Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights
In today’s business environment, corporate social responsibility and human rights (now broadly known as ESG – Environmental, Social, and Governance) are no longer merely ethical choices but key factors for sustainability, reputation, and financial success. Traditionally, this area was treated as an add-on to business operations. Our approach uses Legal Design Thinking to turn ESG into a strategic tool for creating value.
We do not provide legal advice alone; we help you design a business model that is ethically responsible, legally secure, and competitive in the market. Our goal is to transform complex regulations into clear, operational, and transparent processes.
1. Diagnostics and design phase (assessment and strategy)
This initial phase is essential for understanding your current position and creating a proactive strategy.
Visual ESG risk map: Through an interactive process, we create a visual map that identifies and ranks all potential legal, ethical, and reputational risks in your business (e.g., labor rights, environmental impact, transparency). This map simplifies complexity and provides a clear overview.
Legal audit and benchmarking: We conduct a legal review of your existing policies and practices against domestic laws and international standards (e.g., UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights). The results are presented through simple graphics, enabling rapid decision-making.
ESG strategy design: Based on the diagnostics, we work with you to create a customized ESG strategy that is not only legally compliant but integrated into your business model, turning risk into opportunity.
2. Implementation and validation phase (policies and contracts)
In this phase, theory becomes practice. We help you design tools that ensure compliance at all levels.
Designing transparent policies: We draft internal regulations such as sustainability and ESG standards policies and ethical codes. These documents are designed to be clear, visual, and easily understood by all employees, increasing compliance and reducing misunderstandings.
Contract design and ESG clauses: We design contracts with suppliers, partners, and clients that include binding clauses on respect for human rights and environmental standards. This creates a legally secure and ethical value chain.
Establishing grievance mechanisms: We help set up legally secure and confidential channels for reporting irregularities (so-called “whistleblowing”), with a clear, visually presented workflow from report to resolution.
3. Management and defense phase (monitoring and crisis management)
This phase is critical for protecting reputation and legal security over time.
Crisis plan design: We prepare a detailed legal and communication response plan for public allegations of ESG violations, with clearly defined roles and steps.
Holistic dispute management: We represent you in legal proceedings related to human rights violations, labor disputes, or claims of misleading advertising (“greenwashing”).
4. Communication and reporting phase (transparency and credibility)
Finally, we help you present your ESG efforts in a legally secure and transparent manner.
Legal review of reports: We review your public sustainability reports (ESG reports) to ensure compliance with standards (GRI, IFRS) and that they do not contain misleading information.
Designing transparent communication: We provide legal guidance on communicating your ESG activities credibly and truthfully, building long-term trust with consumers and investors.
Our mission: what you gain with the Legal Design approach
Through Legal Design, our goal is to turn ESG factors from a source of legal risk into the foundation of your resilience and competitive advantage. We help you not only meet legal obligations but also transform your company into a respected, trusted leader prepared for future challenges.