ISEAL working session for effective partnerships
Effective partnerships between business and sustainability systems: a cross-industry working session to strengthen impact
Zurich, 12 November 2025
In this workshop, companies and sustainability systems across different industries are invited to learn from each other, sharing what works well in the partnership between companies and sustainability systems, what generates impact and what their ideas are for how this could be and needs to be improved. The goal is to create a space for an open and honest exchange that sparks practical ideas for the future.
The start of the working session will have a wide scope, discovering questions about the value proposition of sustainability systems, the current topics for improvement in their effectiveness and the research into the impact of different measures. We will then continue with a more narrow focus on mutual learning and collective problem-solving regarding different elements of the effectiveness of sustainability systems. These elements include for example how sustainability systems are collecting, using and sharing sustainability data and information, among others. We will follow an “Appreciative Inquiry” approach that emphasises the strengths and successes of the partnership between companies and sustainability systems and with this positive focus build motivation, engagement and collaboration.
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09:00 - 09:30: Registration and coffee
09:30 - 09:40: Welcome and introduction
- Robert Suter, ISEAL, Stakeholder Engagement Manager
09:40 - 10:25: Discovery
The goal of the partnership between sustainability systems and companies is tangible sustainability impacts. The complexity of the challenges to overcome towards this goal require continuous improvement. This first part of the working session is dedicated to discovering current topics for improvement in the effectiveness and in the value proposition of sustainability systems. But there are also many examples of where the partnership between companies and sustainability systems is at its best and we want to together discover what measures have been shown to create real impact.
- Robert Suter, ISEAL, Manager Stakeholder Engagement
Presentation of topics for improvement for the value proposition of the partnership between companies and sustainability systems - Lucy Redmore, ISEAL, Manager Credibility & Innovations
Presentation of key elements that a sustainability system needs in order to be effective and of topics for improvement of system effectiveness (areas of current work) and promising innovations - Naomi Black, ISEAL, Associate Manager Impacts and Evidence
Presentation of measures that have been researched and shown to create real impact
Small group discussion of further topics for improvement and examples of the partnership between companies and sustainability systems at its best – creating impact and addressing key needs of companies.
10:25 - 10:30: Focusing on system effectiveness
- Lucy Redmore, ISEAL, Manager Credibility & Innovations
Framing the focus of the small group discussions
10:30 - 11:00: Dream
Discussing in small groups and building together what set of improvements to different elements of system effectiveness in sustainability systems would achieve the greatest increase of impact.
11:00 - 11:20: Coffee and networking
11:20 - 11:50: Design
Discussing in small groups and selecting the most feasible improvements that would be most beneficial for company needs and designing together what they would look like in practice.
11:50 - 12:20: Deliver
Discussing in small groups and laying out concrete next steps that need to be taken on the way to the selected improvements of system effectiveness.
12:20 - 12:30: Wrap-up
- Robert Suter, ISEAL, Manager Stakeholder Engagement
12:30 - 13:30: Lunch and networking
This event is hosted with generous support from:
