“Sustainability should be firmly anchored into the DNA of every company.”
Responsible entrepreneurship has a long tradition in both Germany and Europe. As early as the 12th century, the first models of a reputable businessman were propagated. At the heart of the concept lies the notion that not only should a businessmann be interested in the long-term promotion of his business success, but also in the preservation of social harmony. Public and stakeholders alike increasingly reward responsible entrepreneurship. A genuine sustainable management successfully integrates economic interests, social demands of internal and external stakeholders as well as environmental protection and preservation and achieves an equilibrium regarding them.
Tangible benefits of sustainable management
- Protect your business from loss of reputation – environmental disasters in the Gulf of Mexico, residues of heavy metal in toys from China or modern slave labor in garment factories in Bangladesh have been seared into the collective memory of the public. A holistic sustainability management helps to identify potential risks early, mitigate risks altogether or at the least minimize them actively.
- Saving resources and costs – constantly rising prices for energy are a significant cost factor for businesses and create competitive disadvantages. An environmental management system allows you the efficiently monitor the use and reduce the consumption of natural resources, saves energy, lowers the carbon footprint of your company and improves the environmental performance of your manufacturing processes and products.
- Generating new customers – consumers factor sustainability aspects more and more into their purchasing decisions. Customer inquiries about the social and environmental aspects of the manufacturing process as well as the upstream and downstream value chains are no longer an uncommon.
- Compliance with legal and B2B requirements – not only since the introduction of stricter EU reporting requirements for companies has the systematic collection and transparent communication of sustainability performance become an indispensable compliance issue for large corporations. More and more business partners, customers, and contracting authorities expect from you as a supplier verifiable proof of sustainability.
- Increase your attractiveness as an employer – professionals and managers pay more attention than ever to environmental and resource protection, work-life balance, flexible working hours and social responsibility.
We support you with our years of consulting experience in the systematic integration of sustainability into your enterprise decision-making and management processes:
Strategic sustainability consulting
- The systematic stock taking of the current state of sustainability in your company marks the beginning of our cooperation. Through interviews, analyses and document inspections we evaluate the existing processes, responsibilities and requirements of the various stakeholders.
- After preparation and presentation of overall results and the identified gaps we work out, in unison with your team, a first target concept of sustainability which focuses on the truly relevant topics. Together we identify industry-, country- and company-specific sustainability risks and develop appropiate control and management processes.
- Based on this, we conceive a tailor-made sustainability strategy in tandem with your company, articulate ambitious yet realistic goals and develop specific plans of action with clearly defined deadlines and milestones. If requested, we assist you on a step-by-step basis with the implementation and the continuous improvement process.
Sustainable reporting
- In order to offer customized evaluation and assessment and also as a basis to derive realistic objectives, our first step will be to capture the status quo of reporting and data collection processes. This provides the basis to systematically record and document your sustainability performance according to common reporting standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
- The next step is to determine together the main report sections, assign responsibilities and define non-financial performance indicators (KPIs) which enable your company to accurately and adequately capture the economic, social as well as environmental impact of your business activities.
- We will assist you in the selection and company-wide implementation of a suitable sustainability monitoring software, which allows the retrieval and sorting of relevant data at the push of a button. that allows a button to retrieve the target group and prepare data. We also guide you on how to transparently and credibly communicate your sustainability performance, be it internally or externally.
Sustainable supply chains
- To make your supply chain sustainable, we first examine the existing supply structures regarding potential sustainability risks and challenges from an environmental, social and qualitative perspective. Naturally, we also take into account your organizational culture and values as well as the relevant national and international laws, norms and standards.
- After prioritization of your sustainability risks, we work together in unison with you to develop a strategic concept which details concrete steps how to actively manage, and in turn also minimize your risks. Furthermore, a systematic approach how to integrate your suppliers is drafted. Additionally, to help create mutual understanding about the needs and expectations of your suppliers, a moderated stakeholder-dialogue is held. This is essential for the successful implementation at supplier level, as it promotes transparency and creates mutual trust.
- Via workshops and on-the-job-trainings we cooperatively raise awareness at supplier level regarding environmental protection, resource efficiency, fair working conditions, occupational health and safety (OHS) as well as quality requirements of raw materials, intermediate and end products. If requested, we draw on our broad network of local experts, train auditors to monitor compliance with the defined environmental, social and quality standards and assist you with the continuous improvement of your supplier relationships.
Are you interested? We look forward to getting in touch with you: You explain your core business to us and we draft a individualized project approach, non-binding, which best suits your circumstances. Together we create added value for your company, its employees and all stakeholders.
Learn more about our roughly 100 successfully implemented projects for companies of all sizes and industries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.