Frequently asked questions before registering a company profile

Created by Ilja Lange, Modified on Tue, 23 Jul at 3:04 PM by Anna Kurth

Below you will find frequently asked questions when creating a company profile on the sustainabill platform. You can find more information about the platform here.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. The need for a centralized and automated data managing and sharing system, such as the VERSO sustainabill platform
II. Which information do I need for the registration?
III. My company has a policy not to answer self-assessments. Should I still register an account?
IV. My company already has an IntegrityNext profile. How do I proceed?
V. My company has an Ecovadis scorecard. How do I proceed?
VI. I already have a profile on the sustainabill platform. How do I proceed?
VII. How secure is my data?
VIII. With whom in my company do I have to talk to get the requested data?

In the coming years, businesses of all sizes will face a range of new regulations and laws that will fundamentally change their sustainability reporting practices. These regulations aim to improve transparency, accountability, and sustainability in business operations. Key regulations include the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)

The CSRD, an evolution of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), significantly expands the scope of companies required to report and increases the depth of sustainability reporting requirements. Companies must provide detailed information on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors.

You can find more information about the CSRD here.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

The CBAM is a climate policy initiative by the European Union that imposes carbon border taxes on imported goods whose production does not meet EU climate standards. Companies must demonstrate detailed carbon emissions across their entire supply chain.

If you want more information on CBAM, you can read this knowledge base article: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)

The CSDDD obligates companies to fulfill human rights and environmental due diligence requirements throughout their global supply chains. Companies must identify risks, take actions, and report on their due diligence activities.

For more information on CSDDD, please take a look here.

Given these increasing regulatory demands, it becomes clear that companies need an efficient way to collect, manage, and share their sustainability data. Traditional methods, such as sending reports via email as PDFs, are not only inefficient but also prone to errors and difficult to audit.

A centralized, cloud-based platform like VERSO sustainabill offers numerous benefits:

Transparency and Traceability: All data is stored in one place and can be easily verified.
Real-time Updates: Data can be continuously updated and shared in real-time.
Security: Sensitive data is better protected than when transmitted via email.
Efficiency: Automated processes reduce manual effort and minimize errors.

II. Which information do I need for the registration?

Usually, registration will only take you 5–10 minutes. You will have to provide:

the name and email of the person registering the account
the name and address of your company
the sectors your company is active in
rough turnover and employee categories

You only create the company profile once, and you can share it with several customers with a single click. In case, customers send you any requests, or you have to update anything, you will be notified via email.

The use of the platform is entirely free of charge for you as a supplier. Our helpdesk and knowledge base are also available to you free of charge.

III. My company has a policy not to answer self-assessments. Should I still register an account?

Yes, we recommend you still register a company profile. Your registration as such, which will only take you a few minutes, is already important for your customer, even if you do not fill in any self-assessment questionnaires.

By registering an account, you enable your customer to access your correct address, industry, facility locations, and details of a responsible contact. Also, the sustainabill platform provides many more features besides self-assessments. Your customers might want to send you a new Supplier Code of Conduct (CoC) to sign.

IV. My company already has an IntegrityNext profile. How do I proceed?

Your customer has decided to partner with sustainabill. The sustainabill platform enables efficient and automated sharing of essential sustainability information including answering specific requests of your customer. You should also register on the sustainabill platform to match your customer's requirements.

The registration effort is low and, you can add the link to your IntegrityNext profile on your company profile directly after registration. This means that your customer can (request to) view your public IntegrityNext profile and, where appropriate, refrain from requesting further sustainability information like self-assessments via the platform.

For further information, see: My company already works with EcoVadis / IntegrityNext

V. My company has an Ecovadis scorecard. How do I proceed?

Your customer has decided to partner with sustainabill. The sustainabill platform enables efficient and automated sharing of essential sustainability information. You should also register on the sustainabill platform to match your customer's requirements.

You can add the link to your Ecovadis scorecard in your company profile directly after registration. This means that your customer can view these sustainability ratings centrally and, where appropriate, refrain from requesting further sustainability information via the platform.

For further information, see: My company already works with EcoVadis / IntegrityNext

VI. I already have a profile on the sustainabill platform. How do I proceed?

If your company already has a profile on the VERSO sustainabill platform, you can easily share your data with the other customer who sent the connection request.

If another customer wants to connect with your company and sends the invitation email to your email address that is already registered with an account for your company, you will receive a notification and the connection request will show under "open requests" in your company profile.

If you received a connection email from a customer, but you are not registered as a user for your company on the VERSO sustainabill platform, please forward the connection request email to your colleague who registered an account via the "forward" link in the email.

As a registered user, you can accept connection requests from other customers and share your existing profile with them with just a few mouse clicks.

VII. How secure is my data?

Your data is stored exclusively in data centers of the Open Telekom Cloud located in Germany, certified according to ISO 27001, 27017, 2018 as well as SOC 1–3. The sustainabill platform itself is ISO 27001 certified and implements the newest IT security measures. You will have full control over with whom you share your company profile.

Only the company that has invited you will be able to see your details, and we treat your data with the utmost care. If other customers of yours also request an assessment via sustainabill, you can share the existing profile with them so that you do not need to fill in the questionnaire again.

Any third parties will only see your profile if you actively share it with them.

For more details, see our security center.

VIII. With whom in my company do I have to talk to get the requested data?

Depending on the size and sector of your company, this can differ. Typically, departments such as compliance, corporate social responsibility (CSR), or purchasing manage the data needed for the registration process.