1. Administrative Tsunami and CSRD Directive: The CPME Alert
François Asselin, President of the Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises (CPME), expresses his concern about a potential “administrative tsunami” linked to the CSRD directive. It proposes two urgent measures to protect VSEs and SMEs: raising social thresholds and establishing an “SME test” to assess the impact of laws on these businesses. According to him, although the law does not target them directly, VSEs and SMEs are indirectly affected by the obligations of large groups.
- Source: Le Journal des Entreprises, “Interview Directive CSRD: “Nobody sees the disaster coming” alerts François Asselin, president of the CPME”
2. Les Margaret 2024: Highlighting Women of Influence in Innovation
The Digital Women's Day Foundation (JFD) announces the finalists of its 2024 Margaret Prize, honoring female creativity and innovation in the digital world. The award, named after Margaret Hamilton of NASA, includes three categories: Entrepreneurs, Intrapreneures, and Juniors, recognizing a variety of innovative projects.
- Source: RSE Magazine, “Les Margaret 2024: spotlight on influential women in innovation”
3. The Importance of CSR Labels and Certifications for Businesses
Despite their lack of legal value, CSR labels and certifications offer legitimacy and significant advantages to companies, allowing them to measure themselves against others and to share beneficial practices. Afnor highlights their positive impact on the finances, reputation, and diversity of businesses.
- Source: Le Monde, “The factory of corporate labels: B Corp, Afnor, Great Place to Work...”
4. AMF Guide for Corporate CSR Reporting
The Financial Markets Authority (AMF) is publishing a guide to help companies prepare their climate transition plans, in line with CSRD guidelines, offering crucial support in the context of increasing CSR obligations.
- Source: RSE Magazine, “CSRD: the AMF publishes a guide for finance companies”
5. SBTi Strengthens its Compliance Policy
The Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) is strengthening its compliance policy to increase transparency and accountability, by publicly announcing companies that are not meeting their CSR commitments, in an effort to discourage greenwashing.
- Source: Novethic, “More than 170 companies banned from the Science based target initiative”
6. Reconciliation of Financial and CSR Reporting in 2024
The 2023 normative obligations push towards a reconciliation of financial and extra-financial reporting, according to Sébastien Mandron from C3D. This merger aims to make extra-financial reporting as essential and robust as its financial counterpart, despite the challenges posed by the diversity of indicators and units of measurement.
- Source: DAF MAG, “The CSRD will inevitably bring together the CSR function and the finance function”
7. Juridicization of CSR and CSDDD: Enterprises in the Blur
The European Due Diligence Directive, CSDDD, complicates the regulatory landscape for businesses in Europe, requiring preventive measures against human rights and environmental violations. Discussions in Brussels are dragging on, reflecting the complexity and ambition of the directive.
- Source: Novethic, “European Duty of Vigilance Directive: Where do we stand?”
