"The collection of sustainability information is becoming increasingly important in many small and medium-sized enterprises. Due to European Union (EU) requirements, much of this information will have to be published in the future. It is also becoming increasingly important when taking out loans. Nevertheless, emissions data, in particular, is still hardly recorded systematically in many companies," reports Prof. Dr. Friederike Welter (IfM Bonn/University of Siegen). At the press conference at the Siegen Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), she presented the consequences of the new EU regulation on sustainability reporting for small and medium-sized businesses. According to this, the criteria of sustainable development impact the assessment of credit risk and collateral. The banks themselves are subject to a climate stress test, which they must implement using the information on lending. The new rules thus pose enormous challenges for companies such as banks and savings banks.
Researchers from the IfM Bonn were commissioned by the Sparkassen and Volksbanken in the districts of Siegen-Wittgenstein and Olpe, as well as the Siegen Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They analysed the direct and indirect effects of the EU regulation on the promotion of sustainable financing for SMEs in the study “The EU´s support measures for sustainable financing – implications for the Mittelstand”. They surveyed almost 200 companies from the Siegen Chamber district.
