Antonio Hautle is known for his many years of experience in the field of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Since 2015, he has been the Director of the UN Global Compact in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, where he works to promote socially responsible business practices. His career is marked by numerous initiatives aimed at creating a more just and sustainable future, and he actively participates in international forums and conferences related to these topics.
What are the main challenges companies face in implementing sustainable practices?
More and more companies have understood that sustainability is a crucial driver for economic success. Clients, investors, the larger public and the employees expect companies to be responsible and sustainable in economic, ecologic and social terms. Especially the younger generation looks for jobs in companies, that respect Human Rights, have good working conditions and do not destroy the environment. A strong driver arises with the dynamic era of constantly evolving regulations. One of the important challenges for companies is to keep abreast of the rapidly changing regulatory landscape. This is not always easy and especially small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) often seem to lack resources to work on those topics. I strongly recommend starting the process now. Those who wait toо long, will be punished by the market. For SMEs, it can be a chance too – new products and services, including the “social and ecologic quality” in addition to usual quality for fair prices can be a comparative advantage.
How are businesses in Switzerland and Liechtenstein addressing them?
The larger companies started years ago to develop business models, that include social and ecological responsibility. They use the existing and fast evolving methods and instruments, to shape their value chains in line with the Ten UN Global Compact Principles, the OECD guidelines and, finally, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Companies invest in the sustainability topic more and more, since they understand, that the market demand strongly increases. Mainly SMEs are still struggling, but the regulations force them to react.
We see more and more companies including ecological and social aspects into their “normal daily business”. A company, which does not respond to these changes will not be successful in the long run.
How do government policies and regulations in Switzerland and Liechtenstein help or hinder sustainability efforts?
Like in other European countries, the regulations in Switzerland and Liechtenstein are increasing. While at first glance this may be perceived as a challenge, as new regulations create more complexity for companies, we should better look at them as great opportunity for companies to step up their sustainability efforts. Companies that grasp such point of view and position themselves quickly can drive innovation and be well placed to respond to new market requirements. Companies that miss out will likely be in big trouble in three to four years’ time.
How local and international regulations and standards affect companies’ sustainability/ESG practices?
In this dynamic era of constantly evolving regulations, one of the most important needs of our companies is to keep abreast of the rapidly changing regulatory landscape. This is not always easy and especially small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) often lack resources to work on those topics. Nevertheless, those regulations can also be an opportunity for companies to start and further develop their sustainability strategy. We have observed that in particular SMEs often only focus on their own area of business. The biggest challenge, however, is social and environmental responsibility in the supply chain. The requirements for suppliers of European and multinational companies in particular will increase massively over the next years due to the new regulations, which will also affect many SMEs. A company must know whether it has child labor, human rights or fundamental rights violations in its supply chain. Companies that import semi-finished products and raw materials are faced with the question of how they can organize their supply chain in such a way that it is socially and ecologically responsible, but also remains economically viable.
What is the role of the UN Global Compact Network in helping companies develop sustainable practices?
We support companies around the globe in taking measurable and accountable action for a sustainable world. We offer them a wide range of activities to support them – training programs, online and in person events, workshops, peer-learning groups, tools, resources and networking opportunities.
These instruments should help companies to adopt principles-based and sustainable approaches to improve long-term business performance and competitiveness, while ensuring greater inclusion and equality
In addition, we act as a multi-stakeholder platform – allowing businesses, local governments, civil society, business association and academia to foster and stimulate dialogue and mutual learning in the field of corporate responsibility and sustainability.
What educational programs and initiatives have been established in Switzerland and Liechtenstein to promote sustainability culture?
There is a multitude of them. Business schools, universities, the government, schools, business organizations and churches offer a large variety of materials, activities and tools. Some of them can be found on the website of the Swiss UN Global Compact Network (www.globalcompact.ch ).
What trends and challenges do you expect in the field of sustainability / ESG in the coming years?
Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and sustainability requirements will go mainstream. We are expecting raising quality requirements and an increasing demand for qualitative and quantitative data on ESG. There will be increasing global disruption in supply chains, caused by geopolitical shifts and insecurities. Companies who create internal awareness on these topics, will be better prepared. I recommend that all companies see ‘triple sustainability’ (ecological, social, economic) as an integral part of the quality of their products and services. Nobody wants child labor in their products and services. More importantly, improved products and services require and drive innovation and thus market positioning. Sustainable management should be seen as an opportunity for a successful company. And they will be more resilient to market insecurities too.
How can companies prepare for these?
As already mentioned above: Start now, don’t wait until your clients or regulation is imposing it to your company. See the RBC / CSR / Sustainability policy as a business opportunity. Include it in your business strategy and for SMEs simply in your day to day business reflections.
It’s important that companies go beyond compliance. Sustainability is not just about minimum requirements and ticking boxes of questionnaires. It’s about striving to take measurable action for a sustainable business model.
We recommend that companies start working proactively on their sustainability journey, rather than ‘reacting’ once the regulations are in place. A proactive approach gives companies more flexibility and time to develop a strategy and implement it in their operations. When embarking on your sustainability journey, it’s important to first define and prioritize your key challenges and then tackle them one at a time. It can be helpful to start by focusing on just one key area, such as human rights and supply chain management. The UN Global Compact can be a good place to start, as it offers a range of helpful resources and activities in all relevant areas of action, no matter where companies are on their sustainability journey.
