Table of contents
Intro ............................................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1: Introduction................................................................................................................................. 10
Chapter 2: Patterns of Frontrunners.............................................................................................................. 11
Climate Strategy: An Example of Data Analytics .............................................................................................. 11
Sustainability-Based Transformations .............................................................................................................. 11
Identifying Key Success Drivers ......................................................................................................................... 11
Vectoring .......................................................................................................................................................... 12
The Four Archetypes of Sustainability .............................................................................................................. 12
The Integrated Reporting SpiltIRSpigt Framework -> six standard capitals ..................................................... 14
Chapter 3: The Quest for Purpose ................................................................................................................. 15
Providing a Sense of Purpose: In Search of the Why ........................................................................................ 15
Sustainability as a Source of Purpose ............................................................................................................... 15
From Purpose to Business Impact: Talent Attraction and Retention ................................................................ 15
From Why to What and How ............................................................................................................................ 15
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 4: Focusing on materialities that matter .......................................................................................... 17
Materiality and Sustainability .......................................................................................................................... 17
More Is Not Better: Evidence from Data........................................................................................................... 17
The Evolving Reach of Boards’ Fiduciary Responsibilities ................................................................................. 17
The Creep of Corporate Responsibility.............................................................................................................. 18
Reporting on Sustainability: The Materiality Matrix ........................................................................................ 18
Building Your Own Materiality Matrix .............................................................................................................. 19
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 20
Chapter 5: Sustainable Development Goals................................................................................................... 22
Target 2030: The Sustainable Development Goals ........................................................................................... 22
Food Waste: Gems in the Garbage? ................................................................................................................. 22
Embedding the SDGs ........................................................................................................................................ 23
Local and Global: Not Just the Developing Countries ....................................................................................... 23
Examples of SDGs ............................................................................................................................................. 23
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 23
Chapter 6: ESG Ratings and the Stock Markets .............................................................................................. 25
Darwinians at the Gate: Shareholders and Sustainability ................................................................................ 25
The CADMOS Engagement Funds and the Buy and Care Strategy ................................................................... 25
, From Engagement to Results............................................................................................................................ 26
The Increasing Burden of Non-Financial Reporting .......................................................................................... 26
The Evolving Landscape of ESG Ratings............................................................................................................ 26
Designing an ESG Ratings Game Plan .............................................................................................................. 26
Integrating SDGs into Investment Portfolios .................................................................................................... 27
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 28
Chapter 7: Investors’ Perspectives on Sustainability...................................................................................... 29
Sustainability in the World of Money ............................................................................................................... 29
Startups and Sustainability ............................................................................................................................... 29
Venture Capital: Sustainability as a Theme ...................................................................................................... 29
Private Equity and the Value Creation Potential of Sustainability .................................................................... 30
Hedge Funds’ Conversion to Sustainable Investing .......................................................................................... 30
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 30
Chapter 8: Encouraging a Culture of Sustainability ........................................................................................ 32
Leadership in Sustainability .............................................................................................................................. 32
Culture and Impact ........................................................................................................................................... 32
Measuring Culture ............................................................................................................................................ 33
Building a Culture of Sustainability: The Power of Coalitions ........................................................................... 33
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 34
Chapter 10: Toward a Circular Economy ........................................................................................................ 35
The circular economy........................................................................................................................................ 35
The circular economy in practice ...................................................................................................................... 35
Recycle: Capturing the value of Polyurethane Mattresses (Materials application) .......................................... 35
Repurpose: From pig feed to polymers (Extend lifespan) ................................................................................. 36
Remanufacture: Renault trucks and its vehicle components (Extend lifespan) ................................................ 36
Refurbishment in fashion: Patagonia and its worn wear program (Extend lifespan) ....................................... 36
Reduce: pioneering circular crustaceans at the Happy Shrimp Farm (Eco-efficiency) ...................................... 37
Refuse: The Greek mattress revolution goes global (Eco-efficiency) ................................................................ 37
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 38
Chapter 13: Embedding Sustainability into the Business Core ....................................................................... 39
Compiling the sustainability strategy: How to start? ....................................................................................... 39
Assessing the business readiness: Where to start? .......................................................................................... 39
KPI reporting ..................................................................................................................................................... 40
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 40
Guest lecture 1: Carola Wijdoogen ................................................................................................................ 42
Guest lecture 2: Carola Steenmeijer .............................................................................................................. 44
,Guest lecture 3: Annegeke Jansen ................................................................................................................. 47
Guest lecture 4: Jeroen Cox ........................................................................................................................... 52
Guest lecture 5: Anne Manschot ................................................................................................................... 57
Guest lecture 6: Jeroen van Muiswinkel ........................................................................................................ 59
Guest lecture 7: Charbel Moussa................................................................................................................... 62
Guest lecture 8: Charlotte Extercatte ............................................................................................................ 64
, Intro
CSR and Sustainability..
