June 27, 2025
The pilot phase of the BSR Interreg Sustool project in Finland has officially wrapped up. Over the past months, we’ve tested our ESG Tool in what is already a saturated and sometimes skeptical market. While sustainability is high on the agenda for many companies, the reality is that, especially for SMEs, resources are limited and competing priorities are constant.
There’s understandable fatigue around new tools and frameworks, particularly when regulatory expectations are shifting fast and clear guidance is often lacking. That said, we were able to work closely with a handful of engaged companies that saw value in exploring how the ESG Tool could help them prepare for upcoming disclosure requirements under the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and beyond.
Feedback from the pilot was positive. Companies appreciated the structured approach and the ability to assess where they stand. Areas to improve prior to the public launch were better integration with existing processes, clearer explanations around data points, and more support on how to act on the results.
Like in other partner countries, the piloting phase in Finland closed with a roundtable discussion with the piloting companies. This was followed with an engagement and dissemination event at Manufacturing Performance Days (MPD) 2025. MPD is a high-level industrial event organized in Finland every other year. During the event, it was encouraging to see real interest in sustainability topics and to have honest conversations about the challenges and wishes companies have for sustainability. Our roundtable discussion with the piloting participants followed by a wider engagement with Finnish companies during MPD was a great opportunity to connect, reflect and disseminate the tool to a wider audience.
The tool will be launched in August 2025 with a finalized version that supports companies in their sustainability reporting and assessment needs. This marks an important step in the continuous journey of corporate sustainability, which we are glad to be part of.
Writers: The ESG Tool Team at DIMECC: Lisbet Frey, Emilie Hachem, Vilma Saari
DIMECC is developing the ESG Tool, a free digital platform that helps businesses understand environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria and prepare for sustainability reporting.
