Analysing sustainability performance with the Sustainable Business Quick Check

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in our society and economy. This can be seen in almost all sectors, as various stakeholder groups (consumers, retailers, banks, insurance companies, legislators, etc.) place a wide range of demands on companies. However, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular often still find it difficult to assess their sustainability performance. For this reason, the ZNU, supported by funding from the GIZ, has developed the "Quick-Check Sustainable Business". This is free of charge and accessible to all interested parties.

"Sustainability in companies and along the supply chain is increasingly becoming a question of competitiveness. Companies are expected to make their supply and value chains more sustainable," says Philip Aanderud from GIZ. "More and more SMEs are also trying to fulfil this expectation. With the Quick Check on Sustainable Business Practices, the ZNU is creating an orientation guide for these companies to better assess their own sustainability performance and that of their supply chain. On behalf of the BMZ, GIZ supported the development of this tool to enable SMEs to quickly get started with sustainability management - for the continuous improvement of production conditions worldwide."

Systematically implementing sustainability in the company

The "Quick Check for Sustainable Business Practices" supports companies in analysing risks and helps them to systematically implement sustainability in their company through recommendations for action and suggestions for improvement. These are requirements that, not least due to the German and soon also the European Due Diligence Act, will be placed even more strongly on companies in the future. In addition to the impact on your own company, the check can also help to sensitise suppliers to all aspects of sustainability and to obtain classifications of sustainability performance for your own supplier evaluation.

"The Quick Check for Sustainable Business Practices is based on the ZNU Standard for Sustainable Business Practices. It has been tried and tested since 2012 and over 100 locations of small and large companies are certified according to it every year," adds Dr Christian Geßner, Head of the ZNU. The standard takes into account all relevant international sustainability frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the German Sustainability Code (DNK), the reporting standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and many more, and offers certified companies a practicable sustainability management system in all three dimensions of sustainability and sustainable corporate governance.

Gradations of the Quick Check

The "Quick Check Sustainable Business" is available in two versions. Version 1 contains twelve simple questions on sustainability activities and can be completed in five minutes. This version is particularly suitable for sensitising users of the check to the various aspects of sustainability and for providing initial food for thought and ideas. Version 2 is more detailed and can therefore also provide a more precise assessment of sustainability performance. It contains 31 questions and should take around 15 minutes to complete. Users receive recommendations for action and suggestions for improvement in the evaluation, which are individually orientated towards the check results. These can be saved as a PDF together with the assessment of sustainability performance and passed on to others.

Carrying out the "Quick Check Sustainable Business" at https://www.check-nachhaltigkeit.de/

The "Quick Check for Sustainable Business Practices" was made possible by funding from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).