Author: Torsten Spill

Many mid-sized companies already operate an environmental or energy management system in accordance with ISO 14001 or ISO 50001 – often to improve resource efficiency, meet customer expectations, or benefit from tax incentives. But in times of increasing pressure for sustainability reporting, one question arises more frequently: Can these systems serve as a foundation for… Continue reading ISO 14001 & ISO 50001: Foundation for Effective Sustainability Management

Sustainability is a leadership responsibility. Full stop.And yet, in many companies, the reality looks quite different. Sustainability officers are appointed, given a task on paper – and then left to their own devices. No support from the management board, no real integration into the business strategy, often not even the necessary resources or decision-making authority.… Continue reading Sustainability Management: Not a Job for Lone Warriors

In many companies, chaos reigns in document and data management: essential reports are buried in opaque folder structures, version numbers are missing, and cryptic file names give no indication of their content. Often, only one person knows the system—if they are unavailable, the search begins. Entire teams waste valuable time during audits or everyday tasks… Continue reading The Silent Time Thief: How Inefficient Document Management Hampers Daily Work

The Port-Club Hamburg provides the perfect setting to discuss the future of sustainable business in companies. In this inspiring environment, I had the opportunity to present an impulse to the Co-Create CEO Group Hamburg and encourage the attending executives, owners, and business leaders to deeply reflect on their contributions to a more sustainable future.  … Continue reading From Fish Sandwiches to Sustainability: An Inspiring Meeting at the Hafen-Club Hamburg

Recently, I had the extraordinary opportunity to exchange thoughts with one of the most influential figures in environmental and sustainability research: Prof. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker. As the co-founder of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy and a pioneer of the efficiency revolution, he has demonstrated through his Factor-4 strategy that it is… Continue reading “This is not enough!” – A conversation about sustainable business with Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker

Developing and implementing an effective sustainability strategy is more important today than ever. But where do you start? How do you conserve your own resources, which are often scarce? An experienced counseling companion can make the difference!   Why you should rely on expertise: Comprehensive ESG expertise: With experience as an auditor for ISO 14001,… Continue reading Why is it worthwhile to rely on experienced support when developing a sustainability strategy?

The introduction of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) represents a profound change for many medium-sized companies. It was developed as part of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and requires companies to report comprehensively and in detail on their sustainability performance.   As part of my further training, I now work with the “Haufe… Continue reading How the ESR standard poses new challenges for medium-sized companies

Companies and organizations are facing increasingly complex challenges, especially when it comes to developing and implementing sustainability strategies and reports. While traditionally consulting services are often used to develop strategies, it is increasingly becoming apparent that coaching is a far more effective approach.   Why coaching instead of consulting? During the consultation, the consultant often… Continue reading Coaching instead of consulting: the ideal way to develop strategies

At a time when sustainability is no longer a trend but a necessity, companies are faced with the challenge of meeting the requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). From the 2025 financial year, the CSRD requires large companies to prepare a comprehensive sustainability report that complies with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).… Continue reading Introduction of a sustainability management system: your roadmap to success

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) makes the analysis of double materiality an indispensable element for companies subject to reporting requirements. But what does this term mean and how can you use this analysis effectively for your sustainability strategy?   What is double materiality? Dual materiality considers two dimensions: financial materiality (outside-in) and the… Continue reading Analysing the double materiality: What’s in it for me?

Alongside the newsletter on LinkedIn, I continue to send out my info letter by email. This is where my circle of clients, colleagues and partners receive insider information from the field. In contrast to newsletters from institutes, auditing firms, educational institutions and law firms, you will receive examples of implementation with a background of entrepreneurial… Continue reading Perspectives on sustainable management: Receive the latest developments by e-mail

Auditors, banks, chambers of commerce and experts are pointing out an important new requirement to SMEs: The obligation under CSRD to prepare a sustainability report!   There are many homepages, articles, whitepapers and blog posts that are being poured onto the companies concerned. Auditors are warning their clients to be prepared. Banks are threatening to… Continue reading From extra effort to opportunity: The right approach to sustainability reporting for SMEs

From 2025, many medium-sized companies will be required to prepare a sustainability report as part of the management report in their annual financial statements. In itself, this obligation is an “additional workload required by law, which causes additional costs and ties up capacities and, on the face of it, does not benefit the business”. If… Continue reading Sustainability reporting obligation: What can be done to minimise the efforts?

