Borussia Dortmund has published its second sustainability report, and it comes with a message about timing. The club is using the document to reinforce its long-running approach to environmental, social and governance (ESG) management, even as the wider public debate around the term has cooled.
The report follows the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which made Dortmund the first German professional football club to report in line with it in September 2025. This second edition is based on the ESRS framework.
The Core of the Report
Carsten Cramer, Managing Director of Borussia Dortmund, described the statement as an “important X-ray view into our own company.” He acknowledged the shift in public attention.
“The debate around sustainability has lost volume and support — we take note of that without letting it distract us,” he said. “Responsibility is not a campaign that can be switched on and off depending on the mood, but an essential part of our DNA.”
He added that reaching millions of fans at Germany’s largest stadium carries a role-model function, “regardless of whether the topic is currently in vogue or not.”
Marieke Philippi, Head of Corporate Responsibility at BVB, pointed to the practical progress behind the numbers.
“We are very pleased that, in the second year of our ESRS reporting as well, we are able to demonstrate not just mere data points, but above all substantial and verifiable progress,” she said. “For me, this also necessarily includes disclosing where we have not yet reached our goals.”
BVB Managing Director Svenja Schlenker addressed the social side of the club’s work.
“In public perception, sustainability is often reduced to issues such as energy and emissions. For us, however, it begins above all with responsibility for the people who carry this club every day,” she said. “Ongoing dialogue and engagement with our employees, fans, and members ultimately determine whether we will be successful in the long term.”
Why Now Is the Time to Push Harder
The report’s authors present this as a moment of contrast. While other companies scale back ESG communication amid political uncertainty over reporting obligations, Dortmund is making a deliberate choice to keep going.
The club’s stated conviction is that responsible action and business success are not opposites, but mutually dependent. The report is meant to show that approach is gradually making BVB more resource-efficient and resilient.
Philippi framed the disclosure of shortcomings alongside the achievements as part of the same commitment.
“For me, this also necessarily includes disclosing where we have not yet reached our goals,” she said.
Schlenker’s comments point to a broader view of responsibility. She listed three areas of focus:
- Dialogue and engagement with employees, fans and members
- Corporate culture
- Questions of equal opportunity
The report also touches on anti-discrimination work through “Borussia connects,” a program the club has run for more than ten years. The club describes this as “tireless fight against antisemitism, racism, and all forms of discrimination.”
“The debate around sustainability has lost volume and support — we take note of that without letting it distract us.”
What This Means for the Club
Dortmund is positioning itself as a club that takes sustainability seriously, even when the wider conversation has moved on. The report’s emphasis on transparency and disclosure — including admitting where goals have not been met — suggests the club is presenting its work openly.
The report’s framing of sustainability as a “trigger word” reflects a wider shift in how companies are talking about the term. Dortmund is noting the public debate has lost importance, while still committing to its own approach.
BVB is presenting its progress and its areas for improvement in a transparent, credible and comprehensive way, according to Cramer.
Source material: “Borussia Dortmund publish sustainability statement for 2025/2026,” Yahoo Sports.
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