nachhaltigkeit bei zeb
nachhaltigkeit bei zeb

Sustainability at zeb

We take responsibility for our employees, our society and the environment.

We put our responsibility into action 

 

We have defined our sustainability strategy in ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) to gradually reduce zeb’s greenhouse gas emissions, promote education within and outside the company and integrate the values of our corporate code of conduct – above all “working together in partnership” – in our day-to-day business.  


It is important to us to actively take responsibility for our employees, society and the environment – and to put this responsibility into action.  

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Sustainable action requires a willingness to change. We want to involve and convince all employees by fostering a lively exchange of ideas and thus initiate a cultural transformation within the company.” 

Dr. Elke Nottenkämper, CSO and Head of Internal Communications & Sustainability

 

“We strive to apply the high-quality standards set for our client projects also to our internal operations.”

Stefan Kaufmann, zeb Partner and member of the ESG Steering Board

zeb.ESG

Join us on our sustainable journey: here you will find current insights into the sustainability issues we deal with, both within the company and in client projects. 

Environment
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At zeb, we need and want to continuously reduce our carbon emissions on the way to net zero.

In order to achieve our milestone targets and make our contribution to net zero by 2050, we are increasingly traveling to client meetings by train rather than by plane, holding zeb meetings at one of our offices or at locations that can be reached in a climate-friendly way, using public transport and preferably staying in hotels that have a lower carbon footprint. We are reducing our water, electricity and paper consumption, we are procuring as many goods and services as possible regionally, and we are supplying IT and offices with renewable energy.

We know that zeb can only operate sustainably if all employees support this goal. Rules and regulations are important, but we can only change our business if all colleagues pull together with full conviction. That is why we have an extensive e-learning program as well as other initiatives on the topic of sustainability for all employees. 

 

Social
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To us, consulting is a “people business” both in the narrower and broader sense. We owe our success to the skills, diversity, expertise and commitment of our colleagues. zeb therefore supports them wholeheartedly in developing their potential: “stay and grow” is an attitude that sets us apart from many companies. Furthermore, promoting educational initiatives is particularly important to us. 

 

„The consulting business is challenging for all our colleagues. That is why team spirit plays a special role in our company. I am very pleased that zeb is an open, friendly and supportive place for people to work together. As a company, we back our employees with a variety of initiatives, for example in the areas of health, further training and family life. In addition, we have abolished the traditional line manager role for our consultants in favor of personal mentors."

Quote from Birgit Mentzen, Head of HR at zeb 

 

„Professors Bernd Rolfes and Henner Schierenbeck founded zeb over 30 years ago as a “spin-off” from their chair in banking and finance. Against this background, we have always placed particular emphasis on education – both inside and outside the company. We see education as one of the most important foundations for sustainable behavior – in the economy and in society, and also on a personal level. Therefore, we support schools, training facilities and universities through teaching events, donations and corporate volunteering. As a company, we also publish our own studies on an ongoing basis in order to share our expertise with the public."

Quote from Jens Eickbusch, CHRO and Partner at zeb  

 

Governance
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We want zeb as a company to act responsibly and sustainably. Since 2015, we have explained this expectation in our Code of Conduct, and we expect the same from our clients and suppliers. Through our business, we stand for reliable proposal procedures, anti-corruption, IT security and transparent reporting. We have been steadily expanding our efforts for almost ten years.

Since 2015, we have been a member of the UN Global Compact. We are thus committed to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which are aimed at a more social and ecological globalization, and undertake to report annually on our corporate activities in the areas of market, employees, society and the environment.

Since 2015, we have also had our sustainability management regularly audited by the certification organization EcoVadis. In 2024, we were awarded the bronze medal. This puts us among the 50% of top-rated companies in Germany – but we still see considerable room for improvement. In order to keep improving, the ongoing and detailed review of our projects shows exactly where we still have potential.

 

zeb.Insights 

Here you will find the latest information on topic-related publications, podcasts, use cases, interviews and more from zeb.