Many players in the agri-food business in Germany have proven to be pioneers when it comes to sustainability. Medium-sized family businesses have introduced sustainability management systems to reduce their environmental impact, improve resource efficiency and fulfil their social responsibilities. The challenges are still great, especially as major food retail customers are passing on more and… Continue reading Sustainability management in the agri-food business and the fashion and textile industry: A comparison

I am delighted to be able to offer another seminar together with the Burg Warberg Academy, which will help to sharpen the focus on the upcoming challenges facing companies in more sustainable business practices. Not only the agricultural trade, but also large farming businesses, food industry suppliers, other input suppliers and many others have to… Continue reading “Acting sustainable in SMEs: Practical seminar for agribusiness companies”

Don’t follow the sustainability pioneers, go your own way Despite the many cornerstones set by customer requirements, bank guidelines and new laws, the path to continuously more sustainable business remains an individual matter for each company. If approached correctly, small and medium-sized family-run companies can preserve and utilise their culture and tradition despite far-reaching changes.… Continue reading 2024: Year of more sustainable business!

The Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG) will now also apply to companies with 50 to 249 employees from next week. They are obliged to introduce a secure whistleblower system that enables whistleblowers to report violations of EU and German law at their company without suffering any disadvantages. Companies usually set up external ombudsman offices for this… Continue reading Do you have more than 50 employees? Then you must ensure the protection of whistleblowers from 18 December in Germany!

The most important prerequisite for integrating the pursuit of greater sustainability (hereinafter referred to as “SU”) into the company’s business activities is the conviction of the company management! In many medium-sized family businesses, this is a matter of course. But I also know entrepreneurs who prefer to put the issue of more sustainable business practices… Continue reading Anchoring sustainability in the corporate DNA: Develop your mission statement (…new)

From 2025, all so-called “large companies” (according to directive 2013/34/EU) will be obliged to prepare, have audited and certified and publish a sustainability report. In Germany alone, over 15,000 companies are affected, which often must document their internal work and their business relationships along the supply chain with completely new disclosure demands. This is more… Continue reading Performance chaos as of 2025 in your company? Better prepare now for ESG reporting requirements

Especially if you have business relationships with larger companies or you belong to the category of large companies yourself, now is the time to prepare for sustainable business and introduce a sustainability management system (“SMS”) step by step, but systematically. Why is this so? A demonstrably sustainable way of doing business is (still) a unique… Continue reading Introducing a consistent sustainability management system: Why is it worthwhile right now?

In many conversations with entrepreneurs and executives, I heard again and again what “kind of madness” politics and society demand of the companies with regard to ESG obligations (environmental, social, governance). Occasionally I even heard voices that spoke of stopping, giving up or relocating abroad due to the disclosure, reporting and implementation obligations for sustainable… Continue reading Tips to make it easier to cope

My next newsletter is in preparation and will be published soon. Find out about my solutions and projects for introducing a sustainability management system. As a certified ZNU sustainability manager and, most recently, also an auditor for the ZNU standard, I show medium-sized and small companies in the agricultural and food industry the way to… Continue reading Perspectives on sustainable management: Your newsletter is coming soon

Some of my clients are confused! During the annual financial statement process, the auditors warned of the coming sustainability reporting obligation for many larger companies and asked management to prepare for it. In fact, many large companies are required to prepare a sustainability report in accordance with the EU Corporate Sustainability Directive (CSRD) for the… Continue reading What are your auditors demanding regarding to your future sustainability reporting requirements?

