Save the Date: Knowledge Picnic on Sustainability Reporting – 24–25 June 2026

We are pleased to announce that the EBC Foundation, in collaboration with aquabench, will organise the 2026 Knowledge Picnic on Sustainability Reporting on 24–25 June 2026 in Hamburg, Germany. The event will be hosted by Hamburg Wasser.  

This topic is timely, as water and wastewater utilities are facing increasing regulatory requirements, and rising stakeholder expectations are driving the need to enhance non-financial reporting to ensure transparent, data-driven, and sustainability-oriented operations. This upcoming Knowledge Picnic will bring together experts and practitioners in an interactive format that facilitates discussions, knowledge exchange, and hands-on learning. Rather than focusing on theory alone, the Knowledge Picnic provides a practical, experience-driven platform where professionals can share and learn from real experiences and explore workable solutions.

What to Expect

This two‑day event will explore several highly relevant themes for water and wastewater utilities, including:

• Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission accounting
• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
• Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for SMEs (VSME)
• Value creation and how to operationalise it within utilities

Participants will have the opportunity to share challenges, discuss solutions, and learn from concrete case studies.

The Knowledge Picnic aims to:

• discussing companies' experience with sustainability reporting, exploring which information is truly meaningful for water supply & wastewater utilities, how to get necessary data, and the challenges faced by utilities 
• discussing GHG emission accounting and the difficulties with calculating certain emission elements 
• sharing companies’ practical experiences in implementing reporting frameworks such as the CSRD and the VSME 
• exploring the concept of value creation and discussing how it can be operationalised within the company

Who should attend

The event is tailored for professionals working in:

• Sustainability reporting
• Utility strategy development
• Carbon footprint / GHG management
• Related operational or regulatory fields

Attendance is limited to 25 participants to keep discussions focused and interactive. To secure your place, we recommend registering as soon as possible, as the event is limited to 25 participants. 

Register and Contribute to the Picnic Programme

Participants are invited to share their own experiences or best practices, helping shape a meaningful and practical agenda. Ideas can be submitted via the registration form.

To (pre)register, please complete the registration form by 3 April 2026.

For further information, please see the Save the Date document below. More details, including a draft agenda, will be shared with registered participants at a later stage.

If you have any questions, please contact: administrator@waterbenchmark.org