Intralogistics specialist SSI SCHÄFER is expected to be subject to CSRD reporting requirements for the first time starting in fiscal year 2027 and is addressing this requirement early on and in several phases. For its 2025 reporting, the company has adopted a two-pronged approach: A voluntary report based on the VSME standard forms the formal, fact-based core; an accompanying sustainability brochure presents the content visually and provides space for operational highlights.
Step by Step Toward the CSRD
SSI SCHÄFER is one of the world’s leading providers of intralogistics solutions. With approximately 80 subsidiaries and about 8,800 employees, the company operates in 71 countries. The effort involved in collecting ESG data is therefore comparatively high, as many people not only have to provide data but also need to be trained to do so. Consequently, in 2024, the company began implementing an ESG tool designed to further automate the data collection process and ensure audit reliability. The underlying processes and structures were gradually established in parallel over the past few years. This paid off: The transition to using the tool went smoothly.
The substantive basis for the reporting was also established some time ago: A dual materiality analysis conducted in accordance with the ESRS identifies which topics are material to SSI SCHÄFER and what will be reported on now and in the future. On this basis, a voluntary report for the 2025 fiscal year prepared in accordance with the VSME standard – published as part of the Group Management Report – will serve as the foundation for a future CSRD report. It provides a streamlined framework for ESG reporting and deliberately focuses on clearly structured disclosures regarding environmental, social, and governance issues, presented in a factual manner without promotional language.
The Brochure as a Second Pillar
Since 2021, SSI SCHÄFER has voluntarily published an annual sustainability report based on the GRI Standards. For the 2025 fiscal year, this report was renamed the „Sustainability Brochure“ to clearly distinguish it from the VSME report, which is published as part of the Group Management Report. The brochure focuses on content that is not covered – or only briefly mentioned – in the VSME Report: operational highlights, initiatives, regional progress, and training programs from the individual sustainability areas.
A specific example from 2025 is a distribution center that SSI SCHÄFER built for Coop in Eskilstuna, Sweden: It received several awards in 2025, including the Best of Industry Award in the „Sustainability“ category and the reta Award for „Supply Chain Excellence.“.
Collaboration with universities and research institutions also shapes the company’s commitment: Together with Fraunhofer IML, SSI SCHÄFER investigated whether wood is a more sustainable alternative to steel for warehouse and racking systems. The company donated used conveyor equipment to Graz University of Technology, which supports research and teaching there while also extending the product’s life cycle. And SSI SCHÄFER provided the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts with three automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for its „Logistics Innovation Lab,“ where resource-efficient automation concepts are being researched.
Continuous Improvement of the ESG Data Set
A key factor in this success is the steady expansion of the data set. For its greenhouse gas inventory, SSI SCHÄFER increased the number of sites included from 57 in the 2024 report to 71, thereby covering approximately 98 percent of the Group’s economic activity. The fact that this commitment must continually evolve is evident from the EcoVadis rating, whose requirements are becoming stricter year after year. This makes it all the more significant that, after two years of Bronze, SSI SCHÄFER was awarded the Silver medal for the first time in 2025. This places the company among the top 15 percent of the evaluated companies. It is proof that SSI SCHÄFER is not resting on its laurels, but rather views continuous improvement as an integral part of its journey.
Successful Collaboration Among Many Departments
The dual format described – comprising the VSME report and the brochure – naturally involves a significant amount of work, not least because the requirements of the various stakeholders differ. The ESG data comes from numerous departments, including Sustainability, HSE, Finance, HR, and Corporate Communications, as well as from many countries and regional units. It had to be consolidated, verified, and harmonized so that the VSME report and brochure would ultimately present a coherent overall picture.
„A reporting format like this can only be created through close collaboration among many departments. The fact that we were able to bring together data and content from very different areas to form a coherent picture was a true team effort – and an important step on our path toward the CSRD.“
Christian Peinhaupt, Project Manager, Global Sustainability, SSI SCHÄFER
A Solid Foundation for 2027
This puts SSI SCHÄFER on a solid footing ahead of its first mandatory reporting. The focus now is on preparing for the final ESRS, which have been available since early July 2026 and are significantly more streamlined than the original version. SSI SCHÄFER can build on a solid foundation in terms of both quantitative data and qualitative information on strategies, concepts, and measures; the task now is to tailor both areas specifically to the final ESRS requirements.
