Assurance Report with limited degree of assurance by Mazars N.V.

Our conclusion

We examined the CSR indicators of Van Drie Holding (hereinafter the VanDrie Group) in Mijdrecht for 2020 that are included on the page entitled ‘Table of indicators belonging to the assurance report’.

On the basis of the tasks performed and the assurance information obtained, we have no reason to suppose that the selected CSR indicators of the VanDrie Group, as displayed on the page ‘Table of indicators belonging to the assurance report’, were not, in all material respects, compiled in accordance with the applicable criteria.

The basis for our conclusion

We conducted our investigation in accordance with Dutch law, including the Dutch including Standard 3000A ‘Assurance engagements other than audits or reviews of historical financial information (attestation engagement)’. The focus of this assignment is to obtain a limited degree of assurance. Our responsibilities in this respect are described in the section ‘Our responsibilities for the investigation’.

We are independent of VanDrie Group as required in the ‘Regulation regarding the Independence of Accountants in the case of Assurance Engagement’ (ViO). In addition, we complied with the Code of Conduct and Professional Practice for Accountants Regulation (VGBA).

We believe that the assurance information we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our conclusion.

Applicable criteria

Our assignment is limited to the selected CSR indicators in the table on the page ‘Table of indicators belonging to the assurance report’. The VanDrie Group reporting criteria apply to these selected CSR indicators. A more detailed description of the selected CSR indicators can be found in the explanatory notes to the table on the page ‘Table of indicators belonging to the assurance report’. We believe that the data included in the table is relevant and appropriate to our evaluation.

Other information in the CSR report

The VanDrie Group has compiled its CSR report based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards Core. Application of the GRI guidelines requires specific activities.  An important part consists of determining the material subjects and the scope of the report. The VanDrie Group has conducted a materiality analysis, making use of the materiality matrix found included on the page ‘Table of indicators belonging to the assurance report’.

We have read the CSR report and considered whether the information contains material deviations based on our knowledge and our understanding obtained by performing the tasks described under ‘Our responsibilities for the investigation’. This work does not have the same depth as our work with respect to the selected CSR indicators in the table on the page ‘Table of indicators belonging to the assurance report’.

Responsibilities of the board

The board of the VanDrie Group is responsible for drawing up the sustainability information in the CSR report in accordance with the reporting criteria of the organisation and the GRI Standards Core, including the identification of the intended users and the applicability of the adopted criteria to the objectives of the intended users.

The board is also responsible for such internal control that the board deems necessary to make it possible to compile, measure and evaluate the selected CSR indicators without deviations of material importance that form the result of errors or fraud.

Our responsibilities for the investigation

Our responsibility is to plan and execute an assurance task in such a way that we obtain sufficient and suitable assurance information to reach the conclusion that we are to deliver.

The work performed in that context is varied in nature and timing, as well as more limited in scope than for assurance engagements aimed at obtaining a reasonable degree of assurance. The degree of assurance that is obtained from assurance tasks focused on obtaining limited assurance is therefore also considerably lower than the assurance that is obtained from assurance tasks focused on obtaining reasonable assurance.

We apply the ‘Nadere voorschriften kwaliteitssystemen’ (Regulations for Quality Management Systems, NVKS). As a result, we have a coherent system of quality control including established guidelines and procedures to ensure compliance with ethical requirements, professional standards and other relevant laws and regulations.

Our investigation consisted, among other things, of:

• identifying areas in the table of selected CSR indicators in which deviations of material importance as a result of errors or fraud are likely to occur, determining and performing assurance work to respond to these areas and obtaining assurance information that is sufficient and suitable as basis for our conclusion;

• considering the internal control that is relevant to the investigation with the aim of selecting assurance tasks that are appropriate in the circumstances. The aim of this consideration is not to express a conclusion about the effectiveness of the internal control of the entity;

• conducting an environmental analysis and obtaining an insight into the business sector in question, into the relevant social trends and issues, into the relevant legislation and regulations, and into the organisation's characteristics;

• determining the consistency between the information in the CSR report and the indicators in the table on the page entitled ‘Table of indicators belonging to the assurance report’;

• evaluating the suitability of the reporting criteria and the consistency of their application, such as by evaluating the reasonableness of the estimates made by management;

• obtaining information from the board and other officials of the entity;

• carrying out analytical procedures and analysis into the interrelationship of data;

• carrying out more detailed checks if the results of the analytical procedures warranted this.

Use of this assurance report

This assurance report only relates to the evaluation of the performance of the selected CSR indicators for the VanDrie Group as found in the table on the page entitled ‘Table of indicators belonging to the assurance report’. This assurance report is therefore of limited scope and does not provide any assurance of the VanDrie Group's overall CSR performance for the year in question.

Amsterdam, 1 July 2021

Mazars N.V.

R.C.H.M. Horsmans M.A., RA RV

Table of indicators belonging to the assurance report