Shaping sustainability

Analyze the status quo

Our sustainability maturity assessment is the starting point for any sustainability journey. We look at ongoing activities and the extent to which sustainability is already embedded in a company’s organizational design. Is sustainability part of the corporate strategy and what are the targets? Are there clear roles and responsibilities? What is the interaction between the department and functional areas? Our sustainability maturity assessment enables a well-founded assessment of the initial situation, benchmarked against competitors and best practices.

Uncover and prioritize sustainability topics

Our materiality analysis deep dives into all three aspects of ESG – environmental and social impacts, and corporate governance. What are the most relevant sustainability topics for individual companies? What are the most important topics from a stakeholder perspective? And what are the top priorities? The materiality analysis acts as a guide for your sustainability journey: The analysis not only shows possible ESG risks and action areas but also potential opportunities to develop a competitive advantage. The decisive factor here is the focus on company-specific key areas to remain one step ahead of future competition.

Define ambition level and strategy

The first step in formulating a sustainability strategy is defining aspirations: What level of ambition does the company have? Is the primary goal to ensure compliance, to just go with the flow, or is sustainability an opportunity for market differentiation? With an independent analysis of the drivers in the company-specific industries and a benchmarking comparison, we start the discussion on the level of ambition and the cornerstones for the sustainability strategy. Together we will formulate a target vision and define qualitative and quantitative requirements for sustainability in companies to achieve their vision. We help define action areas and consequences for products, production, and value chain - a strategy that forms the basis for the transformation and anchoring of sustainability into the operating model - all while assisting in communicating authentic progress with internal and external stakeholders.

Shaping measures, objectives, and an implementation roadmap

Concrete measures must be developed for all fields of action. To this end, we jointly define concrete actions, detail the necessary work steps, and set targets and milestones with which the progress of all measures can be tracked. This also includes the definition of responsibilities – who must be involved across functions to ensure a successful implementation of change? Which customer groups, suppliers & networks can help achieve targets? Sustainability ambitions cannot be solved without external cooperation. We support companies in the implementation of all measures and assist with the design of the procedural, organizational, and technical prerequisites for anchoring sustainability within companies. Digital tools and platforms are a major enablers of sustainability – but which tools does a company really need? These questions and more can be solved together.

CO₂ reduction as product optimization

With our CO₂-engineering method, CO₂ equivalent emissions (CO₂e) from products can be demonstrated transparently. The product is reverse-engineered and examined and evaluated according to the international standards of DIN EN ISO 14067. For the modeling of CO₂ and other greenhouse gas emissions, we use our own software solutions to convert the entire value chain into a CO₂e balance. In addition to the materials used, the logistics and production processes are also mapped to build a complete and transparent CO₂ model. If necessary, the model can be extended to include the storage, distribution, and use of products to map an entire product life cycle. We not only quantify CO₂e emissions, but we also identify the most significant drivers and help clients utilize them effectively using our H&Z Green Lever Framework. With the knowledge gained from the model, we offer suggestions for optimization, considering both sustainability and commercial viability.

Identify and implement sustainability measures

With our approach, we develop measures to reduce CO₂ footprint and improve sustainability in companies. With cross-functional workshops, we address questions like: Where to begin? What are the main drivers of high emission levels? Where are the risks regarding environmental and human rights aspects? We help identify and overcome hurdles and develop improvement measures together through clearly structured Green Lever workshops, which offer scalable and easy to implement sustainability initiatives.

The basis of our Green Lever Framework

Based on the concept of the ten basic principles of the circular economy, our consulting team derives concrete solutions for each phase of the product life cycle, from which we then generate recommendations for action individually tailored to each company. In addition, SUSTAINX's sustainability network provides "Ready to Use" solutions and best practices, including technologies, products, and materials for the success of the initiatives. We then create an implementation roadmap by evaluating applicability of measures before prioritizing them based on impact and efficiency. From analysis to implementation, our team of experts accompanies organizations through the process of increasing sustainability across the entire value chain.

Initiating transformation and involving people

To develop the best transformation program for companies, we follow a proven approach, which enables companies to assess their current level of sustainability and to identify critical success factors and key action areas. We help define and align a clear and transformative sustainability program and work with a network of experts to conduct a holistic analysis of individual sustainability risks. Based on the degree of maturity and the sustainability goals, company-specific measures are derived, planned, and aligned with growth targets. Finally, we mobilize the organization as a whole and accompany the implementation of a purposeful change program that meets the interests of employees and other stakeholders.

Implementing sustainable transformation goals

Based on the concept of the ten basic principles of the circular economy, our consulting team derives concrete solutions for each phase of the product life cycle, from which we then generate recommendations for action individually tailored to each company. In addition, SUSTAINX's sustainability network provides "Ready to Use" solutions and best practices, including technologies, products, and materials for the success of the initiatives. We then create an implementation roadmap by evaluating applicability of measures before prioritizing them based on impact and efficiency. From analysis to implementation, our team of experts accompanies organizations through the process of increasing sustainability across the entire value chain.

This is SUSTAINX

SUSTAINX is a platform and community that facilitates sustainability transformation, combining AI with collective intelligence from scientists, industry professionals, topic experts, and consultants. Founded in 2021, SUSTAINX is an independent company and part of the H&Z Group. It allows organizations not only to find innovative solutions for their sustainability challenges but to also get a head start in implementing those solutions. SUSTAINX focuses on three areas of sustainability transformation. The first area is about knowing how and where to start, which is of course key to an effective sustainability transformation. The focus in the second area is on finding solutions. Every transformation faces hurdles that are easily overcome by finding and applying innovative solutions. The third area is centered on facilitating cross-industry collaboration. Thus, it is crucial to look to other industries to reapply scalable solutions. We are convinced, that innovation and collaboration will lead to a more sustainable tomorrow. SUSTAINX exists to translate sustainability ambitions into action.

What SUSTAINX does

SUSTAINX is a collaborative community designed to match customers with sustainability solutions. The platform alone offers over 1500 solutions, best practice examples, reports, and studies, and continues to grow every day. Part of SUSTAINX’s offering is to hold a program of roundtable events and working groups on key focus areas such as plastic substitutes, sustainable packaging, and logistics. These events are to encourage customers to begin their sustainable journey or prompt them to optimize their current ESG operations, all while benefitting from cross-industry collaboration. Past attendees have included Red Bull, Hapag Lloyd, BMW, Roche, Deutsche Bahn, and more. By creating a community to facilitate cross-industry exchange, sustainability solutions can be identified, reapplied, even co-created, and then applied where necessary at any point throughout a sustainability transformation.

Here you can find out more about SUSTAINX.