Organised by EBC Foundation and hosted by CMPEAE – Empresa de Águas e Energia do Município do Porto (Porto water and energy utility), the Knowledge Picnic on Sustainability Reporting took place on May 14–15, 2025, in Porto, Portugal. The event brought together representatives from European water utilities for a focused exchange of knowledge, challenges and best practices.
The objectives of this two-day event were threefold:
• refreshing knowledge on the methodology for determining the Climate Footprint and discussing the challenges in getting a complete picture
• learning about the Omnibus proposals impact on the CSRD requirements and sharing companies’ experiences in (preparing for) reporting according to the CSRD requirements
• exploring the concept of Value Creation and how to operationalize it within the company
The Knowledge Picnic in Porto served as a timely and valuable forum for utilities dealing with the complexities of sustainability reporting and the CSRD requirements. With a strong emphasis on practical exchange, the event helped participants to better understand regulatory shifts, climate footprint calculation & its challenges, and to explore the strategic dimensions of value creation.
Day 1: The Omnibus regulation and Climate Footprint in Focus
After a welcome and introduction by EBC and CMPEAE, the sessions began with a deep dive into the latest regulatory developments. Pedro Faria from EFRAG explained impact of the Omnibus regulation on the CSRD requirements, a topic of great relevance.
The Knowledge Picnic continued with Peter Geudens from Vewin, who presented practical insights into climate footprint calculations used by EBC and challenges in getting a complete picture, based on the Dutch water sector experiences. Additionally, Sze Yie Chan from Aquabench provided useful updates on the development of the Climate Footprint topic in the context of German water utilities.
Day 2: Materiality, Strategy and Value Creation
The second day focussed on the strategic dimensions of sustainability reporting. David Peral from Canal de Isabel II introduced the concept of Double Materiality and mapping relevant sustainability datapoints, based on the Canal de Isabel II experience. This was followed by Agathi Tsantakou and Aggeliki Kostaki from EYDAP, who shared the company’s approach to CSRD-aligned reporting with an emphasis on integration into the strategy.
Reshma Ghisaidoobe from Dunea and Tom Bijkerk from Vitens presented the concept of the Value Creation Model and the experince with integration of the value creation into the corporate strategy.
Each session included time for questions and shared reflections, reinforcing the event’s collaborative spirit and peer-learning approach.
Special thanks to Águas e Energia do Porto’s Executive Board Members - Ruben Gabriel Teixeira Fernandes and Lisa Moutinho, as well as to Inês Costa and Mariana Oliveira for their warm hospitality and excellent organisation, which greatly contributed to the success of the event.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to all speakers for their insightful contributions, and to all participants for their active engagement.
As companies move towards Net Zero and greater transparency on sustainability, events like this remain essential in fostering alignment, ambition, and collective learning across the sector, supporting the water sector’s sustainability journey.