A VSME-aligned disclosure for every customer request
One disclosure that answers every ESG request, even
without a sustainability team.
without a sustainability team.
ISO 14040, 14044
methodology
methodology
CSRD & VSME
aligned
aligned
Every source
traceable
traceable
Audit-ready
from day one
from day one
What gets in the way
Three reasons retailers are stuck
on every ESG request
Every customer asks for different data
One enterprise customer sends a CDP-style questionnaire. Another wants an EcoVadis submission. A third asks for emissions data in their own template. Every request is custom. Every response is rebuilt from scratch.
No one in-house knows
where to start
where to start
Most retailers without a dedicated sustainability team end up with the questionnaire on a finance, operations, or commercial leader's desk. They've never had to calculate Scope 3 emissions. Hiring an expert costs more than the contract is worth.
The Omnibus didn't reduce
the work
the work
Omnibus removed most companies from mandatory CSRD. But the 1,000 retailers still in scope need supplier data more than ever. Their CSRD review depends on yours. The questionnaires keep coming.
How Root solves it
From custom questionnaires
to one VSME disclosure
to one VSME disclosure
Three scopes, one calculation, structured for VSME from day one.
01
Connect data
02
Match factors
03
Run calculations
04
Reuse dataset
Step 1
Bring together the data VSME asks for
VSME goes beyond emissions. It asks for energy, water, waste, workforce, and supply chain data.
Root collects all operational data you have once, then produces every metric VSME requires.
Root collects all operational data you have once, then produces every metric VSME requires.
Step 2
Verify every number, document every source
Root connects every operational data input to a verified emission factor and documents every match.
When a customer or bank asks how a number was calculated, the methodology, the source trail, and the assumption logs are on file
When a customer or bank asks how a number was calculated, the methodology, the source trail, and the assumption logs are on file
Step 3
Structure the output for the VSME Basic Module
Root produces a methodology-transparent dataset structured for the Voluntary Standard for SMEs (VSME) Basic Module: energy and emissions (B3), pollution (B4), biodiversity (B5), water (B6), waste (B7), and workforce data (B8-B10).
Step 4
Respond to every future request from the same dataset
When the next customer questionnaire arrives, your team starts with a complete VSME-aligned dataset. When suppliers, energy contracts, or product data change, Root updates automatically.
No starting from scratch every time someone new asks.
No starting from scratch every time someone new asks.
VSME is what your customers will recognise.
Root produces it once, ready for every ESG request that follows.
Root produces it once, ready for every ESG request that follows.
Want a VSME disclosure ready
before your next customer asks?
before your next customer asks?
What you get
Every ESG request answered
from one place
from one place
Your VSME disclosure is documented, traceable, and aligned with the GHG Protocol. When an enterprise customer sends a sustainability questionnaire, you have the answer ready. When a bank runs ESG diligence, you share the same disclosure. When an investor asks for your sustainability position, you point to the same dataset.
For the first time, sustainability data isn't a custom job for every request. The same dataset that produces your VSME disclosure feeds every customer questionnaire, bank review, and investor conversation. One data foundation for every report, footprint, and sustainability claim.
For the first time, sustainability data isn't a custom job for every request. The same dataset that produces your VSME disclosure feeds every customer questionnaire, bank review, and investor conversation. One data foundation for every report, footprint, and sustainability claim.
Benefits
Three ways VSME pays back
Customers get a credible answer fast
Your enterprise customers' CSRD reports depend on your data. A structured VSME disclosure answers their questionnaire in days, not weeks. Suppliers who answer fast stay on the preferred-supplier list.
Banks and investors take you more seriously
Sustainable finance assessments now factor ESG data into credit and investment decisions. A standardised VSME disclosure gives banks and investors the proportionate view they need. The conversation moves from "do you have the data?" to "what does the data show?".
VSME caps what customers can ask for
Under the Omnibus value-chain cap, large customers cannot ask their suppliers for more sustainability data than VSME provides. Once your VSME disclosure is in place, every future customer questionnaire has a legal ceiling. The endless escalation of ESG data demands stops here.
Why it matters
VSME is now the EU's
recommended answer
recommended answer
The European Commission formally recommended VSME on 30 July 2025 as the standard format for sustainability data from suppliers to large companies. The Omnibus value-chain cap goes further: it limits what large companies can ask their suppliers for to what VSME provides. VSME is now the ceiling of customer data requests, not the floor.
Source:
European Commission Recommendation (EU)
2025/1710, 30 July 2025; Omnibus I package
(COM(2025)80), February 2025; EFRAG VSME
standard, December 2024.
2025/1710, 30 July 2025; Omnibus I package
(COM(2025)80), February 2025; EFRAG VSME
standard, December 2024.
Get started now
Get a VSME disclosure ready
for every customer
In a guided demo, we show how Root produces a VSME-aligned
disclosure from the data you already have.
disclosure from the data you already have.
FAQs
Common questions about VSME with Root.
We don't have a sustainability team. Can we still use Root?
Yes. Root is built for teams without sustainability expertise. The data you already have is enough to begin: purchase orders, sales orders, a basic bill of materials per product group, energy bills, fuel receipts, waste invoices, and workforce records like headcount and hours. Root structures the rest, flags the gaps, and produces a VSME-aligned disclosure your customers will recognise.
Will banks and enterprise customers accept a VSME disclosure?
Yes. The European Commission formally recommends VSME as the basis for sustainability data requests across value chains. Major banks and CSRD-obligated retailers are aligning their questionnaires to VSME. A VSME-aligned disclosure is what they're now asking for.
We're not subject to CSRD. Why bother with VSME at all?
Because your customers are subject to CSRD, and they need supplier data to complete their own reports. Without a VSME-aligned disclosure, every customer questionnaire is a custom data project. With one, it's a copy-paste.
How does this connect to other reporting we might do later?
The same dataset that produces your VSME disclosure can feed a full CSRD disclosure if your company grows into scope, or any other framework your customers move to. One data foundation for every report, footprint, and sustainability claim.