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With the publication of its first Sustainability Report in line with the new European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), NORMA Group has assumed a pioneering role in the European corporate landscape. It was a step that was made possible thanks to a true team effort: A large number of employees from a range of departments around the world helped implement the complex requirements.
For financial year 2024, the first voluntary year of application of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in Germany, the company voluntarily implemented significant portions of the new requirements and published its first Sustainability Report in accordance with the ESRS at the end of March 2025. The company is thus laying the foundations for greater transparency, comparability and strategic management in the areas of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG).
But there is so much more to the early implementation of the new reporting obligations than the work of a single department. NORMA Group’s Sustainability Report is an expression of a company-wide understanding of responsibility – and that means that sustainability is a task that is shared by all employees.
“In a sense, our department consists of about 8,000 employees”, says Julia Bergmann, Senior Manager Corporate Responsibility. “Each respective department has implemented the EU requirements independently in their areas of responsibility. Without this level of commitment, reporting in accordance with the new EU requirements would not have been possible.”
Cross-departmental responsibility
The new reporting requirements in line with the CSRD and ESRS have resulted in considerable demands, both in terms of content and organization. Key figures on climate impact, including CO2 emissions, occupational safety and compliance, must be systematically collected, validated, and interpreted.
In addition, complete tracking and verification of the entire supply chain is required. A large number of specialist departments provide decision-relevant data for this purpose: from purchasing and the entire supply chain to operations, human resources, finance, IT, and many more.
“All of these contributions count”, emphasizes Lisa Knothe, Manager Corporate Responsibility. “Whether colleagues collect data on occupational safety and training hours or specify how many employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements – all of this information flows into our sustainability reporting. We rely on the expertise and commitment of our colleagues and greatly appreciate their dependable cooperation.”
Sustainability as part of the company’s DNA
NORMA Group’s sustainability reporting is more than just a communication tool – it is a key component of the corporate strategy. The ESRS makes it possible for relevant environmental, social and governance indicators to be identified and compared, both within the company and across the industry.
The Sustainability Report 2024 – for the first time based on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards.
The reporting covers key ESG areas, including climate protection, occupational safety and corruption prevention. In 2024, in addition to Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions, upstream and downstream emissions from Scope 3 were systematically recorded and reported for the first time.
NORMA Group’s Corporate Responsibility Strategy is actively managed and backed with measurable targets. The company understands its responsibility along the entire value chain.
“Sustainability is teamwork”, says Jovan Dimishkovski, also Manager Corporate Responsibility. “And that is exactly why we are convinced that NORMA Group’s sustainability department is made up of more than just a few people – it consists of everyone in the company.”
Many years of experience address new requirements
With its Sustainability Report, NORMA Group has been providing information on the strategic management of key sustainability issues and the integration of sustainability into global business processes since 2013. Sustainability reporting has been integrated into the company’s Annual Report since 2020.
Although the German implementation law for CSRD is currently still pending, NORMA Group is undertaking intensive preparations for mandatory application, which is expected to apply from financial year 2025. These preparations include expanding internal processes for data collection and updating the materiality analysis.
With the systematic expansion of its sustainability reporting, NORMA Group not only strengthens its own management capabilities, but also underscores its objective of contributing to an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable society.
