Learning Center / Getting Started / 08
Getting Started
Who regulates sustainability
Business sustainability in Europe is regulated at several levels. You don't need to know them all, but it helps to understand who decides what.
European Commission — Adopts the directives, such as the CSRD, and the delegated regulations, such as the one establishing the Voluntary Standard (VS). A regulation applies directly in every Member State, with no national law required.
EFRAG (European Financial Reporting Advisory Group) — The technical body that develops the standards. EFRAG created the ESRS, for large companies, and the VSME, which gave rise to the Voluntary Standard. It also publishes practical guidance to support its application.
Member States — Transpose European directives into national law. Directive (EU) 2026/470, which reduced the scope of the CSRD, must be transposed by 19 March 2027.
Financial regulators and the ECB — Banks are increasingly pressed to assess the ESG risk of their clients, which is why they ask you for sustainability data.
What this means for you in practice: the standard is voluntary, but those who ask you for ESG data, banks, clients and partners, will need that data in this format. The Voluntary Standard exists to make that answer easier, and Bsustain exists to help your company give it in a much simpler, more intuitive and automated way.
Getting Started