – generalEmployee turnover moved to C5.
B9 Health and safetyA recordable accident now means one that leads to death or more than three days of absence, so the figures are not directly comparable with VSME.
B10 Remuneration and trainingThe gender pay gap is required only if the law already requires it. Training is one average per employee, not split by gender.
B11 Corruption and briberyNo change.
C1 StrategyProducts, markets and business relationships are essential above 10 employees.
C2 Practices describedSay whether a practice covers suppliers or clients, and describe the targets that monitor policies.
C3 GHG targets and transitionVoluntary for 10 employees or less. Otherwise no change in substance.
C4 Climate risks"Gross" removed from climate-related risks. Voluntary for 10 employees or less.
C5 Additional workforceEmployee turnover moved here, without VSME's 50-employee threshold. The management gender ratio and non-employee workers remain voluntary.
C6 Human rights policiesCode of conduct and complaints mechanism essential above 10 employees.
C7 Human rights incidents"Severe negative" removed from the title. Value chain incidents are those identified in the reporting period.
C8 Revenues from certain activities"Prohibited weapons" replaces "controversial weapons". Chemicals production is defined by NACE 20.2. The EU benchmark exclusion question was removed.
C9 Board gender diversityNo change.

What it means if you already report under VSME

  • Your published VSME reports stay valid. You do not need to redo them.
  • You can report your 2026 financial year under the VS. The regulation has been in force since 24 September 2026. Only the value chain cap waits until 2027.
  • Comparatives continue. Your first VS report shows last year's figures for metrics whose definition did not change. Accidents, training hours and water at water-stress sites changed, so compare them with care.
  • Digital reporting is catching up. EFRAG's VS digital template and XBRL taxonomy are expected in late 2026. Until then, VS reports are shared as documents.

Selko Insights

How Selko applies it

Selko Report

New years follow the VS

Every financial year created since Selko's VS launch follows the VS, whatever its dates. Reports that existed before, including ones in progress, stay VSME. On request, Selko can move an open VSME year to the VS: answers with the same meaning stay, and the audit log records the move.

Copy from last year
Selko Report

Last year's answers carry over

"Copy from last year" also works from a VSME year into a VS year. Items the standard changed are marked "Changed in the Voluntary Standard" and show a figure derived from last year where possible: training hours from the VSME averages by gender, and accidents from an optional recount under the new definition. Items new in the VS say there is no figure from last year.

Analytics
Selko Report

Analytics continue across the switch

Analytics joins VSME and VS years into one series where the definition is the same. The accident series is marked as broken at the switch, and training per employee is derived for the VSME years.

Report generator
Selko Report

Download

A VS year downloads as a document (XHTML, printable to PDF) with every VS datapoint and last year's figure beside each number. When EFRAG publishes the VS XBRL taxonomy, the download will follow it. VSME years still download as Inline XBRL.

Frequently asked questions

Related content

What is the VS?

The VS is the EU's voluntary sustainability reporting standard for companies outside the CSRD. What it is for, how it is structured and how it replaced VSME.

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Datapoints and omissions

How the VS replaces a materiality assessment: essential, if-applicable and voluntary datapoints, the relief for 10 employees or less, and when information can be omitted.

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B9: Workforce – health and safety

VS disclosure B9: recordable work-related accidents, the accident rate and fatalities. The new definition of a recordable accident and how to keep your trend comparable.

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B10: Workforce – remuneration, collective bargaining and training

VS disclosure B10: minimum wage, collective bargaining coverage, average training hours, and when the gender pay gap must be reported under the Pay Transparency Directive.

Read more

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