ESG Consulting

By developing a holistic ESG strategy and deriving a roadmap for implementation, companies can integrate sustainability into every area of their business model. The ESG strategy includes the short and long-term sustainability goals and the development of the organisational structures and processes to achieve them. This step is particularly relevant for companies, as a solid ESG strategy not only ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, but also strengthens risk management and can lead to better performance on the market by increasing stakeholder confidence.

Decarbonisation plays a major role in companies as part of ESG since clear targets up to climate neutrality by 2050 have been defined in Europe. This means that companies also see it as their duty to define a decarbonisation strategy. The first step is to create transparency about greenhouse gas emissions within the company and along the value chain by calculating the carbon footprint as comprehensively and automatically as possible. By analysing the results and hotspots in detail, reduction measures can be derived and corresponding reduction targets defined. As requirements increase, the focus is not only on greenhouse gas emissions, but also on a holistic life cycle analysis that also takes into account environmental impacts such as water use and resource consumption.

Greenhouse gas emissions have increased significantly in recent years, as has the consumption of resources, which is due to the linear economic system – produce, use, dispose To solve the resource problem, a change in thinking from a linear to a circular economy is necessary: produce, use, recycle and reuse. This involves removing as few raw materials as possible from the cycle and instead utilising raw materials as fully or as long as possible in the cycle through reuse, repair, refurbishment and recycling. The implementation of a circular economy requires early adaptation within the product design, adjustments to relevant processes within the organisation and often a rethink among the employees themselves.

A data-supported approach to implementing the ESG strategy and achieving the defined goals is essential to be able to quantify, manage and communicate the ongoing ESG initiatives in the best possible way. In the first step, the existing data situation in the company can be analysed to derive a suitable data strategy for the company. In the second step, the focus is on the agile implementation of the derived optimisation measures and the implementation of a suitable sustainability tool to automate sustainability practices as far as possible.

The EU Taxonomy defines uniform criteria for environmentally sustainable economic activities and is becoming the central reference for investors, banks, and companies. It creates transparency about which activities are considered taxonomy-eligible or taxonomy-compliant. Companies must report their revenue, investment, and operating expenses accordingly and demonstrate how they contribute to the EU’s six environmental objectives. With growing regulatory pressure, taxonomy is becoming not only a compliance issue but also a strategic management tool for sustainable transformation.

Materiality analysis is a key tool for systematically identifying and prioritizing sustainability issues. It forms the basis for transparent and CSRD-compliant reporting, strengthens risk management, and opens up new opportunities for companies to differentiate themselves in the market. By integrating the dual materiality perspective, both external impacts on the environment and society as well as internal effects on business activities are taken into account. This creates a sound basis for making strategic decisions, meeting stakeholder expectations, and ensuring long-term competitiveness.