Sustainability Guides

Booklet 2025

The brochure “This is how sustainability works for SMEs and cooperatives” was published in 2025 with a focus on communication.

It covers the following topics:

• Why SMEs should actively communicate sustainability
• What really matters in sustainability communication
• Examples of Volksbank customers and ÖGV members who have achieved success with sustainability communication 
• How greenwashing can be avoided

Booklet 2024

The fourth brochure „This is how sustainability works for SMEs and cooperatives" with a focus on value creation from 2024 has been published in cooperation with the Austrian Cooperative Association (ÖGV) and respACT, Austria's leading business platform for responsible business. It covers the following topics:

• How Volksbank wants to reduce greenhouse gases
• Examples of who is successful with sustainable value creation
• How SMEs and cooperatives obtain ESG data

Booklet 2023

The brochure „So geht Nachhaltigkeit für KMU und Genossenschaften“ („This is  how sustainability works for SMEs and cooperatives“) is focused on circular economy and was published in 2023.

It covers he following topics:

• Who the CSRD applies to and when, and why SMEs are also affected
• About the path of Volksbank customers and ÖGV members to the circular economy
• What circular economy actually means and how to get started

Booklet 2022

The brochure "So geht Nachhaltigkeit für KMU und Genossenschaften" („This is how sustainability works for SMEs and cooperatives“) is focused on the subject of energy transition and was published in 2022.
It covers the following topics:

• How companies manage the transformation from Sustainability 0.0 to Sustainability 3.0
• How sustainable the customers of Volksbanks and ÖGV members already are – demonstrated by practical examples 
• How energy cooperatives work and who helps with their foundation

Booklet 2021

In the 2021 edition, SMEs and cooperatives learn how they can focus on sustainability and what they should take into consideration.
It covers the following topics:

• Why sustainability concerns all of us 
• Sustainable, successful business models of Volksbanks‘ customers and ÖGV members
• Sustainability from A to Z: The most important terms, contacts and subsidies