• CSR often targets opinion formers such as the media, politicians, and pressure
groups, and focuses on balancing current stakeholder interests.
• Corporate sustainability takes a more holistic approach, considering the social
impacts from business alongside the environment and economy.
Trends in Sustainability
Moving from…
• Company towards supply chain
• Environment towards social impacts
• Check-the-box towards making-an-impact
• Top-Down towards Bottum-Up -> sustainability was driven by CEO, now people start
own initiatives, generation wants to make it happen.
• Nice-to-have towards need-to-have
• CSR director towards CFO and CEO
The Quest for Purpose
• In search of the Why
• Sustainability as a Source of Purpose
- Talent Attraction and Retention
• Purpose statement formulation
- Interface: they produce carpets from fishing nets from oceans, they don’t sell the
carpets but the rent them to offices then take it back and reuses it.
- Patagonia: use business to protect nature.
- Dopper: stop plastic pollution.
- Tony’s Chocolonely’s Slave-Free Chocolate
The Corporate Social Responsibility Hierarchy
• Economic responsibility: To produce an acceptable return for investors.
• Legal responsibility: To act within the framework of laws and regulations drawn up by
the government and judiciary (what about Shell and Nigeria?)
• Ethical responsibility: To do no harm to its stakeholders and within its operating
environment (an Oath?!)
• Discretionary responsibility: Companies have more pro-active, strategic behaviors
that benefit themselves or society, or both (Unilever soap in rural India, Tony
Chocolonely, Patagonia)
Archetypes
• Traditional: inherent risks (tobacco, weapons), compliance driven and focus on
reporting to regulatory affairs
• Communicative: opportunity seizing is complicated because sustainability measures
are costly (automotive, insurance). Focus on risk reduction and compliance.
• Opportunistic: opportunities offered by Sustainability (energy / renewables).
• Transformational: companies that have embraced Sustainability in a holistic fashion.
Sustainability programs are more closely tied to business operations.
Intro ............................................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1: Introduction................................................................................................................................. 10
Chapter 2: Patterns of Frontrunners.............................................................................................................. 11
Climate Strategy: An Example of Data Analytics .............................................................................................. 11
Sustainability-Based Transformations .............................................................................................................. 11
Identifying Key Success Drivers ......................................................................................................................... 11
Vectoring .......................................................................................................................................................... 12
The Four Archetypes of Sustainability .............................................................................................................. 12
The Integrated Reporting SpiltIRSpigt Framework -> six standard capitals ..................................................... 14
Chapter 3: The Quest for Purpose ................................................................................................................. 15
Providing a Sense of Purpose: In Search of the Why ........................................................................................ 15
Sustainability as a Source of Purpose ............................................................................................................... 15
From Purpose to Business Impact: Talent Attraction and Retention ................................................................ 15
From Why to What and How ............................................................................................................................ 15
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 4: Focusing on materialities that matter .......................................................................................... 17
Materiality and Sustainability .......................................................................................................................... 17
More Is Not Better: Evidence from Data........................................................................................................... 17
The Evolving Reach of Boards’ Fiduciary Responsibilities ................................................................................. 17
The Creep of Corporate Responsibility.............................................................................................................. 18
Reporting on Sustainability: The Materiality Matrix ........................................................................................ 18
Building Your Own Materiality Matrix .............................................................................................................. 19
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 20
Chapter 5: Sustainable Development Goals................................................................................................... 22
Target 2030: The Sustainable Development Goals ........................................................................................... 22
Food Waste: Gems in the Garbage? ................................................................................................................. 22
Embedding the SDGs ........................................................................................................................................ 23
Local and Global: Not Just the Developing Countries ....................................................................................... 23
Examples of SDGs ............................................................................................................................................. 23
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 23
Chapter 6: ESG Ratings and the Stock Markets .............................................................................................. 25
Darwinians at the Gate: Shareholders and Sustainability ................................................................................ 25
The CADMOS Engagement Funds and the Buy and Care Strategy ................................................................... 25
, From Engagement to Results............................................................................................................................ 26
The Increasing Burden of Non-Financial Reporting .......................................................................................... 26
The Evolving Landscape of ESG Ratings............................................................................................................ 26
Designing an ESG Ratings Game Plan .............................................................................................................. 26
