Sustainability strategy & organisation
Sustainability strategy and organisation
Sustainability has become a core business lever — shaping revenue, cost, risk, and capital allocation. To unlock its full value, sustainability needs to be embedded into the heart of the company’s strategy, not treated as a parallel track. But not all sustainability topics are equally relevant. The key is focusing on what aligns with core business priorities, drives measurable outcomes, and is backed by a structure that enables execution.
We help companies define and deliver on sustainability strategies that drive value
Our approach goes beyond target-setting; we ensure sustainability becomes a core part of how a company positions itself, makes decisions, and operates. We work across all organisational levels to ensure strategies are not only ambitious but actionable, supported by the right governance, competencies, and culture.
Our team brings deep experience in both top-tier strategy consulting and investment. We understand how businesses and organisations work, and how sustainability integrates with broader commercial and operational objectives.
Defining the sustainability strategy
We support clients in developing sustainability strategies that are focused, grounded, and market-informed. Whether starting from a blank slate or aligning existing efforts, we focus sharply on the most business-critical areas, balancing opportunity capture with proactive risk management. Our process combines purpose definition (where needed), market and regulatory analysis, and ESG prioritisation. We define the company’s strategic position, identify high-impact initiatives, set measurable KPIs, and assess operating model implications to ensure execution readiness.
Organising for impact
We help design the organisational structure, operating model, and capabilities needed to deliver the strategy. This includes setting up cross-functional collaboration processes, enabling reliable data management, and ensuring sustainability is owned by the right people in the business. We also establish governance structures, leadership mandates, and integration points across departments, ensuring the strategy is institutionally anchored and execution is systematic.
Executing and communicating the strategy
Even the strongest strategy fails without follow-through. We support clients in mobilising the organisation, tracking progress, and building ownership across functions. We also help integrate the sustainability strategy into the broader corporate narrative and brand, working with communications and creative partners to ensure consistency and maximise the external impact of the work.
Our featured cases within sustainability strategy & organisation
- Bluestep Bankabout ?overlay=bluestep-bank
Bluestep Bank
Developing a sustainable strategy for a financial player
- Value creation & commercialisationabout /services/value-creation-and-commercialisationValue creation & commercialisation
- Sustainability strategy & organisationabout /services/sustainability-strategy-and-organisationSustainability strategy & organisation
- Zealand Pharmaabout ?overlay=zealand-pharma
Zealand Pharma
CSRD readiness and ESG Strategy in healthcare
- Sustainability disclosuresabout /services/sustainability-disclosuresSustainability disclosures
- Sustainability strategy & organisationabout /services/sustainability-strategy-and-organisationSustainability strategy & organisation
“We define sharp sustainability strategies and build the organisation to deliver, ensuring sustainability drives growth, resilience, and long-term value across the business.”
Explore our full range of services supporting every step of the sustainability journey
- Private equity and investors
- Strategy and value creation
- Reporting and regulation
- Nature and resources
- Climate
We support investors across the full investment cycle, from fund strategy and impact priorities to Due Diligence, ownership and exit. Our work helps embed sustainability and impact throughout, unlocking long-term value and stronger outcomes.
- Sustainable fundsabout /services/sustainable-fundsSustainable funds
- Private equity servicesabout /services/private-equity-servicesPrivate equity services
Explore our full range of services supporting every step of the sustainability journey
We support investors across the full investment cycle, from fund strategy and impact priorities to Due Diligence, ownership and exit. Our work helps embed sustainability and impact throughout, unlocking long-term value and stronger outcomes.
- Sustainable fundsabout /services/sustainable-fundsSustainable funds
- Private equity servicesabout /services/private-equity-servicesPrivate equity services
Zealand Pharma
CSRD readiness and ESG Strategy in healthcare
Zealand Pharma is an international biotechnology company developing innovative peptide-based medicines in three key therapeutic areas: obesity, rare diseases, and chronic inflammation. In preparation for upcoming CSRD requirements and to strengthen its sustainability ambitions, Zealand Pharma partnered with The Footprint Firm to develop a Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) and revisit its ESG strategy, linking regulatory compliance with long-term strategic value.
Services
- Sustainability disclosuresabout /services/sustainability-disclosuresSustainability disclosures
- Sustainability strategy & organisationabout /services/sustainability-strategy-and-organisationSustainability strategy & organisation
Industries
- Biotechnology
- Pharmaceuticals & healthcare
The project
Zealand Pharma sought to establish a robust Double Materiality Assessment that could serve both as the analytical foundation for compliance and upcoming CSRD reporting and as a strategic tool to inform its ESG direction. The aim was to ensure cross-organisational alignment, engage senior leadership, and use the DMA process to guide the development of an updated, actionable ESG strategy.
Our approach
Working closely with the finance, strategy, and sustainability teams, we facilitated a CSRD-compliant DMA process grounded in stakeholder interviews and engagement with corporate management. The assessment identified material impacts, risks, and opportunities across environmental, social, and governance topics, aligned with CSRD requirements while tailored to Zealand Pharma’s unique context as a biotech innovator.
Building on this foundation, we co-developed an updated ESG strategy structured around three core pillars: Patients, People, and Operations. Each pillar was translated into clear initiatives, measurable targets, and linked CSRD datapoints, ensuring both strategic relevance and reporting readiness.
We also helped map internal ownership by connecting each pillar with relevant data owners and operational leads to embed sustainability across the organisation.
The impact
Our collaboration enabled Zealand Pharma to move from regulatory preparation to strategic integration, delivering a CSRD-ready Double Materiality Assessment and a refreshed ESG strategy rooted in business priorities.
The result: an ESG roadmap that is both compliant and value-generating, with clear internal ownership and a structure that connects Zealand Pharma’s mission to the company’s sustainability performance as a whole.