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Hamburg, November 30, 2022

  • Majority of European companies see sustainability as a trend in receivables management
  • Sustainability strategy a criterion for awarding contracts to business partners
For companies, sustainability is becoming increasingly relevant. A good half (51 percent) of European financial executives think that sustainable practices will be one of the key trends in receivables management in the next two years. At the same time, by their own admission, only 31 percent of European firms are currently implementing sustainable practices in this area. In Germany it is even fewer, at 29 percent. These were some of the insights from the representative EOS Survey “European Payment Practices” 2022, which polled 3,200 companies in 16 European countries.

Sustainability is about more than just conventional environmental protection 

Two out of three companies in Europe confirm that they generally assume social and ecological responsibility. However, sustainability is often reduced to issues of climate and environmental protection only. According to the survey, only 46 percent of European companies associate a solution-driven approach to defaulting consumers with sustainable practices. In Germany the proportion is 44 percent.

“Most companies have long since recognized that sustainability is a success factor for their future development. At the same time, the receivables management sector is only gradually coming to realize that a fair and individualized approach to defaulting consumers is crucial,” explains Julius Reuting, EOS Group expert in corporate responsibility (CR). “Moreover, we are finding that when customers are awarding debt collection contracts, they are increasingly looking at whether the service provider exercises social responsibility and has a good reputation.”

Sustainability strategy a decisive criterion for awarding contracts

Half of the European companies polled stated that they took the sustainability strategies of potential business partners into account when deciding to award a contract. This is also the case in Germany, where 52 percent of companies check the sustainability strategies of potential partners before they decide to work with them. In addition, 77 percent of respondents are basically in favor of companies being more sustainable.

About the EOS Survey “European Payment Practices” 

In partnership with independent market research institute Kantar, EOS conducted phone interviews with 3,200 companies in 16 European countries between March 4 and April 19, 2022, to ask them about the prevailing payment practices in their respective locations. In the spring of 2022, 200 companies (each with an annual turnover of more than EUR 5 million) in each of the countries Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK answered questions about their own payment experiences and current issues relating to risk and receivables management. This is the 13th time that EOS has conducted the survey.

About the EOS Group

The EOS Group is a leading technology-driven investor in receivables portfolios and an expert in the processing of outstanding receivables. With over 45 years of experience, EOS offers some 20,000 customers in 25 countries around the world smart services for all their receivables management needs. Its key target sectors are banking, real estate, telecommunications, utilities and e-commerce. EOS employs more than 6,000 people and is part of Otto Group.

For more information on EOS Group, please go to: www.eos-solutions.com

Contact for press and media
Daniel Schenk, Team Lead Corporate Communications German Market 
Marc Heuer, Corporate Communications & Marketing EOS Group 
 
E-Mail: presse@eos-solutions.com
Tel: +49 40 2850 1222
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