Blog
Practical articles on the Voluntary Standard (VS, formerly VSME), CSRD and sustainability reporting for SME suppliers.
SC10, SC20 and SC30 are three tiers of a private supplier quality mark — not an official classification from the NIS2 directive itself. A practical guide: which tier fits your role in the chain, and how do you prepare for both a client questionnaire and a possible certification?
Read more →Three concrete calculation examples — transport, energy and raw materials — show how much difference primary supplier data actually makes compared to a generic industry factor. A follow-up to our explainer on primary vs. secondary data.
Read more →A supplier compliance dashboard brings VS profiles, certificates, NIS2 scores and CSDDD declarations together in one overview. How does that work in practice for procurement teams, and what changes when onboarding new suppliers?
Read more →NIS2 Art. 21(2)(d) requires you to assess the cybersecurity of your suppliers. Already active in Germany via the NIS2UmsuCG (BSI). Relevant for any buyer with cross-border suppliers — a step-by-step guide to the ten CY assessment areas.
Read more →Your VCA certificate has expired. What are the consequences, what do you do now, and how do you prevent it from happening again? Practical steps for contractors and VCA-obligated companies.
Read more →The EU AI Act entered into force in August 2024. But does it apply to your SME? In most cases not directly — but there are exceptions. Practical explanation without legal jargon.
Read more →The VS Standard replaced VSME on 3 July 2026. What are the new modules B1–B11, what changes for SME suppliers, and what does the value chain cap of Annex II mean?
Read more →As a buyer you need supplier data for CSRD scope 3 reporting. How do you collect that in a standardised way, what can you request under the [[blog:vs-standard-vervangt-vsme-wat-verandert-er|VS Standard]], and how do you process the data in your ESRS E1 disclosure?
Read more →How do you select sustainable suppliers based on objective criteria? What does CSRD require from you as a buyer, and how do you compare suppliers on scope 1 and 2 emissions? Practical guide.
Read more →Sustainability data for scope 3, certificates for quality assurance, declarations for CSDDD — a procurement team needs three kinds of data from every supplier. This article shows how that fits into a single overview.
Read more →Two European regulations, both aimed at sustainability, both relevant for SME suppliers — but they ask for different data and carry different deadlines. This article sets them side by side.
Read more →Supplier verification for sustainability is the standardised collection of VS profile data from suppliers. Not an audit, not an on-site visit — but verifiable data based on the [[blog:vs-standard-vervangt-vsme-wat-verandert-er|VS Standard]].
Read more →As an SME supplier you need a tool to build your VSME profile and deliver it to clients. What are the options, what do they cost, and which fits a business your size?
Read more →You've completed your VSME profile. How do you share it with clients? Via a direct link in your proposal, a QR code on your letterhead, or automatic delivery. Practical options explained.
Read more →From December 2027, products made with forced labour may no longer enter the EU market. Your clients have to demonstrate that — and they pass the question on to you. Here is what to expect as a supplier.
Read more →A VCA certificate expires without warning, and the bill arrives at the worst possible moment: during a tender submission or a site stoppage. This article explains what happens and how to prevent it.
Read more →A large client sends you a sustainability questionnaire. What do you need to provide, what can you refuse, and how do you handle this efficiently? Practical guide for SME suppliers.
Read more →Need to calculate scope 1 and 2 emissions for your VSME report? Your gas and electricity invoices are all you need. Step-by-step guide with EU emission factors for 2024.
Read more →European obligations are stacking up: sustainability, human rights, cybersecurity and deforestation — all coming through your large customers. Here is how to keep it manageable as an SME supplier with a single profile.
Read more →Category 1 — purchased goods and services — is the largest item in scope 3 for most companies. This article compares the two permitted calculation methods and shows how to get from supplier data to an ESRS E1 disclosure.
Read more →Every VSME profile on verified.supply gets a public badge page you can share with clients, in proposals, and on your own website. This article explains exactly what does and doesn't appear on the badge, and why it builds more trust than a standalone PDF.
Read more →The EU Omnibus simplification package introduces a limit on what large companies can ask their smaller suppliers: the "value chain cap". What does this mean for the questionnaires you already receive — and does it change what you actually need to deliver?
Read more →Under ESRS E1, data that comes directly from you as a supplier carries more weight than an industry average. This distinction — primary versus secondary data — is at the heart of why clients increasingly ask for your own figures instead of accepting an estimate.
Read more →Alongside sustainability and cybersecurity, a third question is growing in supplier assessments: will this supplier still be solvent in three years? Here is how to share financial health with buyers without revealing your exact figures.
Read more →More and more large clients are asking about your CO2 emissions. That request is almost always about scope 3 — emissions that "occur" at your client because you supply to them. This article explains what scope 3 is and what it means for you as a supplier.
Read more →About to fill in a VSME questionnaire for the first time, or expecting a data request from a client? This checklist tells you exactly which data you need and where to find it.
Read more →CSRD and VSME are often used interchangeably, but they aren't the same thing. This article explains the difference — and why, for SME suppliers, it's really about VSME, not full CSRD compliance.
Read more →For a product carbon footprint, the first question is not 'how much' but 'how far'. The system boundary decides which emissions you count — and not every customer asks the same thing. Here is how to choose the right one.
Read more →The VSME (Voluntary Sustainability reporting Standard for non-listed Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises) is the European standard that lets SMEs deliver their sustainability data to clients in one uniform format. Here's what you need to know.
Read more →Before a CSRD- or NIS2-obliged organisation works with you, its procurement team runs a compliance check. Here is what that check now covers — and how one profile gets you through onboarding in minutes instead of weeks.
Read more →Furniture makers and wood processors are increasingly asked for the carbon footprint per product. Here's how to calculate it step by step for wood products — and why wood is a special case.
Read more →A customer wants to know whether your company is financially stable, but you don't want to send your annual accounts. With ranges instead of exact figures, you answer that question without revealing competition-sensitive information.
Read more →Your customer asks for a cybersecurity maturity score, but what exactly is it and how do you achieve a good one? An explanation for SME suppliers, including what you do and don't need.
Read more →On 30 December 2026, large and medium operators must file their first Due Diligence Statements under the EU Deforestation Regulation. Who is covered, what needs to happen now, and how do you prepare?
Read more →Your sustainability department sends a CSRD questionnaire, your IT department a NIS2 one. Learn where the two overlap, where they don't, and how to answer both in one go as a supplier.
Read more →Large customers often ask for your emissions figures and valid certificates at the same time. Learn how to manage scope 3 data and certificates like ISO 14001 in one place and share them with a single request link.
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