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is an unstoppable change that will have a lasting impact on the corporate landscape. This directive is ground-breaking because it calls on companies to take responsibility and firmly integrate sustainability into their business practices. Despite the concerns and the effort involved, it also opens immense opportunities for your… Continue reading Don’t wait, start acting now

It strikes me that many medium-sized and family businesses in the agri-business hardly report at all about their commitment to sustainability. That should change because: On the one hand, the legal framework for sustainable management is continuously tightening for more and more companies. On the other hand, more and more people in the company and… Continue reading Do the sustainability check

A special characteristic of sustainable management is when companies manage to retain the required specialists or recruit new ones. The scientific work of Anna Wangerow. “Employer competition in the food industry” (2021, University of Göttingen) documents precisely that, compared to the economy as a whole, medium-sized companies in the food industry are finding it more… Continue reading Retaining and attracting talents and specialists: One of the greatest challenges for medium-sized companies in the agricultural and food industry

One of the approaches in working with my corporate clients is coaching. When dealing with challenges such as growth projects, mergers, changes in culture to increase attractiveness for specialists or towards more sustainable management, I like to use individual coaching to support the people involved. Most of the time, this coaching is embedded in implementation… Continue reading Coaching as a sustainable approach to better cope with challenges in work and private life: Kuestenlichter-Coaches (Coast Lights) help

Now back again: After a longer break, my new newsletter in German will be published soon. If you want to know how medium-sized companies in the agricultural and food industry can do business more sustainably without overloading their own management capacities, then you should subscribe to the newsletter. If you want to know how small… Continue reading Perspectives on sustainable management: Your newsletter is coming soon

During the tour and visits to stands at Fruit Logistica, I was pleased to see that more and more companies in the fruit and vegetable industry are becoming aware of their responsibility for our world. Some stands are already advertising the sustainability of their actions. On request, the very committed stand employees provided information on… Continue reading Sustainability at Fruit Logistica: What is behind it?

There are enough reasons to take care of the changes in your own company now to operate more sustainably. They would be: ■ be prepared at an early stage for new sustainability demands from customers and society ■ meet and implement new legal requirements (Supply Chain Due Diligence Act in Germany, EU-CSRD) ■ Create synergies… Continue reading We’ll just wait and see: Postpone sustainable management until Saint-Never’s Day?

A very complex year is coming to an end. For many of us, including me, 2022 was a year of unexpected upheaval. Already in January, many people from the agri-business, who used to be involved in business with the Russian Federation, felt great concern about the Russian troop deployments on the borders with Ukraine. I… Continue reading A look at 2023 at the end of a year of upheaval

In my last newsletter I reported on strategy development projects in the agricultural and food industry. In addition to the current crises caused by energy prices, inflation and the war in Ukraine, the medium-sized companies in the industry are concerned with two key issues:   The lack of professionals and experts for the implementation of… Continue reading Perspectives on sustainable management: Your newsletter is coming soon

Once again, I would like to comment on the results of the Future Commission for Agriculture (FCA) which was installed by the federal government of Germany: What does the far-reaching consensus of the commission members mean for the agricultural machinery sector? Definitely a big challenge! Everything that has been set in motion in the technical… Continue reading Agricultural engineering of the future: Can Germans future commission’s visions be implemented?

For the fifth time in my still young self-employment as a business coach, I support medium-sized companies in the agricultural sector in developing basic strategies and thus realigning the organization. My basic attitude is that strategies can only be successfully implemented if they have been developed together with employees and, if possible, with business partners.… Continue reading Corporate coach as a companion in strategy development: Ensure success through sustainable implementation!

For the third time, I was recently able to contribute to the exchange between CEOs and executives with a keynote speech at a co-create network meeting. My thanks go to the moderator @VolkerPetersen from @Co-Create GmbH, who reflected the positive feedback on my topic “Perspectives on sustainable management“. In addition to the current crises, the… Continue reading Impulse for co-create management network: Perspectives on sustainable management

“The promotion of sustainable development is the guiding principle of the German federal government’s policy. Economic performance, protection of the natural basis of life and social responsibility must go hand in hand so that developments are sustainable in the long term. The economy is an important player and multiplier for more sustainability.” This is what… Continue reading Implementing and demonstrating sustainable management: What is coming up for medium-sized businesses?

