News & trends from September 2026: Sustainability in motion

Insights to inspire, act, share & inform

Welcome back to ‘Sustainability in motion’. In this edition, we cover:

• Inspire – Nexio Projects at Climate Week NYC: PACT Scope 3 Summit
• Educate – ESG reporting frameworks: ESRS, GRI, VSME, IFRS and more
• Share – Creating impact: Upcoming sustainability events
• Summer recap – Learnings on EcoVadis, decarbonisation and reporting

Last week, our team joined global leaders at Climate Week NYC 2025. The week was a valuable opportunity to exchange insights, reconnect with clients, and engage in meaningful discussions on advancing corporate climate action.

A highlight was our contribution to the PACT (Partnership for Carbon Transparency) Scope 3 Summit, where key takeaways included:

• Scope 3 drives impact: Most of a company’s emissions come from suppliers, so improving data collection and reducing emissions at this stage directly moves the needle on climate targets.
• Explain the purpose clearly: Share exactly why you’re asking for emissions data, how it will be used in reporting or decision-making, and what benefits suppliers gain from participating.
• Work together with suppliers: Offer support, provide resources where needed, and collaborate on realistic timelines and goals to ensure supplier engagement is practical and achievable.

Beyond the panel, our team also connected with clients and partners, sparking further dialogue on how companies can move from commitments to measurable impact. As Climate Week wrapped up, one message stood out clearly: progress on climate depends on partnership, transparency, and collective action. We look forward to building on this momentum together.

The 2025 Omnibus reforms to the CSRD will reshape the reporting ecosystem in Europe. Companies with fewer than 1,000 employees may increasingly rely on voluntary frameworks, while global expectations for transparency continue to rise.

A web of frameworks

Businesses today must navigate a mix of overlapping standards, including ESRS and GRI, EFRAG’s VSME, and IFRS S1/S2 (ISSB) and SASB — balancing compliance with strategic alignment, investor confidence, and long-term positioning. The challenge is not only compliance, but aligning the chosen framework with business strategy, investor confidence, and long-term positioning.

What makes a useful report?

Strong sustainability reports share common qualities:

• Relevance and faithful representation: focus on material impacts and risks
• Comparability: consistent metrics and disclosures that allow benchmarking
• Verifiability: robust evidence and assurance-ready data
• Understandability: clear, accessible language and visuals for all stakeholders
• Data traceability: transparent sources, methods, and assumptions
• Integration: alignment of ESG data with financial reporting for enterprise value

Interoperability: Mapping the differences

As companies navigate multiple standards, understanding interoperability and differences is essential for efficient, compliant, and value-driven disclosure.

Materiality approaches

Clear, transparent approaches to materiality help ensure disclosures reflect both stakeholder priorities and enterprise value.

To support companies in this evolving context, Nexio Projects has developed a practical resource offering clarity on frameworks, decision tools, and insights into supply chain reporting. Learn more: The Strategic Guide for Sustainability Reporting

The year has gone by quickly, and there is still momentum to gain in the last few months with several sustainability events coming up. Here are some key dates:

EcoVadis World Tour 2025: France

Paris, October 2

Our team will be on site to exchange regional sustainability insights and connect with peers.

Economist Sustainability Week Europe

Amsterdam, October 7

Our team will join discussions on net zero supply chains and practical pathways to action.

Produrable Paris

Paris, October 8

Our team will contribute to conversations on the transformation imperative in sustainable business.

World Sustainability Congress 2025

Amsterdam, October 15–16

A global congress gathering leaders in climate, capital, and corporate strategy to collaborate on sustainability pathways.

EcoVadis World Tour 2025: UK and Benelux

London, October 21

Our team will attend to engage with peers and share regional insights.

CPHI Frankfurt

Frankfurt, October 28–30

Our team will join a panel on CSRD and CSDDD in pharmaceutical supply chains.

UN Climate Change Conference COP30

Belém, Brazil, November 10–21

A pivotal moment for global climate negotiations and international alignment.

EcoVadis World Tour 2025: New York City

New York, November 6

This stop will cover supply chain resilience, decarbonisation, risk, and ESG regulations.

EcoVadis World Tour 2025: San Francisco

San Francisco, November 19

A continuation of the World Tour themes on sustainable procurement, supplier decarbonisation, regulatory trends, and risk management.

If you’re planning to attend any of the events where our team will be, please come by and say hello — we’d love to meet you, share ideas, and hear your thoughts in person.

Summer flew by, and so did our webinars. If you couldn’t join live, sessions are available on-demand, alongside articles summarising the key insights. Here’s a recap of three major ESG topics we explored:

This session covered the importance of management systems, practical policy and reporting practices, and how to leverage EcoVadis’ Policy-Action-Results framework to strengthen your sustainability management system.

Watch: Integrating EcoVadis in your sustainability framework (on-demand)

Read: Using EcoVadis to strengthen your sustainability management system

We explored how to understand and leverage VSME to strengthen ESG reporting strategy, including key differences versus ESRS data points and how to use these insights to improve reporting quality and decision-making.

Watch: Unlocking VSME: boost your ESG reporting edge (on-demand)

Read: Unlocking VSME: boost your ESG reporting edge

This webinar focused on how to identify, measure, and reduce hidden emissions across complex supply chains, with practical guidance for translating insights into decarbonisation steps.

Watch: Supply chain emissions: the hidden impact of your carbon footprint (on-demand)

Read: Supply chain emissions: the hidden impact of your carbon footprint

We hope these insights help you take the next step on your ESG journey, whether it’s improving EcoVadis performance, enhancing reporting, or reducing supply chain emissions.

Webinars

For the full list, see our webinars and events page.

If any of these topics connect to your current priorities and you’d like support from our team, get in touch — we’ll connect you with the right experts.