Sustainability as a competitive advantage

Overall, it can safely be said that absolutely everyone can be sustainable. Smaller service providers, too, can have their carbon footprint verified. Others are going a step further: “The life cycle assessment is the big brother of the carbon footprint. Alongside CO₂, it also considers a product’s other environmental aspects, such as water consumption,” explains the industrial engineer. Some proof of sustainability pays off immediately in terms of hard cash: Biogas operators, for example, get paid for submitting a certificate or an expert opinion attesting to their sustainability. TÜV NORD accompanies and supports companies and organisations from all sectors with comprehensive expertise in the areas of climate protection and sustainability.

When you think of sustainability, the first thing that comes to mind is CO₂. But there is much more to it than that. Conserving resources and saving energy are important cornerstones, for sure. However, sustainable action also has a social aspect: Does a company care about the health of its employees? Does it take the trouble to ensure that they enjoy working for it? Answers to these questions are provided by social standards audits performed by independent testing organisations such as TÜV NORD.

The sheer range of questions illustrates an important point: There is currently no uniform sustainability certificate. TÜV NORD’s portfolio ranges from verifying a company’s carbon footprint to certifying sustainable supply chains and validating and verifying climate protection projects. In a nutshell, the point of validation is to check whether a climate protection project makes sense and is feasible on paper even before the project concerned starts. Verification entails regular checks to establish which reductions in emissions the project is actually achieving and whether the criteria specified in the relevant standard are being adhered to at all times.

The market for sustainability and climate protection has exploded in recent years, for companies, products and services alike. New standards are constantly being developed: For example, TÜV NORD is a pilot certifier for the Forest Climate Standard. “This is still a new standard,” explains Ms. Günzerodt. “It’s aimed at forest owners who are striving to reforest areas damaged by climate change and want to make the new forests more resilient.” The standard creates financial incentives for investments in the protection and sustainable management of forests, and external certification is ensuring its wider acceptance in the market.

In all CO₂ reduction projects, it is crucial to understand that CO₂ is a global issue. “Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether CO₂ is emitted in Germany, India or Australia,” says the expert. The purpose of the projects is to reduce CO₂ emissions where this can be done most cost effectively, she continues. Ms. Günzerodt calculates this using an example: “If it were to cost me 20 cents in Thailand to save a ton of CO₂ where I’d have to pay 20 euros for the same reduction in Germany, then my investment of 20 euros can save one ton in Germany and 100 tons in Thailand. Applying logic shows me instantly which is the more sensible action.”

The Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) is also currently a hot topic in many industries. “A lot of companies are now imposing sustainability requirements on their suppliers,” says Ms. Günzerodt. “Certificates to that effect, in accordance with standards that are as internationally valid as possible, offer companies in the supply chain objective proof of their focus on sustainability and that the requirements have been met. This allows them to single out weaknesses which can then be individually addressed in retrospect.”

Against the backdrop of the finite nature of natural resources, an interesting conversation is emerging on the subject of the circular economy and recycling. “The exciting question here is how we’re going to design our products to ensure that they are easily recyclable at the end of their life without too much loss of quality. How can I reduce the volume of rubbish and waste that needs to be disposed of?” Ms. Günzerodt asks. Of one thing the expert is convinced: “The ability to produce relevant evidence is going to play a major role in the future.”

A future that younger professionals above all are particularly focused on: For more and more applicants, the three pillars of sustainability – ecology, economy and social issues – are now key elements when it comes to deciding whether they want to work in a particular company. Susanne Günzerodt puts it in a nutshell: “Sustainable companies have an advantage over their competitors here.” And proof of sustainability is very helpful in this respect.