Sustainability Management

The Sustainability Management area addresses our core topic. It captures sustainability in the company holistically from a governance and transformation perspective.

From our perspective, entrepreneurial action can only be sustainable if it is profitable overall. Therefore, we align sustainability management in our understanding particularly toward economic impact.

We observe very different complexity situations among our mid-sized clients. We therefore always develop measures in the area of sustainability in relation to the size and complexity of the respective company as well as the conditions of the industry in which the company operates.

The following elements and formats were developed to redesign business models through measures in the area of sustainability, change price and cost structures, and implement activities in the area of sustainability as efficiently as possible.

Efficient Implementation of Sustainability

Sustainability Radar

Where do we stand? Where do we want to go?
We developed the “Sustainability Radar” format to quickly capture all requirements from the area of sustainability that are brought to a company—especially by customers—and compare them with the status quo. The result of this format is a position assessment regarding sustainability as well as the definition of an overarching sustainability objective.

Best Practice Workshop

How do others successfully manage sustainability?
What can we learn?
We organize workshops for our clients with other companies that have already successfully embarked on the path to sustainable business practices. In these workshops, participants exchange ideas and discuss selected issues that arise during the implementation of sustainability. Through the workshops, one benefits from the experiences of others and can gain new perspectives.

Sustainability Strategy

What do we need to change about the business model?
How will this affect us in the long term?
The topic of sustainability has influences on many levels of company operations. It is therefore advisable to incorporate the topic of sustainability into strategic considerations as early as possible and to define a sustainability strategy in order to provide a framework and direction for these influences. However, sustainability considerations do not always meet with broad consensus within the company. We have extensive experience in moderating strategy processes.

Sustainability Organization

Who drives the topic internally?
How do we need to position ourselves?
Since the topic of sustainability extends across all levels of a company’s organization, the various activities and work streams should be consolidated in one place. Large companies are moving toward appointing a sustainability officer and establishing a cross-functional sustainability function. Based on our experience, we design this function appropriately and efficiently according to the size and complexity of a company.

Sustainability Roadmap

What does our plan look like?
By when do we implement what (and how)?
The implementation of sustainability is not a sprint but a marathon. Many activities and projects will require time and must be coordinated with one another. Where appropriate, we develop a so-called “roadmap”—an overarching project plan—that can be used for both internal governance and external communication.

Sustainability Communication

What sustainability content do we want to communicate to whom?
What communicated commitments and objectives could come back to haunt us later?
We observe that many companies have “jumped on the sustainability bandwagon” in their communications. Often, objectives and content are communicated that do not withstand scrutiny and are perceived by the market as “greenwashing.” We support companies in forward-looking planning of communication content and formats in the sustainability area as well as a reporting strategy for mandatory and voluntary ESG reports (e.g., voluntary CSRD report).