THE NATURAL STEP FOR BUSINESS
Are you sure that your organization’s problems are just due to bad luck? Or temporary changes in the market? Are you sure that problems are not symptoms, with root-causes that need another kind of approach? Are you sure that being modern means having a separate program for health and safety, and one for security, and one for CSR, and one for the environment, and one for...? And are you sure today’s answers will be good enough for tomorrows challenges?

If you are sure about all those things we may have nothing to offer. But if you are interested in approaching future markets with a full systems perspective, then we can help you. Our methodology builds on 17 years of science development (10 doctoral dissertations, a unique Masters program and Blue Planet Prize Laureate and we have a track record amongst business leaders (e.g. Ikea, Electrolux, Nike, Starbucks, Du Pont, and many others).

The science based TNS Framework helps you to solve problems in a way that avoids new problems, develop your vision and core values within a framework for social and ecological sustainability, refresh your vision in a step-by-step way while doing good business and finally, but not least important it helps you bring soul to your business.

This is what we do:
• Strategic management workshops – The methodology is introduced, some role models applying it are demonstrated, then the ’game’ of designing tailor made solutions for your organization starts immediately on site. Together we will create a financially, socially and ecologically sustainable vision of your business. Only then can you know what strategic steps to take next (Back-casting from Principles).
• CSR – We can help you integrate Corporate Social Responsibility in a strategic way with your core business. The result is that you will increase your chances of improving the bottom line, not in spite of your investment in CSR but because of it.
• Sustainability Analysis – Analysis of your business’ threats and opportunities from a global market perspective – a ‘gap’ analysis showing where your business is today in relation to your vision.
• Product and Service Analysis – how do you know which materials are going to be sustainable – how do you run your operations in a sustainable style? These are complex questions for which you need external advice based, not upon market trends, but on an understanding of sustainability.
• Integration – of management systems and programs – what are your programs and how can they be integrated with each other and with your core values into one and the same powerful and sustainable business strategy?
• Networking – with other organizations applying the same systematic way of thinking – many solutions are found in cooperation with others.
A sustainability systems map will reveal the key connections for your organization, your products and your community.
• Design – tools for the development of sustainable products and services – innovative design should be put into the context of strategic planning for the whole organization.
• Creating order – out of chaos at the tools level - all the tools ’Life Cycle Assessments, Indicators, Ecological Footprints, Triple Bottom Line, Cleaner Production…’ may seem confusing – how can you select and inform the tools you really need and how can you get more value by aligning your tools with your sustainability vision?
• Communication – of strategic sustainable development – it is not without risk to ’stick your head out’, so learn to anticipate the obstacles before you run into them.
• Supply Chain/Value Chain – do you know how to assess the sustainability credentials of suppliers or others vital to the success of your business? We apply the same consistent principles across all of your connections. Putting responsibility where it belongs is a way of sharing and it is a way of gaining more per investment and work load.
• Train the Trainer – understanding sustainability needs to spread through the whole organization. Our courses are designed to help you run that process with optimum return on your HR investment.
• E-learning – The Natural Step have developed an E-learning on-line educational course that provides practical sustainability education to a broad base of corporate, municipal and other organizations that want to learn how to plan strategically towards sustainability.              

Training for the Future - A Project for Capacity Building                                                                  An ongoing focus of The Natural Step International is capacity building, a key priority being the development and dissemination of new learning about sustainability. In this regard, the Natural Step is participating in a European Commission funded project through the Leonardo Da Vinci Programme, entitled, “Training for the Future.” The aim of the project is to create a sustainability course for Masters level university students in Hungary and Estonia as well as related workshops for business leaders. The project is a partnership between The Natural Step International (UK and Sweden), KOVET - The Hungarian Association for Environmentally Aware Management (www.kovet.hu) and the Stockholm Environmental Institute Tallinn (www.seit.ee). TNSI and its partners will be piloting the first course in Estonia the first week of May, 2006. The course is now an official study programme (a 2 credit course) of the Institute of Environmental Technology, Tallinn Technical University.

Interested to learn more? Look at the following links:
Strategic Leadership for Sustainable Development, Masters program at Blekinge Institute of Technology
 

CONTACT US - addresses to all the TNS offices around the world.