VSME
Voluntary Standard (VS, formerly VSME)
The Voluntary Standard (VS, formerly VSME) is the EU's voluntary sustainability reporting standard for companies with 1,000 employees or fewer. It also caps what a CSRD-subject customer can require from those companies.
EFRAG delivered the standard to the European Commission in December 2024 under the name VSME (Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for non-listed SMEs). Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1560, in force since September 24, 2026, adopted it as the Voluntary Standard, or VS.
The VS has two modules. The Basic Module holds around forty datapoints across 11 disclosures (B1 to B11): energy and greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, water, waste, workforce, health and safety, pay, and governance. The Comprehensive Module adds 9 disclosures (C1 to C9) for companies whose customers, banks or investors ask for more.
Its most practical effect is the value-chain cap: a company subject to the CSRD cannot require more from a supplier with 1,000 employees or fewer than what the VS covers. For an SME, a VS report becomes a single answer to many customer questionnaires.
Go further
- VSME with Ditto
- VSME Renamed VS: What Changes in 2026
- VSME Value Chain Cap: What a CSRD Client Can Ask You For
- VSME Indicators: Complete List and Practical Examples for SMEs