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The implementation of sustainability requirements – especially the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) – has long since become a strategic priority for many banks. In this context, regulatory compliance remains an important starting point.
Effective sustainability goes far beyond fulfilling formal requirements. It creates transparency for customers, strengthens trust and helps institutions stand out in an increasingly value‑oriented market environment.
In an interview with Johann Averdiek, Manager at zeb, Andreas Renken, press officer and sustainability manager of LzO, provides insights into the bank’s sustainability work in times of deregulation. zeb had the privilege of providing the savings bank with comprehensive support.
Interview (German only) with Andreas Renken (LzO) and Johann Averdiek (zeb)
To create real added value, a structured, well-coordinated process is required. zeb provides support in the three decisive phases: modular, scalable and tailored to individual needs.
The first step is to establish a robust organizational foundation. This includes setting up governance structures, clear responsibilities and procedural frameworks for systematically collecting and evaluating relevant sustainability data points. zeb assists with developing these structures – from navigating the regulatory environment to creating robust operational processes that integrate sustainability throughout the institution.
The substantive foundation rests on a carefully developed materiality assessment. It identifies which sustainability issues are actually relevant – both to the institution itself and to its stakeholders. Stakeholder workshops not only ensure compliance with regulatory obligations but also enable a deeper understanding of what is really important to customers, employees and public owners. The materiality assessment substantiates arguments in a transparent manner and underpins them with data, metrics or concrete transformation plans. zeb contributes methodological expertise, strikes the right balance between regulatory exactness and strategic utility and thus lays the groundwork for consistent, CSRD-compliant reporting.
As a result of the materiality assessment, data points must be collected and compiled – the previously defined process enables an efficient, frictionless workflow and ensures that all relevant information is incorporated into the report in a structured manner. The result is a report that not only meets regulatory requirements but also creates genuine transparency, effectively communicating an institution’s sustainability profile externally.
At LzO, zeb played a key role in the first two phases of this three‑part approach. Together, they created the structural foundation and developed the central content – for the successful implementation of report design using the institution’s own resources, both today and in the future.
Simon Grimm, Expert Partner bei zeb
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