BRUSSELS (Belgium), July 13, 2020 – In its integrated approach Drive Sustainability advocates moving beyond the conventional approach to due diligence and making capacity building a key component for achieving impact. In 2018 and 2019, circa 1,500 supplier representatives joined the Drive Sustainability supplier trainings in nine different countries – Brazil, Hungary, Spain, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand and China. Participant consultations show that sustainability concerns vary, but are often connected to lacking or insufficient enforcement of company policies or management systems related to sustainability.
The Drive Sustainability Training Approach: Impact through solution-oriented learning
Drive Sustainability prioritizes problem-solving and solution-oriented learning. The supplier trainings in each country are tailored to the local needs and challenges. In a workshop-style setting the participants are invited to address these interactively, exchange best practices and develop their own improvement plans under guidance of the local trainers.
Participant consultations in 2019 confirm pertinent sustainability challenges
For the large majority of participants, the avoidance of long-term risk is the key driver for embedding sustainability into their business practices. This reflects a certain degree of maturity and awareness of the attending participants on the topic of sustainability.
At the same time, the most pertinent sustainability challenges were connected to lacking company policies and CSR management systems or the weak enforcement of these. Highlighted were also topics connected to sustainable resource management, new requirements for carbon emissions reduction, working hours and lacking procedures to address harassment and discrimination.
Key for addressing these challenges are the systematic integration and enforcement of corporate sustainability practices. While sustainability requirements are increasing, capacity building activities will continue to play a crucial role in the transition towards sustainability business practices.
The Drive Sustainability Training Report 2019, published in collaboration with Deloitte Belgium, analysed the sustainability trends, challenges, respective root causes, and identified solutions across 2019’s training countries. Deloitte locally implements the Drive Sustainability trainings through its global network. CSR Europe* designs and globally facilitates the Drive Sustainability training offer.
Towards an integrated training offer
Drive Sustainability recognizes that pre-training preparation, follow-up support and monitoring over time are essential to increase impact and understand change precursors. To complement the existing supplier training offer and further increase its reach, Drive Sustainability is planning the launch of an eLearning offer in the end of 2020.
To learn more about our capacity building activities, visit https://drivesustainability.org/capacity-building/.
For reading the full report, go to: DS Supplier Training Report 2019
* Drive Sustainability is facilitated by CSR Europe, the European Business Network for Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility.
