Half-Day Workshop

How Sustainability/ESG Requirements become a Competitive Advantage: Position, Target and Strategy Definition

Sustainability, also known as ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) on the capital market, is becoming more and more economically relevant for companies – with both opportunities and risks due to the complexity and range of topics. Although a commitment to sustainability is indispensable for this, studies also show that sustainability management that is not adapted to the company’s needs can lead to economic losses and reputational damage.

The cause of uncertainty is often the wide range of transparency and management requirements, also for SMEs, such as those arising from the German supply Chain Law (LkSG) and the EU reporting obligation (CSRD). Meeting these requirements is important – but they often distract from the central question about the importance of sustainability for the business model. “What do we have to do by when?” is the question often asked by the management of companies, and in doing so they can often already build on a solid foundation.

Benefit from several decades of experience in consulting, auditing, and operational implementation of sustainability.

Contents of the strategy workshop

In the workshop, led by our experts and prepared with you, we address the following questions together:

• What are the various regulatory frameworks and other initiatives, how are they interrelated and which of them are relevant for your company? What demands are currently being formulated by stakeholders?
• What are the pitfalls in setting up and implementing a sustainability strategy?
• How do you currently see your company and your competitors positioned? How do we assess the development of our market regarding sustainability management?
• What positioning is required for your company? What benefits can you realize in the short, medium, and long term? Can the potential benefits be estimated?
• Which integration strategy suits the company best (e.g., pilot vs. full implementation)? What time frame do you want to give yourself, what resources do you want to activate?  
• When should you start?

In a joint preliminary discussion, we prepare the workshop with you and define its goal. We conduct the half-day workshop either at your premises or virtually and guide you through the agenda. Together with you, we give your strategy an initial framework and formulate practical next steps for the integration of sustainability into strategy and processes. Our approach ensures a “strategic fit” with your business model and avoids a “one-size-fits-all” approach guided by “best practice”.

Outcome of the Strategy Workshop

In the workshop led by our experts and prepared with you, the following initial results are to be achieved:

• Initial status quo assessment and competitive positioning
• Determination of possible ambitions and potential benefits for the integration of sustainability into strategy and processes
• Planned scope, timeline, and resources for strategy implementation
• Determine the need for and scope of a more comprehensive status quo and competitive analysis
• Knowledge transfer on possible sustainability focal points (climate protection, human rights, etc.)

Our Approach to integrate Sustainability/ESG into Strategy and Processes

We are happy to adapt the scope of the workshop to your needs and prepare it even more specifically for your situation.

Moderators

Martin G. Viehöver, Founder & CEO:

He is active in the field of sustainability for 30 years and over 20 years in leadership positions at global consultancies (KPMG, Deloitte and AECOM). Martins experience includes ESG due diligence, integration of sustainability into business strategy, ESG ratings/reporting strategy and impact assessment.

Dr. Wolfram Heger, Director

Dr. Heger is an expert in corporate responsibility and sustainability. From 1999 to 2022, he developed and supervised the sustainability management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG as Senior Manager. His expertise includes strategy implementation, reporting, human rights due diligence, stakeholder management and sustainability management.