Integrating SDGs into Investment Portfolios .................................................................................................... 27
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 28
Chapter 7: Investors’ Perspectives on Sustainability...................................................................................... 29
Sustainability in the World of Money ............................................................................................................... 29
Startups and Sustainability ............................................................................................................................... 29
Venture Capital: Sustainability as a Theme ...................................................................................................... 29
Private Equity and the Value Creation Potential of Sustainability .................................................................... 30
Hedge Funds’ Conversion to Sustainable Investing .......................................................................................... 30
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 30
Chapter 8: Encouraging a Culture of Sustainability ........................................................................................ 32
Leadership in Sustainability .............................................................................................................................. 32
Culture and Impact ........................................................................................................................................... 32
Measuring Culture ............................................................................................................................................ 33
Building a Culture of Sustainability: The Power of Coalitions ........................................................................... 33
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 34
Chapter 10: Toward a Circular Economy ........................................................................................................ 35
The circular economy........................................................................................................................................ 35
The circular economy in practice ...................................................................................................................... 35
Recycle: Capturing the value of Polyurethane Mattresses (Materials application) .......................................... 35
Repurpose: From pig feed to polymers (Extend lifespan) ................................................................................. 36
Remanufacture: Renault trucks and its vehicle components (Extend lifespan) ................................................ 36
Refurbishment in fashion: Patagonia and its worn wear program (Extend lifespan) ....................................... 36
Reduce: pioneering circular crustaceans at the Happy Shrimp Farm (Eco-efficiency) ...................................... 37
Refuse: The Greek mattress revolution goes global (Eco-efficiency) ................................................................ 37
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 38
Chapter 13: Embedding Sustainability into the Business Core ....................................................................... 39
Compiling the sustainability strategy: How to start? ....................................................................................... 39
Assessing the business readiness: Where to start? .......................................................................................... 39
KPI reporting ..................................................................................................................................................... 40
Tips, Traps and Takeaways ............................................................................................................................... 40
Guest lecture 1: Carola Wijdoogen ................................................................................................................ 42
Guest lecture 2: Carola Steenmeijer .............................................................................................................. 44
,Guest lecture 3: Annegeke Jansen ................................................................................................................. 47
Guest lecture 4: Jeroen Cox ........................................................................................................................... 52
Guest lecture 5: Anne Manschot ................................................................................................................... 57
Guest lecture 6: Jeroen van Muiswinkel ........................................................................................................ 59
Guest lecture 7: Charbel Moussa................................................................................................................... 62
Guest lecture 8: Charlotte Extercatte ............................................................................................................ 64
, Intro
CSR and Sustainability..
• CSR often targets opinion formers such as the media, politicians, and pressure
groups, and focuses on balancing current stakeholder interests.
• Corporate sustainability takes a more holistic approach, considering the social
impacts from business alongside the environment and economy.
Trends in Sustainability
Moving from…
• Company towards supply chain
• Environment towards social impacts
• Check-the-box towards making-an-impact
• Top-Down towards Bottum-Up -> sustainability was driven by CEO, now people start
own initiatives, generation wants to make it happen.
• Nice-to-have towards need-to-have
• CSR director towards CFO and CEO
The Quest for Purpose
• In search of the Why
• Sustainability as a Source of Purpose
- Talent Attraction and Retention
• Purpose statement formulation
- Interface: they produce carpets from fishing nets from oceans, they don’t sell the
carpets but the rent them to offices then take it back and reuses it.
- Patagonia: use business to protect nature.
- Dopper: stop plastic pollution.
- Tony’s Chocolonely’s Slave-Free Chocolate
The Corporate Social Responsibility Hierarchy
• Economic responsibility: To produce an acceptable return for investors.
• Legal responsibility: To act within the framework of laws and regulations drawn up by
the government and judiciary (what about Shell and Nigeria?)
• Ethical responsibility: To do no harm to its stakeholders and within its operating
environment (an Oath?!)
• Discretionary responsibility: Companies have more pro-active, strategic behaviors
that benefit themselves or society, or both (Unilever soap in rural India, Tony
Chocolonely, Patagonia)
Archetypes
• Traditional: inherent risks (tobacco, weapons), compliance driven and focus on
reporting to regulatory affairs
• Communicative: opportunity seizing is complicated because sustainability measures
are costly (automotive, insurance). Focus on risk reduction and compliance.
• Opportunistic: opportunities offered by Sustainability (energy / renewables).
• Transformational: companies that have embraced Sustainability in a holistic fashion.
Sustainability programs are more closely tied to business operations.
