Zwolle, 27 November 2025 – During the annual CSRD Awards ceremony, the jury announced Koninklijke Heijmans N.V. as the winner in the Large Company category. In the SME/Other category, the award once again goes to Schijvens Corporate Fashion. The awards recognize organizations that lead the way in transparent, structured, and forward-looking sustainability reporting.
Jury chair Dick de Waard presented the trophies to Ton Hillen (CEO of Koninklijke Heijmans) and Shirley Schijvens (owner) and Jaap Rijnsdorp (CEO) of Schijvens.
The CSRD Awards are an initiative of the Impact Economy Foundation, Van der Molen E.I.S., and Impact Institute, and encourage organizations to improve their sustainability reporting in line with the upcoming requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Beyond transparent reporting, the organizers also encourage companies to genuinely take action on sustainability.
This year, 57 annual reports for 2024 were assessed. From these, the jury selected a shortlist of 11 organizations, including 8 large companies and 3 SMEs.
The jury was deeply impressed by all submissions and by the initiatives and activities of the participants, making the decision far from easy. The jury congratulates all organizations that are already doing excellent work in this area and encourages them to continue.
Winner Large Company: Koninklijke Heijmans N.V.
The jury praises Heijmans for a clear, transparent, and consistent annual report in which sustainability is demonstrably integrated into strategy, risk management, and execution. The report stands out due to:
- Clear explanation of materiality and stakeholder dialogue;
- Concrete descriptions of risks and dilemmas;
- Strong governance and decision-making structure;
- Insightful connection between societal context and business activities.
The report shows that Heijmans treats sustainability information as part of good governance, not as an obligatory appendix.
CEO Ton Hillen of Koninklijke Heijmans expressed his delight and pride upon receiving the award.
“ Sustainability is in our DNA. We call ourselves creators of a healthy living environment for a reason. Transparency about our performance is a natural part of that. The introduction of the CSRD was a significant challenge for us as well, despite the steps we had already taken. That’s why I am especially proud that we have won this award. It is a recognition for the team, which succeeded in translating the new regulations into a clear and cohesive report. They have shown: it can be done together.
The CSRD also offers opportunities for the entire sector. As we increasingly speak the same language, we can collectively raise responsible business practices to a higher level. Although the CSRD currently seems to apply only to larger companies, the impact of sustainability reporting can grow further if clients – especially governments and public bodies – adopt the same transparency requirements. After all, they determine billions in tenders and thereby steer the market. By bringing public clients under the CSRD standard, we create a level playing field, better comparability, clearer language and expectations, and accelerate sustainable value creation throughout the chain.”
Winner SME/Other: Schijvens Corporate Fashion
Schijvens wins the award for an exceptionally complete and transparent sustainability report. The jury was once again highly impressed by the continued efforts Schijvens has shown this year, and after careful consideration decided to grant the award to Schijvens again. The jury especially appreciates:
- In-depth supply chain transparency (including international suppliers);
- Focus on living wage, human rights, and social risks;
- Use of life cycle assessments (LCA);
- Significant progress since last year.
Schijvens demonstrates that even small and medium-sized enterprises, without a legal obligation, can excel in quality and openness.
“This award is tremendous recognition for the hard, good, and above all transparent work of all our partners in the supply chain, who worked together to achieve and measure everything we set out to do this year. Teamwork makes the dream work! With our practical report, we hope to inspire others to continue even where legislation stops.” – Shirley Schijvens.
General Trends 2025
The jury observes a clear professionalization of sustainability reporting in the Netherlands. More and more organizations are structuring their reports in line with CSRD/ESRS and are investing in:
- Improved materiality analyses;
- Clearer goals and KPIs;
- Stronger integration of strategy and sustainability;
- Transparency regarding risks and supply chains.
At the same time, due diligence, quantification of social and environmental impacts, and explanation of dilemmas remain important points of attention.
Based on the CSRD Awards submissions, Impact Institute has prepared a ‘Best Practices’ report, available at www.csrdawards.nl.
About the CSRD Awards
The CSRD Awards are an initiative of the Impact Economy Foundation, Van der Molen E.I.S., and Impact Institute, encouraging organizations to improve their sustainability reporting in line with the upcoming requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The awards are presented annually to stimulate clear, reliable, and forward-looking sustainability reporting. The assessment is based on ten criteria derived from the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), supplemented by focus on transparency, verifiability, and governance.
The awards are supported by organizations such as NBA, SRA, UN Global Compact Network Netherlands, VBDO, VVM network of environmental professionals, and Eumedion.
The expert jury consists of:
- Teresa Fogelberg, Former Deputy Chief Executive Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and former chair of the Expert Panel of the Dutch Transparency Benchmark
- Marleen Janssen Groesbeek, Professor of Sustainable Finance and Accounting at Avans University of Applied Sciences
- René Orij, Professor of Sustainability Reporting at Nyenrode Business University
- Dick de Waard (chair), Emeritus Professor of Auditing at the University of Groningen
For more information: www.csrdawards.nl