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Description

Voluntary Sustainability Reporting for SMEs: Understanding the Standard, Mapping Your Data and Preparing Your Report

Discover the voluntary sustainability reporting standard designed for small and mid-sized companies

  • 0.43 days — 3 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

SMEs in the UAE receive sustainability questionnaires from their clients, their banks and their main contractors. Each one asks for a different format, and the company responds case by case with data reconstructed at the last minute. The time spent is considerable and answers differ from one questionnaire to the next, which weakens the commercial relationship.

This three-hour introductory virtual session presents the voluntary SME sustainability reporting standard, its logic and its modular architecture. It shows how to map the data already available within the company, identify the gaps and prepare a first structured data collection that will serve as a single response baseline.

Learning objectives

  • Position the voluntary SME standard among the sustainability reporting requests received by smaller companies
  • Describe the modular architecture of the standard and its levels of requirement
  • Identify the data already available within the company
  • Identify missing information and the sources to be mobilised
  • Build a data collection plan for a first publication

What makes this programme different

The standard is approached through the questionnaires SMEs actually receive
Each participant inventories the data already held within their own company
A three-step data collection plan is drafted during the session

Programme

1Why a voluntary SME standard

Understanding the demand the standard answers

  • Origin and purpose of a voluntary standard for non-listed companies
  • Pressure from main contractors, banks and clients
  • Positioning relative to the reporting obligations of large companies
  • Expected benefits of a single response format

2The architecture of the standard

Knowing what the standard requires and at which level

  • Modular structure and progressive levels of requirement
  • Main families of information covered
  • General information and activity-related information
  • Level of detail expected according to company size

3Preparing your data collection

Starting from the data already available

  • Inventory of existing data and of the people who hold it
  • Identification of gaps and of sources to be created
  • Appointment of contributors and data collection timetable
  • Key points of attention regarding data reliability

Who is it for

SME owners and managers · administrative and finance managers · sustainability officers · accountants and advisers supporting non-listed companies.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

12 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.