Already published in 2020 and published for the second time last year, the popular scientific work “Alle satt?” (Everyone fed?) by the former head of FiBL (Research Institute for Organic Farming in Frick, Switzerland), Urs Niggli, is a concentrated summary of the view of our food system from the perspective of organic farming. Niggli, one… Continue reading “Eco Pope” Prof. Urs Niggli: Food security with organic farming?

I enjoy listening to the podcast by Dr. Christopher Rauen and Andreas Steinhübel. I was particularly impressed by this episode. The two leading coaches and consultants in Germany sum up the topic of “change“. My experiences of change processes with my clients correspond almost 100%. The approaches of the two experts to successfully shape the… Continue reading Business coaching and more: Rauen and Steinhübel on organizational change

Last week, June 9th, 22, I had the pleasure of moderating a high-level discussion panel at the General Meeting of the German Potato Associations. The SPD member of the Bundestag Isabel Mackensen-Geis, the Rhineland-Palatinate CDU member of the state parliament Johannes Zehfuss and BMEL sub-department head Walter Dübner faced the questions of the potato industry… Continue reading German potato industry in dialogue with politicians in Bad Dürkheim

Even if the final report was presented more than 10 months ago, we now have a new federal government and the world situation has changed dramatically, the results of the FCA remain groundbreaking because they represent the central consensus of all players in the German agricultural and food industry . The new Minister of Agriculture,… Continue reading Central importance of the food industry for the transformation of the agricultural and food industry: German Future Commission of Agriculture (FCA) challenges

In my more than one year of experience as a freelance consultant and coach, I have already had the third company owner as a client who complains about working far too much and managing the company is becoming increasingly difficult. I heard from these very successful founders that success is no longer fun. Every new… Continue reading Company founders in the hamster wheel: What is wrong here?

My new German newsletter will be out in the next few days! For me, too, the topic of sustainability in business is taking a back seat. Russia’s brutal war of aggression against innocent Ukraine moves us all. This had far-reaching consequences for me: I resigned from my posts as co-chairman of the German Agribusiness Alliance,… Continue reading Perspectives on sustainable business: A newsletter with added value

On April 5th, I want to dare: I throw myself into the crowd at the exhibition center in Berlin, but with an FFP2 mask! Dear network partner: You can recognize me like this.   But maybe we can meet up! Feel free to call me on 0172-289 88 77 or write a LinkedIn message. I… Continue reading Tuesday at Fruit Logistica 2022

The Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine means a fundamental paradigm shift for us. None of us thought it possible that in our GAA area could be a criminal breach of international law, death, suffering and misery for the Ukrainian people and a high level of disinformation, lies and closures towards the people of… Continue reading Resignation: Farewell German Seed Alliance, Goodbye German Agribusiness Alliance

As part of my honorary posts as co-chair of the German Agribusiness Alliance and Russia spokesman for German agriculture, I was a member of the high-ranking delegation of the Eastern Committee of German Business in 2017 and 2019 in dialogue with President Putin and large parts of the Russian government. Even then, my Ukrainian colleagues… Continue reading I shook hands with Putin! I am ashamed and regret!

An exchange with a very successful entrepreneur in the last few months has moved me a lot. Why do many “company seniors” not succeed in retiring? Many pioneers founded their companies in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and in some cases led them to global success. My interlocutor can also look back on an unbelievable… Continue reading Generational change: Supporting the letting go of the founding senior with coaching?

I have already reported in detail on the radical results of the German Future Commission for Agriculture (FCA). I am convinced that the new federal government will follow most of the Commission’s demands and recommendations. The statements of the FCA about plant breeding are clear: the Commission sees new climate-adapted, robust, high-yielding varieties of as… Continue reading Medium-sized plant breeders: German FCA believes in pioneering importance of this industry

I am pleased that I can once again accompany a start-up company. This time not as the founder’s coach, but as a strategy consultant in market and organizational development. The founder has an impressive mission for his to be founded company and has already made a sizeable real estate investment as a result. Now it… Continue reading Strategy development for start-ups: Does the good old SWOT process work if nothing exists?

