New ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) reporting requirements in Switzerland

What are the new provisions to better protect people and the environment of the Swiss Code of Obligations?

• Large Swiss companies will have to report on the risks generated by their activities and report on environmental issues, social issues, human resources issues, respect for human rights and the fight against corruption. They must also disclose the measures they have adopted in these areas.
• Companies whose activities present risks will have to comply with a reporting obligation and extensive diligence duties regarding child labor and minerals and metals from conflict-affected zones or high-risk areas.

The ordinance on Due Diligence and Transparency in relation to Minerals and Metals from Conflict-Affected Areas and Child Labour (DDTrO) provides a definition of its applicability in terms of company size etc. and also submits SMEs to duties of diligence and reporting obligations when they offer goods or services that have potentially been produced or supplied using child labor.

At Forvis Mazars, we have a strong expertise in helping organisations of all sizes to structure and issue sustainability reports. Sustainability reporting helps organisations to communicate their performance in terms of environmental, social and governance impacts and build trust through transparency. 

Our services

We support organisations in developing an ESG strategy and/or structuring an ESG report according to the steps below. Our support differs according to the state of ESG advancement of the organisations.

For organisations that already have such a report, we perform an audit of the existing non-financial information according to the ISAE 3000 standard.

Step 1 - Identification of ESG issues

In a first step, we identify the expectations of internal and external stakeholders in order to establish priorities within the different ESG issues (= materiality matrix).

Step 2 - Inventory of existing ESG initiatives

We then map existing ESG actions, policies and results through targeted questionnaires based on our Forvis Mazars ESG Health check tool. A review of best practices of similar organizations also helps to support this exercise.

Step 3 - ESG strategy development and report structuring

Based on the strengths and weaknesses identified in the previous steps, we support internal teams in developing the ESG strategies, policies and procedures, action plans, targets and indicators for monitoring and impact that will form the architecture of the future ESG report. This report can be integrated into the existing financial report or published separately. We anchor the strategy within recognized ESG reference frameworks.

Our added value

Our expertise, experience but also tailor-made solutions and cost control are at the heart of our approach in order to accompany you in the development of your strategy and ESG report or to audit your published extra-financial information.