Our philosophy
In the current business philosophy, problems are analyzed and solved in a linear and reductionist way. This approach is rooted deeply in our society and has created development and values. However, business organized according to this principle, has side effects (externalities), for which normally is not accounted for. Furthermore, the reductionist approach only works when “free“ energy and other resources (in form of relative cheep oil and mined products like phosphate) are available. However, the area of of cheep oil and resources is coming to an end and solutions for real sustainable development are only possible in applying an integrated and systemic approach.
We are applying therefore a two step approach: First, standard ESG analysis which is primarily based on the framework of IFC Performance Standards. This framework has elements of a systematic approach but it does not enter root causes of environmental and social externalities and emerging business risks due to increased resource scarcity. Therefore we can look further on the agronomic practices including logistics and processing and can make proposals for a more resilient business regarding price volatility of fuel and resources and for climate change adaptation.
Being a generalist, I do not claim to cover all these disciplines. Therefore, I am working with a network of highly skilled professionals and consulting firms.
We can provide further details on request.
About Stefan
I am a seasoned specialist and consultant in sustainability management working for more than 30 years in the private sector. My education background is in agriculture, environment science and I have an MBA on sustainability management from Leuphana University in Germany, which gives me a broad and integrated view on business and value creation.
Since 2003 I am working for international (development) finance covering a broad range of sectors executing ESG due diligence based on the framework developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC Performance Sector), the private sector branch of the World Bank. The sectors I have been involved are financial services with focus on private equity funds, (renewable) energy and since 2015 my focus has been on agribusiness. For banks and private equity funds, I developed and executes trainings and masterclasses on sustainability. Furthermore, I have been involved in several technical assistance initiative to improve agricultural practices, like pesticide reduction in the fruit and vegetable sector and programs for Best Practices in agriculture - both initiatives were located in Latin America.
