Sustainability Strategy

We are specialists in the co-definition of sustainability strategies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. We help organisations – Companies, Universities, City Councils and Associations – to structure a sustainability strategy, defining their priority Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and material issues, through value chain analysis, business ecosystem assessment, and analysis as well as through stakeholder dialogue.

This approach allows any organisation to have a vision, mission, strategy, activity areas, governance model, and a defined action plan with KPIs, team and budget.

We work with our clients and their relevant stakeholders to identify the most appropriate actions for each business ecosystem.

Materiality Analysis

We help your company to identify the material issues affecting the business activity.

For this purpose:

  • We analyse the value chain of organisations and/or of their products;
  • We actively engage with stakeholders (internal and external);
  • We identify the environmental, social and ethical impacts/governance of the organisation along its value chain, and link them to the SDGs;
  • We develop materiality matrices.

Stakeholder Engagement

We promote stakeholder dialogue and engagement as part of your sustainability strategy through:

  • Stakeholder identification and segmentation;
  • Identification of common and specific interests of each relevant stakeholder;
  • Organisation and facilitation of meetings, and of forums for dialogue and co-creation;
  • Communication with the different parts, and conflict management;
  • Co-creation, and monitoring of collaborative projects;
  • Participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Sustainability goals can only be achieved through strong cooperation between different palyers in society. For this reason, dialogue and engagement with stakeholders is essential to build more responsible businesses. In this process, we work to create healthy relationships and synergies with local communities, NGOs representing social and environmental interests, the public sector, universities, and other entities. Furthermore, we guarantee the integration of different perspectives and visions on sustainability challenges, co-creating solutions with positive impact.

Identifying Priority SDGs

We help companies integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their strategy by understanding the positive and negative impacts that their activity has throughout the value chain. Using tools developed by the WBCSD, GRI, and the UN, we can:

  • Identify the priority SDGs associated with the impacts of the value chain;
  • Identify the priority vectors of the sustainability strategy;
  • Identify ambitions, actions and targets for each of the vectors;
  • Involve suppliers in the recognition and integration of SDGs;
  • Define metrics and goals that contribute to the SDGs;
  • Develop a “Sustainability KPIs Fact Sheet”.

SYSTEMIC CAN HELP YOU:

Choose the objectives that matter most to your organisation. Companies don’t need to identify every Sustainable Development Goal – especially not all at once – but they should choose the ones where they can have the most impact.

Improve awareness of SDGs. Companies that integrate the SDGs as part of their business strategy ensure that awareness of the SDGs reaches different stakeholders.

Examine the supply chain. The biggest impact will be on how the company selects and manages its suppliers – it is essential to integrate the SDGs into partnerships so that suppliers share the same governing philosophy.

Why should businesses recognize the SDGs?
The SDGs are a call to action to all countries – developed and developing countries – in a global partnership with the private sector and civil society. No matter how big or small, and regardless of their industry, all companies can contribute to the SDGs. Different SDGs are directly relevant to different companies and, therefore, the first step is to know the SDGs sub-goals and understand their importance for sustainable development and their connection to the company’s goals. The SDGs facilitate the alignment of corporate strategy with the needs of today’s society. They highlight areas of innovation, and can help open new markets.

For SMEs, it will be increasingly important to communicate how their products contribute to the SDGs, and what actions they are taking to reduce their negative impacts. Not only do customers already want this information, but investors and financiers, both public and private, will also be asking for this very soon.

What are the SGDs?
Launched in 2015 by the United Nations, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set the agenda for people, planet, and prosperity in order to achieve a sustainable society for all by 2030. From ending poverty, improving health and education, reducing inequalities, and stimulating economic growth, the 17 SDGs also tackle climate change and the preservation of our oceans and forests.

SUSTAINABILITY OF THE VALUE CHAIN

The value chain is the central theme for defining any sustainability strategy since material issues vary according to the negative and positive impacts that the organisation has throughout the entire value chain: both upstream (supply chain) and downstream (use and disposal phase of the products or services). We identify the main impacts, propose solutions to minimize the negative ones, and work in partnership with other companies specialized in product life-cycle assessments (LCA).

These solutions can include:

  • Assessing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks along the value chain;
  • Proposing measures to mitigate ESG risks;
  • Creating ESG ratings for suppliers;
  • Training suppliers on these issues;
  • Foster partnerships with some suppliers;
  • Develop supplier codes and audits;
  • Train employees about the importance of sustainability criteria in purchasing;
  • Implement a green procurement system.

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