CSRD reporting in Action – HOPPECKE and Ecobio Collaborate for Double materiality Assesment

Ecobio supported HOPPECKE, an international battery manufacturer, in advancing its sustainability journey through double materiality assessment (DMA). Originally, HOPPECKE was preparing for reporting under the sustainability reporting directive CSRD.

Since then, EU has shifted the regulation and moved HOPPECKE’s mandatory reporting a few years into the future. Despite the shift in reporting duty, sustainability work continues at HOPPECKE as a strategic asset.

Sustainability as a Strategic Priority

HOPPECKE is a German-based family-owned company with almost 100 years of history in battery manufacturing. As a global company, HOPPECKE sees sustainability as both a responsibility and a source of value creation. Four years ago, the company established a sustainability department to strengthen its capability to manage environmental, social, and governance issues centrally alongside other functions.

– We wanted to have the luxury of an in-company sustainability management. DMA became a key step to understand our situation, our environment, and the company structure more clearly, explains Ludwig Merz, Head of Sustainability.

Merz tells us that HOPPECKE views sustainability as a guiding principle for long-term business resilience and a way to create value for employees, customers, and society. Batteries play a central role in the global energy transition, and HOPPECKE wants to ensure that its products contribute to this transformation with minimal impact on resources.

Choosing a reliable partner with previous experience

When HOPPECKE began planning for CSRD, it considered many potential partners. According to Merz, the market was full of new startups and providers offering sustainability reporting services. However, HOPPECKE wanted a partner with previous experience and a stable position in the field.

– We were looking for a company with long expertise in the sustainability market. Our impression was that Ecobio would have the combination of abilities we were looking for, Merz says.

Although there was some initial hesitation about working with a Finnish consultancy, the decision proved right. According to Merz, Finland being recognised as a sustainability frontrunner in Europe, and Ecobio’s connections to EU regulatory bodies strengthened HOPPECKE’s confidence in the decision.

– We wanted fresh insight from a country that is a leader in sustainability. The workshops during the project confirmed that this decision brought us value, Merz says.

Workshops drove the project forward

The project began with in-person workshops in Germany, where Ecobio consultants Aku Kähkönen and Matti Turunen facilitated discussions across HOPPECKE’s sites and operations. Colleagues from for example, Poland and China, also participated, ensuring that perspectives from different sites of the company were represented.

– Meeting in person gave the project a good drive. We would repeat this model again: start together on site, then continue digitally, Merz recalls.

In the workshops Ecobio’s consultants moderated the discussions, aiming for maximum engagement and collaboration. Interactive methods used in the workshops, such as digital Miro boards, encouraged participation even from colleagues who might not typically speak up. Aku Kähkönen emphasises the contributions made by HOPPECKE’s internal team:

– They brought strong knowledge to the table, from very technical details to strategic values. We could see how sustainability connects to customer needs, production efficiency, and attractiveness for new talent. In the workshops, there was a future-oriented mindset with a focus on value creation in the long term, Kähkönen says.

The project improved collaboration within HOPPECKE, Merz notes. Different departments and sites came together to discuss sustainability in a structured way. A project team formed during the DMA now continues working on the same themes. The DMA workshops also helped colleagues from purchasing, production, and sustainability departments to better understand each other’s priorities. Supply chain topics became clearer through joint discussions. This strengthened HOPPECKE’s ability to integrate sustainability across business functions.

– The HOPPECKE board defined the focus areas of the project, and the workshops showed the importance of including expertise from different departments. The working group challenged each other openly, which led to better prioritisation. Some topics were debated strongly, showing that the team was engaged and thinking ahead, Aku Kähkönen explains.

Ecobio Manager as a Supporting, Digital Tool for Reporting

HOPPECKE processed the DMA results with Ecobio Manager, Ecobio’s digital sustainability management solution. The tool allows companies to structure data, define KPIs, and streamline reporting.

For a company with multiple sites and departments, digitalisation is a must. Many companies still rely on spreadsheets for sustainability data, but HOPPECKE recognised the growing complexity and opted for a different solution.

– Requirements have increased so much that doing everything would be very time-consuming and inefficinet. Integrating our company structure and the DMA results into a dedicated software saved us time and helped focus on the relevant topics, Merz explains.

Double Materiality Assessment as a Foundation for sustainability work

The DMA process helped HOPPECKE identify key topics such as energy use, resource efficiency, and circular economy. It confirmed that the company is on the right track with its activities but also highlighted areas where further development is needed.

The outcome was a sustainability roadmap, defining actions and directions for the coming years. These include strengthening product footprint assessments, preparing for digital product passport requirements, and deepening collaboration with suppliers to integrate sustainability into the supply chain.

– Even though CSRD reporting has been postponed, we continue our journey without delay. The DMA results give us a starting point and a clear direction, Merz notes.

The role of batteries in the energy transition reinforces HOPPECKE’s motivation.

– It is not only a question of whether we are doing the right thing. The question is how to do it with less impact. We want to stay on track and continue our value-driven way, Merz summarises.

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