The German Future Commission of Agriculture (FCA), with its members from all sectors of agriculture, NGOs and science, recommends that chemical plant protection will be eliminated in the medium term and replaced. The Industrieverband-Agrar, the association of the pesticide manufacturers, also publicly supports this statement.   It would be presumptuous to give the multi-nationals, that… Continue reading The future of crop protection: FCA sets standards

The time has come next week: my third newsletter will be published! The topic of sustainability in business is on everyone’s lips. The focus of the discussion is the implementation of the content. But what does it do to people when a farm or a company changes its economy sustainably? In the newsletter I’ll report… Continue reading Perspectives on sustainable business: A newsletter with added value

Yes, the statements of the Future Commission for Agriculture (FCA) on the future of plant nutrition are headlines. If you consider that these were decided unanimously by the commissioners from all interest groups in our agricultural sector, then the statements are groundbreaking for the future of our soils! The visionary goals of everyone in our… Continue reading Future of the fertilizer industry: Does the German Future Commission Agriculture show the industry the way?

In my German newsletter I made it clear how groundbreaking I think the agreement of the Future Commission for Agriculture (FCA) is. The representatives of all groups relevant to our agriculture and food system have developed a common understanding of what will have to be changed over the next 10 years. My conversations over the… Continue reading German Future Commission for Agriculture: The agricultural policy program for every new federal government

A newsletter that can bring added value for you: The response to my number 1 at the beginning of September was positive because many readers found my summaries of complex political circumstances, primarily in the agricultural and food sector, to be in a nutshell. For the time being, the newsletter is in German language.  … Continue reading Perspectives on sustainable business: The next newsletter is coming soon

Did you know? As early as 2018, the United Nations launched an organization that today, with the funding of many member countries, has the task of evaluating the performance of individual companies in terms of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in rankings of scores. The German Federal Government supports this “World Benchmarking Alliance”… Continue reading World Benchmarking Alliance: United Nations assess companies without their participation

In the 10 months leading up to June 29, 2021, 32 representatives of the groups responsible for our food system achieved incredible things. They unanimously agreed on how the agricultural and food system in Germany must be radically restructured in the next few years! These people represent the interests of their respective areas at a… Continue reading German Future Commission Agriculture: Paradigm Shift for our Food System

The time has come: I can now receive my clients in my own coaching practice. With a view of the treetops and forests of the Reindorfer Osterberg, you can easily get out of your hectic everyday life. Only 30 minutes south of Hamburg you will immerse yourself in a relaxation that, together with my coaching,… Continue reading My coaching room is ready!

The global value chains of the world economy are currently being challenged by the corona crisis. The term “value chain” is not the one that should be criticized. Thinking in terms of value chains is also a decisive path for new growth of a company on a regional basis. If the company directors manage not… Continue reading Growth through value chain strategies

In cooperation with the auditing company Rödl & Partner, I am organizing a webinar entitled “What has changed in the world of work due to Corona”. In my contribution to this event “After Corona: Changed markets as an expansion opportunity for medium-sized companies? Joint successful implementation of growth“ I have the opportunity to explain the… Continue reading Webinar: Growth through change due to Corona

The American writer Francis Paul Wilson has already stated: “Only those who accept change can grow.” If management is fully focused on achieving growth goals, it runs the risk of overburdening people involved. To reduce this risk, a coaching program for entrepreneurs, management and key employees, who want to lead a growth initiative to success,… Continue reading Acceptance of change through growth: What can coaching achieve?

After a good end as CEO of the Solana Group, the beginning of my new vocation was a success. The preparation phase has been completed and I am happy to have my first clients with whom I can share my experience as an entrepreneur paired with the expertise in systemic coaching. As your coach and… Continue reading Confucius says: “A good ending also needs a good beginning.”

… said the Swiss writer and entrepreneur Kurt Guggenheim. That is my experience too. If you as a management team concentrate fully on achieving your growth targets, you run the risk of overwhelming your employees and business partners. Do it differently: Before you embark on the implementation of the measures for business expansion, for example… Continue reading ” Growing organically means organizing yourself harmoniously.”