VSME · SME reporting · digital outputs
VSME reporting software: templates, evidence and XBRL
VSME reporting software helps a non-listed SME organise information for the European Commission’s voluntary standard; the framework is voluntary and a software label does not decide which information a company should provide.
EFRAG already publishes a digital template, XBRL taxonomy and converter, so compare commercial products against those owner materials and check the exact output before relying on a support claim.
For the standard’s legal status and the UK supplier position, read the VSME guide.
Start with the owner’s materials
What does EFRAG already provide?
The baseline is an owner-published digital template and converter, not a commercial vendor list.
EFRAG describes the spreadsheet template as having conditional disclosure checks, calculations, consistency validation and links to VSME text; its XBRL taxonomy provides a vendor-independent data model, and its converter turns a completed template into a digital report.
The current owner page says the materials are being updated after publication of the Voluntary Standard in July 2026, and it warns that the template was developed and tested with Microsoft Excel 365 and that use in other or older spreadsheet applications may be limited or incorrect.
The converter’s terms restrict the hosted service to personal and non-commercial use and prohibit automated HTTP requests, so review those terms before building a commercial workflow around the hosted converter (EFRAG converter and terms).
VSME digital workflow
Enter
VSME digital workflow
Validate
VSME digital workflow
Convert
VSME digital workflow
Review
Check the release version: the EFRAG page lists current and outdated resources separately, so ask a vendor to identify the template and taxonomy release it supports.
Buyer test
What should a VSME product produce?
Ask the product to map a sample record to the relevant VSME disclosure, preserve the source and reviewer history, and export a report that can be checked against the current owner materials.
For digital outputs, request a demonstration of the taxonomy version, tagging or structured-data format, validation errors and a way to retrieve the underlying evidence, treating a spreadsheet import or an “XBRL-ready” label as a claim to test.
Software demo · evidence check
VSME product demo evidence
Tick a test only when the vendor has demonstrated it with a representative record and shown the evidence or export.
0 of 4 tests demonstrated (0%). This is a checklist result, not a score for the vendor.
Still to test: Show the current VSME template or mapping version; Trace one disclosure to its source and reviewer; Demonstrate validation and correction history; Export and inspect the report and structured data.
Vendor-owned statements
Which vendors say they support VSME?
As read on 19 October 2026, Coolset describes guided VSME reporting on its product page; Eevery says its questionnaire produces a VSME report and claims full alignment with the Standard; Position Green lists VSME templates among its reporting options (Coolset, Eevery, Position Green).
These are the vendors’ own claims, presented without ranking or endorsement; none has been independently tested here, so check the exact template version, disclosure mapping, validation and export in a demo.
What you are buying
Which software category fits the job?
Four workflow layers
Collect
Four workflow layers
Manage
Four workflow layers
Report
Four workflow layers
Exchange
A general ESG platform may collect the inputs, while a specialist reporting product may generate structured outputs.
Neither category is automatically necessary: match the product to the recipient’s request and the company’s reporting process.
No approval implied
Does EFRAG certify VSME software?
The EFRAG materials page publishes its own template, taxonomy and converter but does not present a general certification scheme for commercial VSME products.
Check a vendor’s compatibility claim against the release materials and an actual export.
Do not confuse support for VSME with validation of the company’s data or a guarantee that a bank, customer or other recipient will accept the output.
Implementation choice
What should you ask in a demo?
Use one representative disclosure and ask the vendor to show its source, unit, boundary, reviewer, mapping and final output in the same session, including how the product handles changes in EFRAG’s materials and how you can retrieve your data if you leave.
Compare a platform’s workflow with EFRAG’s own template and your existing spreadsheet process, and see ESG software versus a consultant for broader selection questions.
Illustrative buyer case
How might a UK SME answering a VSME-shaped request test a software claim?
Illustrative only: a UK supplier receives a sustainability questionnaire and wants to test whether a VSME workflow can organise its evidence and produce a useful response, while the recipient’s request and applicable standard still control what is needed.
One record, checked end to end
Source
One record, checked end to end
Method
One record, checked end to end
Review
One record, checked end to end
Output
Order of work
What should happen before a software decision?
Buyer sequence
1. Clarify the recipient and requested output
Buyer sequence
2. Map each requested item to the current VSME materials
Buyer sequence
3. Trace a sample figure and narrative to source evidence
Buyer sequence
4. Review the export with the recipient before rollout
Decision points
What should the buyer carry into the decision?
- VSME is a voluntary reporting standard.:VSME is a voluntary reporting standard.
- EFRAG publishes an official template and converter.:EFRAG publishes an official template and converter.
- A vendor claim is not an EFRAG approval.:A vendor claim is not an EFRAG approval.
Ask the vendor to reproduce one disclosure from source record through review to an export you can inspect.
Choose VSME software by the traceability of its evidence and the output it can demonstrate against EFRAG’s current materials.
Frequently asked
VSME software questions, answered
What is VSME software?
VSME software helps a non-listed SME collect and organise information for the Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard.
The label alone does not show that a product maps every disclosure or produces a correct report.
Does EFRAG provide VSME software?
EFRAG provides a digital spreadsheet template, an XBRL taxonomy and a converter.
EFRAG describes these as support materials; they are not a certification of commercial software.
Can a company use a spreadsheet for VSME?
EFRAG’s digital template is spreadsheet-based and includes checks and calculations.
Its owner page warns that functionality may be limited or incorrect outside Microsoft Excel 365 or on older versions.
Does VSME require XBRL tagging?
Do not infer a filing duty from the existence of an XBRL taxonomy or converter.
Check the current applicable instrument and the recipient’s request; the VSME digital materials are support resources.
Does the UK SRS replace VSME?
They are separate standards with different owners and status.
See the dedicated UK SRS reporting-software guide for UK SRS workflows.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- EUR-LexDelegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1560 — Voluntary Standard, Annexes I–II
- EUR-LexDirective 2013/34/EU, consolidated text, Article 29ca
- EUR-LexCommission Recommendation (EU) 2025/1710
- European CommissionCommission recommendation on voluntary sustainability reporting for SMEs
- EFRAGVSME Digital Template and XBRL Taxonomy
Official template, taxonomy, converter, version notes and limitations.
- EFRAGDigital-Report-to-XBRL Converter and its terms
Owner-provided converter and use restrictions.
- EFRAGRelease of the VSME Digital Template, XBRL Taxonomy and Converter
- EFRAGVSME knowledge hub
- EFRAGVSME project and supporting materials
- EFRAGVSME XBRL taxonomy entry point
- EFRAGVSME digital template and taxonomy explanatory note
- European CommissionCorporate sustainability reporting
- European CommissionVoluntary sustainability reporting standard: additional explanatory information
- EFRAGDigital Template to XBRL Converter source code
- EFRAGEFRAG publishes its first VSME-based sustainability report
- CoolsetVSME reporting software
Vendor-owned description of its own VSME module; not an independent confirmation.
- EeveryVSME Reporting Tool
Vendor-owned description and alignment claim; test against the current owner materials.
- Position GreenSustainability data-management platform
Vendor lists VSME templates among its framework options; not an independent capability assessment.
Continue reading
Read next
VSME standard and UK suppliers
Status, scope and what a supplier can decline.
ESRS reporting software
A separate workflow for CSRD and ESRS reporting.
XBRL sustainability tagging software
Tagging, validation and structured exports.
UK SRS reporting software
The UK standards and their reporting workflow.